CHAPTER 25
“I Want Make Caesar Hear My Case!”
Paul set better example of how to defend the good news
As e dey for Acts 25:1–26:32
1, 2. (a) Which condition Paul see imself? (b) Which question we fit ask about Paul decision for Caesar to hear im case?
SOLDIERS de guard Paul for Caesarea. Two years before now when e go back to Judea, if e small well-well na three times Jew people try to kill-am some days after e just reach there. (Acts 21:27-36; 23:10, 12-15, 27) Even though say Paul enemies fail, them still try again. When Paul see say them fit send-am back to im enemies e come tell Roman Governor Festus say: “I want make Caesar hear my case!”—Acts 25:11.
2 Jehovah support Paul as e want make the emperor for Rome hear im case? The answer to this question really dey important to us wey de preach about the Kingdom of God for this time of the end. We need to know whether wetin Paul do na example for us to follow to “defend the good news and to use law continue to make the good news stand well.”—Phil. 1:7.
“I De Stand for Front of the Judgment Seat” (Acts 25:1-12)
3, 4. (a) Wetin make Jew people want make Paul come Jerusalem, and how e take escape death? (b) How Jehovah de help the people wey de serve-am today as e help Paul?
3 Three days after e become the new Roman governor of Judea, Festus go Jerusalem. a For there, e listen to the chief priests and the big men among Jew people as them de tell-am the things wey them get against Paul. Them know say the new governor want make sure say e make peace with them and all the other Jew people because na so Rome government want-am. So them tell Festus say make e bring Paul come Jerusalem make them judge im case there. But them get secret plan to kill Paul for the road wey them de pass from Caesarea go Jerusalem. Festus no agree with wetin them talk. E talk say: “So make people wey get position among una follow me go [Caesarea] and talk wetin them get against-am, if true-true say the man don do any bad thing.” (Acts 25:5) Na so Paul take escape death again.
4 Jehovah use Jesus Christ help Paul get the power to fit face all this problem. Remember say for vision Jesus tell Paul say: “No fear!” (Acts 23:11) Today too, people wey de serve God de face many problems and people de suffer them. Jehovah no de protect us from all the problem but e de give us the sense and power wey we need to fit endure. We fit trust say our God wey really love us go always give us “power wey pass our normal power.”—2 Cor. 4:7.
5. Wetin Festus first do when e talk with Paul?
5 After some days, Festus “sitdown for the judgment seat” for Caesarea. b Paul and the people wey de accuse-am dey im front. Them de accuse Paul of the things wey e no do. So Paul come talk say: “I no do any bad thing against the Law of Jew people or against the temple or against Caesar.” Apostle Paul dey innocent and them suppose free-am. But wetin Festus go decide? Because e want make Jew people happy, e tell Paul say: “You want go Jerusalem make them judge you for my front for there about this things?” (Acts 25:6-9) Wetin e talk no good at all. If e send Paul go Jerusalem na this people wey dey against Paul go judge im case and them go kill-am. This time, the thing wey dey important to Festus na to make the people happy instead of to do the correct thing. Pontius Pilate wey be governor before still do this kind thing to Jesus. (John 19:12-16) People wey de judge case today too, fit decide wetin no correct to make some people happy. So e no go surprise us if court no follow as things really be to judge matter wey concern God people.
6, 7. Why Paul want Caesar to hear im case, and which example e set for true Christians today?
6 Paul life fit dey for danger as Festus want make Jew people happy. So, Paul use the right wey e get as Rome citizen. E tell Festus say: “I de stand for front of the judgment seat of Caesar, where them suppose judge me. I no do Jew people any bad thing, and you too don de really see say this one na true. . . . I want make Caesar hear my case!” Once person don talk this kind thing, e no de fit change-am. Festus make this one clear when e talk say: “You don talk say you want make Caesar hear your case, so you go go meet Caesar.” (Acts 25:10-12) As e want Caesar to hear im case, Paul show true Christians today example of wetin them fit do if this kind thing happen to them. When people wey dey against us de try to use law stop our work, we de go court to defend the right wey we get to worship Jehovah. c—Ps. 94:20.
