A Witness Before Kings: Paul’s Calm, Clear, and Courageous Testimony

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Scripture • World English Bible

Acts 25:13–27

WEB

¹³Now when some days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

¹⁴As he stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;

¹⁵about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, asking for a sentence against him.

¹⁶I answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man to destruction before the accused has met the accusers face to face and has had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him.

¹⁷When therefore they had come together here, I didn’t delay, but on the next day sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought.

¹⁸When the accusers stood up, they brought no charges against him of such things as I supposed;

¹⁹but had certain questions against him about their own religion and about one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.

²⁰Being perplexed how to inquire concerning these things, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters.

²¹But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I commanded him to be kept until I could send him to Caesar.”

²²Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.”

²³So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.

²⁴Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.

²⁵But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I determined to send him,

²⁶of whom I have no certain thing to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examination I may have something to write.

²⁷For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to also specify the charges against him.”

World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain

Reflection

In Acts 25:13–27 we catch a glimpse of how the gospel travels through courts, corridors of power, and the ordinary, puzzled hearts of officials. Festus is honest about his confusion. The Jewish leaders pressed charges, but when Festus examined the matter he discovered the complaints were not about political crimes but about religious disagreement centered on Jesus and the claim that he was alive. Festus doesn’t know what to make of this, and he seeks a way forward. Agrippa’s curiosity opens the next door: he wants to hear Paul himself.

Two things stand out. First, the message at the center of the controversy is not a philosophical abstraction but a person — Jesus, declared by Paul to be alive. That claim is the gospel’s power and its scandal. Wherever people meet the risen Christ, they are either drawn or enraged, convinced or confused. Paul’s testimony is not primarily about winning legal arguments; it is about announcing reality: death could not hold Jesus.

Second, notice God’s providence in the messiness. Paul is a prisoner, yet he has been placed before a string of leaders, and now before a king. Festus is unsure how to present the case to Caesar and therefore brings Paul before Agrippa. What looks like delay, bureaucratic confusion, and a legal maneuver turns into an occasion for witness to those in authority. Paul’s appeal to Caesar, an act of legal strategy, becomes a route to reach Gentile rulers with the truth he carries.

For us, the passage is both a comfort and a challenge. It comforts because God can use imperfect people and complicated circumstances to make his message known. The church’s witness does not depend on flawless systems or eager officials; it depends on the risen Christ and faithful witnesses. It challenges because bearing that witness requires clarity, courage, and integrity. Paul’s calm and straightforward manner — refusing to slander or to be defensive, and instead pointing to who Jesus is and that he is alive — is the posture the gospel needs in public and private encounters.

We should not expect easy receptions. We should expect questions, confusion, and sometimes hostility when we speak of Jesus. But we can also expect God to open doors we did not anticipate, and to give opportunities to testify in places of influence. When we face scrutiny, we can be honest like Festus about what we don’t understand, wise like Paul in seizing lawful opportunity, and dependent like Paul on the Lord who raises Jesus from the dead.

So prepare your heart and your testimony. Keep a clear conscience, live with integrity, and be ready to explain why Jesus matters. Trust that even delays and legalities can be part of God’s work of bringing the truth before kings — whether those kings wear crowns, titles, or the everyday authority of our workplaces and neighborhoods.

Putting Faith Into Action

Write a 60-second testimony that centers on who Jesus is and what his resurrection means in your life; practice it until you can share it calmly and clearly.
When faced with accusation or confusion about your faith, respond with integrity and patience—ask for a chance to explain and use lawful, respectful means to be heard.
Pray for and look for unexpected openings to speak of Christ: when bureaucracy, delays, or curiosity bring people with influence into conversation, be ready to give a clear witness.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, give me a clear conscience, a ready testimony, and courage to speak of you with gentleness and truth. Use even my delays and trials to bring your life before those who rule and those who doubt. Help me trust your timing and your providence, that your name may be honored. Amen.

Memory Verse

Acts 25:22 — Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” (WEB)

“Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.””

Keep Going Continue to Part 80 Why Is It Judged Incredible That God Raises the Dead? Acts · Acts 26:1–11 Read the next devotional →

Bible Context

Read all of Acts 25

Acts 25

World English Bible • WEB

¹Festus therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

²Then the high priest and the principal men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they begged him,

³asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, plotting to kill him on the way.

⁴However Festus answered that Paul should be kept in custody at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to depart shortly.

⁵“Let them therefore”, he said, “that are in power among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”

⁶When he had stayed among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he sat on the judgment seat, and commanded Paul to be brought.

⁷When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove,

⁸while he said in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at all.”

⁹But Festus, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be judged by me there concerning these things?”

¹⁰But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.

¹¹For if I have done wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die; but if none of those things is true that they accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

¹²Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”