Acts 24:1-9 - Charges brought against Paul

After five days, a delegation of elders from the Sanhedrin led by Ananias, the high priest, came down to Caesarea. They even brought along Tertullus, an attorney, with them. Tertullus was probably a Hellenistic Jew.
 

When Paul was brought down before Felix, they began to present their charges. Tertullus showed himself to be a great orator. He began by flattering Felix saying that under him they had enjoyed much peace. This is not exactly the situation in reality. For the political scene under Felix was marked by violence and rebellion. He went further by saying that by his providence, reforms were being carried out to characterize Felix as a generous man. This was calculated to sweet-talk him. Even the title, most excellent, was overstretched.
 

Following those eloquent remarks, Tertullus then brought three accusations against Paul. First, he called him a pest, a trouble maker who stirred up and brought dissension among the Jews all over the world. This was a generalization to include everything from minor troubles over theological dispute to political turmoil.  Second accusation was that Paul was the ringleader of a sect known as the Nazarenes. This was the only time this term Nazarene is used to infer to the Christians.  This name reflects the town where Jesus was raised. The final and most serious accusation was that he desecrated the temple. This was calculated to revive the accusation that he brought Trophimus, a gentile, into the temple area only reserved for Jews.
 

From Tertullus’ presentation, we can see a twofold intention: the first was to have Paul handed over to the Jews because they were given the power to judge matters concerning their worship and the Law of Moses. If that was denied, then the second aim was to make him guilty of sedition, a crime that deserves a death sentence in the eyes of the Romans.  Of course their preference was to have Paul handed to them. Tertullus even tried to malign Lysais for violently taking Paul off their hands and ordering him to be tried before Felix.
 

Verse 8 seems like a just request for Felix to examine all that the Jews had presented and not give Paul a sentence before a lawful conviction. Trying to blind the judge to their intention, they had hoped that Felix would hand Paul over them to do whatever they thought fit after their exaggerated presentation. The Jews who came with the delegates were in hearty agreement with all the false accusations.
 

One lesson to learn is this: never allow an evil intention to blind us to the truth of the matter. The evil intention of the Jewish authority was so evident that they chose to distort the truth of the matter, generate lies in order to nail Paul. Let us build a clear conscience before God and be true to Him and true to ourselves.