7 Paul dey prison for two years even though say e dey innocent, but them come give-am chance to defend imself for Rome. But before e go there, another person wey de rule want see-am.
If court no judge our case well, we de carry the case go court wey high pass that one
‘I No Reject-am’ (Acts 25:13–26:23)
8, 9. Why King Agrippa go Caesarea?
8 Some days after Paul tell Festus say e want Caesar to hear im case, King Agrippa and im sister Bernice “go greet” the new governor. d For that time, na normal thing for people wey get position for Rome government to visit any new governor. As e come greet Festus, wetin Agrippa want na make them become friends because as king, e fit gain from this one.—Acts 25:13.
9 Festus tell King Agrippa about Paul and Agrippa really want talk with Paul. The next day Festus and Agrippa sitdown for the judgment seat to hear Paul case. But wetin Paul talk carry weight pass the way two of them show theirself as them enter the place.—Acts 25:22-27.
10, 11. How Paul show Agrippa respect, and wetin Paul tell the king about how e live im life before?
10 Paul thank King Agrippa for the chance wey e get to defend imself for Agrippa front, especially because Agrippa really know all the tradition and the things wey Jew people de argue about. Paul come talk about the way e live im life before, e talk say: “I live my life as Pharisee person, and Pharisee people de follow Law pass all the other Jew people for our worship.” (Acts 26:5) When Paul be Pharisee, e believe God promise say Messiah go come. After e become Christian e preach say na Jesus Christ be the Messiah wey God promise. E explain to Agrippa say im and the people wey de accuse-am believe this thing wey God promise but them de judge-am because e talk say wetin God promise don de happen. This one make Agrippa want hear more things from Paul. e
11 Paul talk about how e treat Christians for bad way before, e say: “Even me, I dey sure before say I suppose to do everything wey I fit do to dey against the name of Jesus wey come from Nazareth. . . . And since I really vex for them [Jesus disciples], I even suffer them go reach other cities.” (Acts 26:9-11) Paul really do all the things wey e talk about. Many people know say Paul really suffer Christians. (Gal. 1:13, 23) ‘Wetin fit make person like this change and come be Christian?’ Agrippa fit don think about this question.
12, 13. (a) How Paul describe how e take become Christian? (b) Wetin Paul mean when e talk say e be de wound imself?
12 The answer dey for the next things wey Paul talk, e say: “I de travel go Damascus with authority and full power wey the chief priests give me. And then around afternoon time for road, I see one strong bright light wey pass the sun and e shine from heaven around me and around people wey de travel with me, O King. And when all of us don fall for ground, I hear one voice talk to me for Hebrew language say: ‘Saul, Saul, why you de suffer me? As you de fight against me, na yourself you de wound.’ But I talk say: ‘Who you be, Lord?’ And the Lord talk say: ‘I be Jesus, the person wey you de suffer.’ f—Acts 26:12-15.
13 Before all this things happen, Paul behave like animal wey de wound imself. For Bible time, animal wey them de use work de wound imself if e de kick the sharp part of the stick wey them de use direct-am go where e suppose go. Paul wound or spoil im relationship with God when e de go against wetin God want. Paul really want serve God but e de do-am for the wrong way. But as Jesus appear to-am for the road wey de go Damascus, e help-am to change how e de think.—John 16:1, 2.
14, 15. Wetin Paul talk about how e change im life?
14 Paul explain how e really change im life. E tell Agrippa say: “I no reject the vision from heaven wey I see, but I bring the message to people for Damascus first, and then to people for Jerusalem, and people for everywhere for Judea and to the nations too. I tell them say make them repent and turn follow God with the things wey them de do wey show say them don repent.” (Acts 26:19, 20) For many years, Paul don de do the work wey Jesus Christ give-am to do when e appear to-am for the road wey de go Damascus. Wetin come happen? People wey listen to Paul come be Jesus disciples after them repent and stop to do bad things and start to do wetin God want. Them come de obey the law for the places wey them de live and de do wetin go make peace dey.
