Acts 25
Read: Acts 25
Paul was in prison for two whole years when he had done nothing wrong. This is a perfect example of someone being demonized for having differing views. Once Festus had succeeded Felix, he tried to deal with Paul’s situation by speaking to the chief priests and leaders of the Jews. They again wanted Paul to be brought to Jerusalem to face trial, yet just like before, they planned to ambush him along the way. They did not want justice; they did not want Paul to have the chance to explain himself or speak. They hated him and wanted him dead…
Here we see Paul make a desperate move. He had sat by for two years waiting for acquittal, yet it never came. The time had come for drastic measures. Either he takes a chance and goes to Jerusalem where he had two years earlier been led out of the city under the guard of almost five hundred men to protect him from the Jews that had planned to kill him (See Acts 23); or Paul can use his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. He chose the later. This must have been a difficult decision. The Caesar at the time was none other than Emperor Nero, the historically corrupt and brutal persecutor of Christians. True, at this time he had not yet become that in full, but his later actions in persecuting Christians shows the kind of man he was becoming. Simply put, Paul had a choice between bad and worse. He chose Caesar because he knew that the Jews definitely wanted to kill him, but he at least had the potential to find favor with Caesar.
Sometimes in life, there isn’t always an ideal option. Maybe you aren’t facing the possibility of death with your two options, but that doesn’t mean it is not a difficult decision nonetheless. Paul did not make his decision flippantly, he made it because that was the way God was leading him to go. God had told Paul in Acts 23:11, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.” Paul knew that God had a plan for him so he trusted that and stepped out in faith, making the decision that he felt would help him move towards what God had revealed to him. As we face difficult decisions in our lives, we should seek God and ask him to guide us. For Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (NIV).
