Sidebar ("On Trial" series pt 4 )

Then Paul... answered, "...this I confess... that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers... I have hope in God... that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust... But when Felix... heard these things, having a more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings... And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as Paul reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you." ... But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. (Acts 24:10–27)

A Roman governor heard the gospel from the apostle Paul himself—and still waited for a convenient time that never came.

A More Accurate Knowledge of the Way

When Felix heard the testimony of Paul in Caesarea around AD 58—after hearing both from the Jewish leaders and from Paul himself—it says he had "a more accurate knowledge of the Way," and so he adjourned the proceedings. In his declaration, Paul confessed, "According to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers." When a defendant in a courtroom stands up and says, "I confess," everyone leans in to hear what comes next.

Many early Christians, especially in Judea, professed to be followers of "the Way." We believe this connects to the words of Jesus in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me." The Jews of Jerusalem labeled them Nazarenes, followers of Jesus of Nazareth, but they called themselves followers of the Way.

Who Was Felix?

How did this Roman governor come to have such an accurate knowledge of the Way? History tells us Felix was a freedman—formerly a slave who, along with his twin brother, was set free and given position within the Roman Empire. He even changed his name to Felix, which means "happy." He served as governor of Judea from about AD 52 until somewhere around AD 58–60. The New Living Translation says Felix was "quite familiar with the Way."

How did a former slave turned governor become so familiar with the things of Jesus of Nazareth? Perhaps it had to do with his wife, Drusilla, a Jewish woman in her early twenties. She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I—a name we know well from Scripture.

Drusilla's Family and Acts 12

When Drusilla was only six years old, around AD 44, she was in Jerusalem with her family. Her father, Herod Agrippa I, began to harass the church. Acts 12 tells us he took hold of James the brother of John—one of Jesus's core group of Peter, James, and John—and had him put to death with the sword.

Then he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further. (Acts 12:3)

Killing followers of the Way polled well politically, so Herod seized Peter and imprisoned him. But in the middle of the night an angel woke Peter and led him out, and Peter went into hiding. The next morning, when Herod could not produce him, he had the guards executed and went down to his seacoast palace in Caesarea.

Then, on a certain day, Herod put on his royal garb and gave a great speech, and the people chanted, "It's the voice of a god and not a man!" In that moment an angel struck him down, and he died—for blaspheming God and persecuting the followers of the Way. Six-year-old Drusilla had some knowledge of these things.

A Private Sidebar

Fourteen years later, Drusilla is married to Felix, the Roman governor of Judea. Perhaps Felix came home and Drusilla asked how his day went, and he mentioned this man Saul of Tarsus, one of those followers of the Way. Perhaps she said, "A follower of the Way? I'd like to hear from him." So on a certain day, Felix called Paul in for a private hearing—a sidebar, apart from the normal proceedings of the case. He wanted to know more about the Way.

Point one: You can be acquainted with the Way and not know the Way. You can have family members who follow Jesus, attend a church, hear teaching on the Scriptures, and be content with your knowledge—and still not know the Way. The Way is not just a body of information or a thing. The Way is a person. Jesus said, "I am the way."

You can know followers of Jesus, know how they live, have sayings of Jesus filed away in your memory, even have an accurate picture of his life—and still not know him. Felix knew about Jesus, but he didn't know Jesus. So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul but to give him liberty, allowing his friends and companions to provide for him. Mr. Happy was happy with his familiarity with the Way.

Reasoning About Righteousness and Self-Control

After some days, Felix came with Drusilla and "heard him concerning the faith in Christ." They said, in effect, "We don't want to hear about the case—we want to hear about this Jesus you believe is the Messiah." Picture them gathered, perhaps in their Roman home, maybe with Paul's companions like Luke and Timothy present.

The text says, "as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come." The Greek word for "reasoned" is dialegomai, from which we get our word dialogue. Felix wanted to hear about the faith of Jesus, and Paul says, in effect, "I want to talk with you about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come"—not exactly light dinner conversation. And this was not a one-time meeting; Felix conversed with Paul often over the next two years, though his motive was impure—he hoped to solicit a bribe.

Felix and Drusilla were not righteous people. That is not saying much, because none of us are: "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). But their unrighteousness was manifestly evident. History tells us Drusilla became Felix's wife when she was only about fifteen and he was in his early forties. She had a previous husband, a Jewish man, but Felix—captivated by her beauty—used a magician from Cyprus named Simon to seduce her away from him to marry a pagan Roman governor.

Paul Goes Right for It

So Paul says, "I want to talk about righteousness—about doing the right thing. And I want to talk about self-control, which you guys are apparently lacking." Don't you love the apostle Paul? He goes right for it.