15 The people wey dey against Paul no care about how people de gain from wetin Paul de preach. Paul talk say: “Na this one make Jew people catch me for the temple and try to kill me. But, because God don help me, I continue to preach to both big and small person till today.”—Acts 26:21, 22.
16. How we fit copy Paul when we de talk about wetin we believe to people wey de judge or rule?
16 As true Christians wey we be, we go “always ready to answer” anybody wey ask us question about wetin we believe. (1 Pet. 3:15) If we de talk about wetin we believe to people wey de judge case or people wey de rule, we fit learn how to do-am from the way Paul talk to Agrippa and Festus. If we talk to them with respect and tell them about how Bible don help us and others to be better people, e fit touch them to judge our matter well.
“You Go Turn Me to Christian” (Acts 26:24-32)
17. Wetin Festus do after Paul defend imself, and how some people today still de behave like that?
17 As Festus and Agrippa de listen to Paul, them no fit do like say wetin them hear no touch them. Notice wetin happen: “Now as Paul de talk this things to defend imself, Festus talk with loud voice say: ‘Paul, your head no correct! Too much book don de make you craze!’” (Acts 26:24) The way Festus behave na so many people today de behave. Them de see people wey de teach wetin dey Bible as foolish people. E de hard people wey go school well-well for this world and wey think say them really get sense to agree with wetin Bible de teach say people wey don die go come back to life.
18. Wetin Paul answer Festus, and wetin Agrippa think about-am?
18 But Paul answer the governor say: “I no de craze, the Great One Festus, but wetin I de talk na true, and I de reason well. Because true-true, the king wey I dey free to talk to now, really know about this things . . . King Agrippa, you believe the things wey the Prophets don write? I know say you believe-am.” Agrippa answer-am say: “Small time, you go turn me to Christian.” (Acts 26:25-28) Even if Agrippa no really mean wetin e talk, e think deep about wetin Paul talk.
19. Wetin Festus and Agrippa talk about Paul?
19 Agrippa and Festus come stand up, to show say them don hear the matter finish. “As them de comot, them start to talk to each other say: ‘This man no de do anything wey suppose make them kill-am or chain-am for prison.’ Agrippa come tell Festus say: ‘This man for don dey free if to say e no talk say e want make Caesar hear im case.’” (Acts 26:31, 32) Them know say Paul dey innocent. Maybe now them go understand Christians well pass before and start to treat them well pass before.
20. Why e good say Paul defend imself before this two men wey de rule?
20 Nothing show say Festus and Agrippa become Christians after Paul preach to them. But e make sense say Paul defend imself for their front? Yes. As them “carry [Paul] go front of governors and kings” for Judea, e give-am chance to fit preach to people wey fit never hear preaching from anybody before. (Luke 21:12, 13) Another thing be say as e dey faithful after all the things wey happen to-am, this one encourage im Christian brothers and sisters.—Phil. 1:12-14.
21. Which good things go happen if we continue to preach even when we de face problem?
21 Na the same thing today. When we continue to preach even when people dey against us or when we de face different problems, many good things still fit happen. E fit give us chance to preach to people wey dey for big position wey, e no dey easy to reach them. Our good example go encourage our Christian brothers and sisters and move them to show strong heart more-more as them de preach well about the Kingdom of God.
a Check the box “ Roman Governor Porcius Festus.”
b “The judgment seat” na one high platform wey them put chair for the judge to sitdown. This one de make people feel say anything wey the judge decide, dey serious and person no fit change-am. Pilate sitdown for judgment seat when e de listen as the people de accuse Jesus.
c Check the box “ Court and True Worship for Our Time.”
d Check the box “ King Herod Agrippa II.”
e Paul accept Jesus as the Messiah when e become Christian. This one make the Jew people wey reject Jesus, to see Paul as person wey dey against their worship.—Acts 21:21, 27, 28.
f Paul talk say e dey for road “around afternoon time”. One expert for Bible matter talk say: “na normal thing for person wey de travel to rest for afternoon when weather dey hot, except e get something wey really dey important wey e want do.” This one help us understand how Paul really dey serious to suffer Jesus disciples.
