Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”6 After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 When he 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. 8 Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”
I’ve been doing a lot of driving in Houston traffic these days. Between regular trips to Friendswood as I serve as Acting Senior Pastor there, and travel to meetings and gatherings for church business and entertainment, I’ve gotten to know the many facets of the Houston traffic grid. Let’s just say I’m glad I don’t commute to downtown Houston on a regular basis. A few times a week is enough for me. And I’ll do anything to avoid going through downtown. Almost anything.
I am – at the same time – working on being patient with other drivers. Get me behind the wheel and my speech filter flies out the window. Gone with the wind. I’m not given to expletives. But I am very loose with my criticisms of other drivers. “Get going!” “What are you doing?!?!” “Are you serious??!?!” “For crying out loud!” Just a few. With just cause in my opinion.
Whether it’s checkerboarding through the traffic flow, acting like a NASCAR driver, tailgating, or cutting me off without a signal: there are many rude and reckless drivers out there. And I’m working on my patience with them. I really am. Breath deep. It takes patience.
So here Paul is under the protection of Felix for days on end. Perhaps we would call it protective custody. But the fact is that he is not traveling to new places, sharing the gospel with new people – Jews or Gentiles. He’s at a stand still. His mission is on hold as far as we can see.
But maybe we don’t see things as we should. God’s mission is ongoing. And there are seasons of productive work and times of rest and waiting. And just because we’re resting, God is not. He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (cf. Psalm 121:4). God can run the universe without us. He may put us on the sidelines for a time. But even in those times when God is not at work through us he is at work in us. I suppose God was working on Paul’s heart and mind.
Maybe his friends needed an opportunity to serve Paul. Perhaps those in charge of Paul needed to see a man of God willing to suffer for the sake of Christ in a way different manner than they would have. In any case it must have tested Paul’s patience. So I am reminded of the need for patience. And key to that is realizing that God is in control of all things, and at work in and through me at all times. Who knows how my kind and patient demeanor might actually bless a fellow commuter who is in a hurry, late for work, or anxious about a loved-one and on the way to the hospital.
Patience is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Fill my heart with patience!
David Bahn - Reflections 
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