The beloved physician Luke wrote how Festus told King Agrippa, “when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, you shall hear him. And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth. And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, you see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself has appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him”, and in chapter twenty-five and verse twenty-six of the book of Acts Luke shared how Festus said, “Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord” where we read:
Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before you, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
The verse begins, “Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord.” Luke began with the words, “of whom I have no certain thing to write” which means “about Paul, I, Festus, do not hold or possess a particular, firm or true cause to delineate or form in letters upon a tablet, paper, parchment or other material” “unto my lord” or “to my, Festus', one to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding; master”. Luke shared how “Festus” declared that he did not have any charge to bring in writing to his “lord”, “Caesar”, against “Paul”.
The verse continues, “... Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before you, O king Agrippa ...” Luke added the words, “wherefore I have brought him forth” which means “therefore, consequently and on this account I, Festus, have proceeded to lead Paul” “before you” or “in front and in the presence of you, king Agrippa”, “and specially before you” which means “and chiefly, especially, mostly and above all to you”, “O king Agrippa” which refers to “O leader, prince, commander and lord of the people and land”. Luke shared how “Festus” told “king Agrippa” that he specifically desired that “Paul” be presented before him because he could not find anything criminal with which to charge “Paul”.
Finally the verse says, “that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.” Luke ended the verse with the words, “that, after examination had” or “because and so, following an investigation that would serve as a preliminary investigation held for the purposes of gathering evidences for the information of the judges was taken place”, “I might have somewhat to write” which means “I, Festus, could hold, own and possess a certain or particular cause to delineate in words”. Luke finished this verse by sharing “Festus'” reason for bringing “Paul” before “king Agrippa” which was so he could obtain some sort of cause that “Paul” should be presented to “Caesar”.
When we consider Luke's words in this verse, we learn how “Festus” remained at a loss for what charge was to be written against “Paul” so he could appear before “Caesar”. No one was to be sent to be judged by “Caesar” unless there was a valid cause, and as far as “Festus” was concerned, he could find nothing by which to charge him. We shall see how this provided another opportunity for “Paul” to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, and although the format is somewhat unconventional, “Paul” would let everyone who was gathered know about Jesus Christ and His desire to save them from their sins and grant them everlasting life. God loves people, and even when others are confused concerning their judgment over a situation, He is willing to receive all who come to Him by believing and trusting in His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Luke shares how Festus says, “it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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