Acts 25:1-27
I’m amazed at the Jewish leaders’ persistence in bringing their case against Paul: When he [Paul] had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. (v 7) Paul has been in “prison” (possibly “house arrest”) in Caesarea for approximately two years. That is, he has been away from the mission field for all that time. Still, the Jewish leaders bring charges against him.
So, why this intense focus on the part of the Jews? I’m guessing that his mere presence in the area generated that much activity, that much enthusiasm among the Christians in Jerusalem and nearby cities that he was still regarded by the Jewish leaders as their number-one enemy!
And what if – I’m going out on a limb here – what if Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews while he was in prison in Caesarea? What if…? That letter, widely circulated in and around Jerusalem would have set the Jewish leaders aflame!! The arguments in that letter are so strong that many average Jewish followers could have been led to follow Jesus. Wait’ll we get to Hebrews and let’s chat about this possibility! What a powerful legacy Paul left!
See also: August 4 / Acts 25:1-12; August 5 / Acts 25:13-27