Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 23:25-35 (September 8, 2026)

September 8, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 23:25-35

Good morning fellow journeyers in the Word. 

I hope that you had a restful Labor Day and were able to take a break from your regular routine.  In prayers, please remember Maggie who fell and cracked two ribs in that fall, and pray for Cathy who is in the hospital being treated for sepsis and kidney issues.  Please pray also for Ron and Becky. Their remodeled adobe home in Tucson suffered a major water leak in the ceiling, and they are now in the process of taking care of all the damage and loss that occurred from that leak.  It may take several months to restore their home here.

It has been reported to me that some folks do not want several weekly emails from the Bible Study in their regular email.  We are going to create a new group for receiving the Bible Studies by email or print.  To that end I am asking you to let the office know if you want to continue receiving the studies three times each week.  Please sign up at church or call the office to put your name on the list for this new group.  You may also call to let us know that you prefer NOT to have this additional email from my desk each week.  If you decide not to receive the Bible Studies each week, then the only email you will receive from the church will be items which you really need to view.  That will include the Journeys newsletter and any other important information about which you should know.  Thanks for helping us get this change over done.  It is our goal to have this new distribution done by October.  If you somehow stop getting the Bible Studies, and have not opted out, just contact the office to get back on the Bible Study group. 

Our passage for today is from Acts 23:25-35.  It is an opportunity to get a handle on how all this crisis for Paul's mission is being handled by the Roman Guard, and by Felix, who is the governor who oversees this part of the conquered Roman Empire.  Claudius Lysias is the Roman commander who has pulled Paul away from the Sanhedrin's rage over what Paul has told them about their role in the death of God's Son, the promised Messiah.  Claudius is so concerned about the plotting against Paul's life, that he calls out a large contingent of the Roman army to protect Paul as he is moved to the seat of Roman government, where Caesarea is the center, but the governor's home, is instead in the Praetorium some 25 miles from Caesarea, where Felix lives in a castle built by Herod.   Evidently the route there is "infested" with Jews who would be more than happy to murder Paul.  Part way there was the community of Antipas, and up to that point the journey was dangerous for Paul and the soldiers who accompanied him, but after Antipas, the land was open and flat, and primarily the home of many gentiles.   So, part of the Roman guard left Paul at Antipas, and a much smaller contingent of soldiers remained with Paul as he was being taken to Felix.  Now Felix is a whole story on its own.  Felix' brother, Pallas, was a favorite of Nero.  So, although Felix had been a slave, his brother's friendship with Nero, gave Felix the opportunity to become a free man, and eventually receive his position as governor of Palestine under the Roman rule.  So having been a slave, and now the reigning power for all people in the conquered area of Palestine, Felix often used his power to punish anyone who came to him, who may have been in a position of power before Felix's ascent to power by appointment.  He wielded the power of a king from the mindset of a slave.  According to Tacitus, a Roman historian, Felix was completely unscrupulous, brutal, and capable of arranging for thugs and murderers to carry out his rule over this Roman province.  Going back to the letter of the commander, we see the honesty and genuine firmness of this Roman Soldier.  He protected Paul, arranged for soldiers to accompany him, and wrote a genuinely truthful letter to Felix about what had been going on between Paul and the Jewish authorities.  We get two very different pictures of the people who now had Paul, a Roman citizen, in their care, and for judgement.

Thanks for taking the time today to participate in our Bible Studies on the Acts of the Apostles.  

With love in Christ,  Pastor Kim