Paul Being Sued

[Acts 24:1-9]

These days, I often hear the word "sue” a lot.  Of course, I hear it countless times through the news, but I also come across cases where lawsuits are filed within the church.  When I hear news of lawsuits within the church, I sometimes think of the words in 1 Corinthians 6:5-6: "I say this to shame you.  Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?  But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!"  As a member of the body of Christ, it reminds me that we should feel ashamed and embarrassed.  It's disheartening to witness cases where there is no one with enough wisdom to settle disputes among believers, and the issues have to be taken to secular courts.  Satan not only tempts unbelievers to sue the church, but he also tempts believers to sue the church. In doing so, Satan causes division within the church and seeks to destroy it.

In today's passage, Acts 24:1-9, we see Satan using the Jewish religious leaders, the high priest Ananias, some elders, and a certain attorney named Tertullus to bring charges against the apostle Paul.  Today, I would like to reflect on this passage under the title "Paul Being Sued" and draw a few insights from the text.

First, who were the people suing Paul?

They were the high priest Ananias, some elders, and the lawyer Tertullus.  Look at Acts 24:1 - "Five days later, the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul."  God had protected Paul in perilous situations by using the Roman military commander and even Paul's nephew.  He had rescued Paul from danger.  When Paul faced charges due to doctrinal differences among the Pharisees and Sadducees, God used the Roman military commander to intervene and transfer Paul to a safer place (23:10).  Now, in the second situation where Paul faced a greater threat, the more than forty Jews who had vowed not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul were used by Satan (vv. 12-24).  In this dangerous situation, Paul's nephew revealed the conspiracy to the Roman tribune, who took immediate action to protect Paul (vv. 16-32).  God, in His special intervention, protected Paul, fulfilling the promise given to him.

When thinking about lawyers like Tertullus, who try to achieve favorable outcomes through flattery and lies, I personally feel that human tongues can be truly cunning.  In Psalms 52:2-4, David speaks about a deceitful tongue, saying, "Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.  You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.  You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue."  Reflecting on a tongue as sharp as a razor, loving evil over good, and preferring falsehood over truth, I can't help but think about how prevalent such deceitful acts are in today's legal system.  However, Paul confesses in 1 Thessalonians 2:5, "You know we never used flattery nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness."  Like Paul, we should not use flattery or deceitful tactics.  Our goal is to proclaim the gospel, not to manipulate or deceive.

Second, what were the charges against Paul in the lawsuit?

The charges against Paul were brought by the high priest Ananias, some elders, and the lawyer Tertullus.  Acts 24:5-6 states, "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world.  He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him."  The accusations were serious, including causing trouble, stirring up riots, being a ringleader of the Nazarene sect, and attempting to desecrate the temple.  These charges aimed to portray Paul as a threat to both Jewish and Roman authorities.

In today's passage, Acts 24:5-6, we can see that the lawyer Tertullus accuses Paul before Governor Felix with four charges (Park):

• Paul is accused of being a "pestilent fellow."

Look at verse 5: "We have found this man to be a pestilent fellow."  Here, "pestilent" means an extremely harmful presence that, like a contagious disease or plague, harms the peace of innocent people, akin to killing innocent lives.  Tertullus' accusation suggests that due to Paul's presence, the peace enjoyed by the Jews under the governorship of Felix is jeopardized.  Therefore, the implication is that as long as such a person exists, peace and stability in this land cannot be maintained, and it is appropriate to remove him (Yoo).

• Paul is accused of being a "mover of sedition."

Look at verse 5: "...a mover of sedition among all the Jews."  Here, 'mover of sedition' or 'ringleader of a sect' is a term used when violent groups or factions cause unrest. Tertullus accuses Paul of being such a person (Yoo).

• Paul is accused of being "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."

Look at verse 5: "...a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."  This statement means that Paul is considered a leader of a group that follows Jesus of Nazareth. Tertullus refers to this group as a sect (Yoo).

• Paul is accused of "profaning the temple."

Look at verse 6: "He even tried to profane the temple."  This was a serious offense among Jews. Tertullus accuses Paul of defiling their central place of worship, and this accusation is used to further condemn him (Yoo).

                Ultimately, looking at the four accusations Tertullus brought against Paul before Governor Felix, we can see that the charges against Paul are fundamentally political and, secondarily, religious crimes.  Tertullus argues that Paul is a serious criminal and should be punished accordingly (Yoo).  However, as we know, Tertullus' accusations are false.  They are merely the result of the malicious intentions of Jewish religious leaders who sought to eliminate Paul.  After making these false accusations against Paul, Tertullus tells Governor Felix, "By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him" (vv. 7-8).  At that time, "the Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so" (v. 9).  In the end, not only the Jewish religious leaders, including the high priest Ananias and the elders, and the lawyer Tertullus but also the gathered Jews sided with them to remove Paul.  Without presenting concrete evidence, Tertullus accused Paul with political and personal attacks, labeling him as a "pestilent fellow," a "mover of sedition," a "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," and one who "profanes the temple."  In other words, Tertullus launched a personal attack on Paul. Without clear evidence, he attacked Paul personally, using insults (v. 5).  When facing such personal attacks, what should we do?

These days, we often see indiscriminate personal attacks against specific individuals on the internet.  Seeing various posts filled with insults, one might wonder what basis these individuals have for such words.  Rather than engaging in objective debates, it seems like they pour out words fueled by emotions.  I came across a post on a website that mentioned how Koreans are relatively weak in scientificity, rationality, accuracy, and rigor but have a strong inclination to be emotional, emotional, psychological, and popular.  It seems like a reasonable observation.  We should never engage in personal attacks like Tertullus.  We should refrain from pouring out insults based on emotions without any evidence.

As I reflected on Paul, unjustly accused today, I thought about Jesus.  Before Paul, Jesus faced trial on religious charges before the Sanhedrin court (Lk. 22:66-71).  Moreover, a similar council unjustly accused Him of political charges before Pilate, leading to His crucifixion (23:1-5, 13-16) (Yoo).  Reflecting on the experiences of both Jesus and Paul, it strikes me that the path we, as Christians, walk is a narrow and cruciform one.  Let us journey on this road with faith, looking to our Lord, who is our joy, life, and hope.  In the face of falsehood and flattery, let us strive to hate lies, love the truth, and live authentically.  Stand firmly on the Word of God, unwavering, and walk faithfully in the path our Lord has trodden.

Even in the face of injustice, let us fix our gaze on Jesus and press on.

James Kim

(Walking faithfully upon the Word)