Resurrection Hope on Trial, Pt. 2

We resume our travels through Paul's long and tangled journey to Rome this morning. As you have probably noticed, the book of Acts changes in this final quarter. Luke zooms in on a single character, to the exclusion of all other Christians and apostles. Why? His purpose hasn't changed. He is still interested in the certainty of the kingdom. But he is also interested in showing the fulfillment of some of God's promises regarding the kingdom. For instance, Paul was told that he would testify before governors and kings; now, here in Acts 25, he testifies before both of these. Luke describes how Paul came to testify before a governor and a king at great length. If you and I had written Scripture, we would have appreciated a whole chapter on the mode of baptism, or a whole chapter describing how James and Thomas advised new churches on the correct form of church government. But instead, Luke gives us a whole chapter on the political machinations of a small-time Roman official named Festus. Why, exactly? Because this story demonstrates only too clearly that Jesus reigns, even over the tiniest of details. Jesus reigns over the political games of Festus and Agrippa, over boredom, over the CYA mindset of bureaucrats the world over. And that's how we know the Kingdom is certain — because we see it in action in the most mundane of events and circumstances.