We have all had experiences like this—sitting with a family member, coworker, or neighbor living in open immorality, with the elephant in the room being their sin, and we are tempted to tiptoe around it: "Isn't the weather nice today?" Not Paul. He essentially said, "Yes, I know you seduced this young woman away from her husband. I know you're an adulterer, cruel in leadership, cavalier and carnal. So before I tell you about Jesus dying on a cross, let's talk about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment."

Just days before, Paul had testified that there will be a resurrection of the dead, "both of the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:15), and that he strove to keep "a conscience without offense toward God and men" (Acts 24:16). The religious leaders could nod at that, but Felix had no pure conscience whatsoever. Now Paul confronts him: there is a day coming when the just and the unjust will appear before God. Are you ready for that?

If we honestly look in the mirror of God's Word, we too are lacking in righteousness and self-control. Apart from God we have no righteousness; we are clothed in a righteousness not our own. Jesus, "who knew no sin, [became] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5). From the beginning it has been this way: "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). And self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5)—apart from God's Spirit, we have none.

The Word of Truth

Point two: You can hear the truth of the Word and not know the Word of Truth. John's gospel tells us Jesus is the Word of God, the Logos. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). And John 14:6 says he is the Way and the Truth.

You can know what is written in the Bible. You can hear it preached week in and week out—Felix had the very man who wrote Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, the Thessalonian and Timothy letters, and Titus as his personal pastor for two years. Yet you can hear all of it and never come to an actual, experiential relationship with the Word and Truth, who is Jesus.

Afraid of God, But Not Fearing the Lord

Paul wrapped up the truth about righteousness and self-control and put a bow on it with the judgment to come. What was Felix's response? "Felix was afraid, and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.'"

Point three: You can be afraid of God and not fear the Lord. There are many people in churches who are afraid of God—it's part of what compels them to attend, hoping to appease him before they stand before him one day. In a 2003 poll, 81% of Americans said they believe in some life after this and a resurrection, yet many of them are simply afraid of God. Felix heard about the coming judgment and was afraid, but his fear did not compel him to bend the knee in reverence to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Judges Who Will Be Judged

Point four: You can be the judge of a nation, but you will one day be judged. When we stand before God, our privileged position in this life will matter very little. You can rise from the bottom of the barrel as a slave to the top as governor of Judea, and on the day of Christ that position will be meaningless. Felix, the judge of a nation, heard from Paul a testimony of the Judge of judges—and was fearful. So he said, "Go away; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."

As far as Scripture and history tell us, a convenient time never came. Paul was kept captive in Caesarea for two years until Festus replaced Felix. Secular history records that Emperor Nero, having heard so much bad news about Felix's terrible leadership, recalled him to Rome to stand trial—before an earthly judge. That is why Felix left Paul bound, hoping to gain favor with the Jews he had ruled so poorly.

A Convenient Time That Never Came

A convenient time never came for Drusilla either. Almost exactly twenty years after this meeting, history records that Drusilla, now in her forties, was with her son in an Italian city. On August 24, AD 79, she was one of only three named individuals known to have been in the city of Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted. She and hundreds of others were encapsulated in the blast of ash and superheated gas, frozen in time—you can see the casts made of the bodies. A convenient time never came.

We are not always presented with convenient times. Plenty of people attend churches and never bend the knee to the lordship of Jesus, waiting for a future moment that never arrives. This story challenges us with four realities: we can be well acquainted with the Way and never know Jesus; we can hear the truth of the Word and never know the Word of Truth; we can be afraid of God and never bend the knee in reverence; and we can hold a privileged position that will not matter on the day of judgment.

Perhaps today you realize you don't actually know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You may have even memorized that verse. But notice the words that precede it: "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." When Thomas said, "We do not know the way," Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14).

Perhaps you would say you know about these things but you don't know him. Perhaps you'd confess you're afraid to stand before God one day but you have never bent the knee to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Let me encourage you to do what Drusilla and Felix apparently never did. It just may be that today is your convenient time.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for the opportunity to come before your Word—living and powerful, cutting deep, revealing the thoughts and intents of our hearts, laying them bare before the One to whom we will one day give an account. Lord, I pray that if anyone here realizes for the first time that they know about who you are but they don't know you—that they've never entered into a relationship with you, never asked you to be their Lord—you would draw them by your Spirit.

If that's you today, and you recognize this is the convenient time, the Scriptures encourage you to confess your sins, to believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay for your sins, and to repent—to turn from your sin and follow him. You can pray along with me: Dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I believe that you died in my place. I believe that you rose from the dead. Please come into my heart, be my Lord and my Savior. Help me to turn from my sin and to turn to you in faith. Save me from my sin. In Jesus' name.