Festus, as the new Roman governor in Caesarea, must deal with the imprisoned Paul and the false accusations against him by the Jews in Jerusalem.  Paul appeals to Caesar and Festus asks King Agrippa to help him find charges to lay against Paul.

What Does It Say?

1. Festus offers to send Paul to Jerusalem because he was willing to do the Jews a ____________.
2. When Paul saw that he was in danger of being sent to Jerusalem, he said, “I appeal unto __________.”
3. Festus declared that it was not the manner of Romans to condemn a man to death unless he appeared before his accusers _______ ____ ________ and had a chance to answer for himself.
4. Agrippa and Bernice enter into the place of hearing with great ___________.
5. To Festus, it seemed _______________ to send a prisoner to Caesar and not signify the crimes laid against him.

What Does It Mean?

1. In this chapter, Paul states, “For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die” (v.11).  What does this tell us about Paul’s opinion of capital punishment (that is, punishment for certain crimes by the death of the offender)?
2. How would you describe the character of Festus?  What kind of a man was he?
3. Even Festus realizes that the main pint of contention between the Jews and Paul was the resurrection of Christ (see v.19).  The apostles continually spoke of the resurrection.  Why is this doctrine so important to Christianity?  What would Christianity be without the resurrection of Christ?

What Does It Mean to Me?

1. The Jews in Jerusalem hated Paul so much that they were willing to make many accusations which they could not prove (v.7).  They were even willing to lay in wait in the way in order to kill Paul (v.3).  Why does religion cause such hatred against the people of God?  What are some of the things people do in the name of religion?
2. Paul saw that Festus was ready to send him back to Jerusalem.  To prevent this, he used his Roman citizenship to appeal to Caesar (v.11) so that he would be sent to Rome instead.  How can we as Christians use the law in the right way in order to protect our freedoms and serve the Lord?