Festus referred Paul's case to the king, saying, "There is a man here left in custody by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
One of Saint Luke's aims in the Acts of the Apostles is to show how Jesus' prophecies will be fulfilled and, more to the point, how the disciples will experience the life of Jesus -- his authority, vitality, suffering, and death -- in their own lives. He had told them
they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.It will lead to your giving testimony.So we are not be surprised to find Saint Paul standing before the perplexed Governor Festus and King Agrippa. Festus, we are told, knows something about "the Way" which Paul has been announcing; but, not being Jewish, he does not feel competent to judge between Jewish factions.
Nor does he want to. That's why we have superiors, to let them handle the bigger problems! So he passes the buck up the chain of command to King Agrippa. If he thinks he is being clever he is also playing out the script the Spirit has given him. And then Agrippa played his part, sending Paul to Rome as Jesus had commanded, that the Gospel must be announced to the ends of the earth.
Many centuries later, centuries after "the world" -- the European world -- has accepted and rejected the Gospel, disciples of Jesus still find ourselves in the Lord's drama, reading our parts in the divine comedy, confident that the Holy Spirit backs us despite our anxieties and sins. Salvation History has destined us for glory as we bear witness to our faith.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.