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These small group Bible studies of Acts 24 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Acts 24 Bible Study Guide – Paul on Trial

Outline

I. The Jews accuse Paul before Felix (1-9)
II. Paul’s defense before Felix (10-21)
III. Paul kept in custody for two years (22-27)

I. The Jews accuse Paul before Felix (1-9)

Discussion Questions

• How did the Jewish leaders speak to Felix?
• What charges did they bring against Paul?
• Were these true?
• Have you ever been falsely accused?
• What should believers do if they are falsely accused? Should we defend ourselves or turn the other cheek?

Cross-References

1 Peter 3:17 – For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Flattery –

Acts 24:2-4 – Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly.

These officials tried to win a favorable ruling through flattery.

Reflect – Is flattery a good tool we should use to get a favorable outcome?

Proverbs 29:5 – A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

We should not use flattery and manipulation to achieve what we want, as these officials did. Also, we should not let ourselves be manipulated by flattery. You can see a clear difference between Paul’s straight talk and these men’s flattery.

2. False accusations –

The Jewish leaders falsely accused Paul of stirring up riots and profaning the temple. He never stirred up riots. Rather, it was the Jews themselves who did that. Neither did he profane the temple.

Satan is the father of lies and his followers operate in the realm of deceit. The high priest of the Jews had no qualms about lying to achieve his purposes, even if that meant breaking one of the Ten Commandments.

It should not surprise us if the world falsely accuses us. Jesus was slandered and convicted by a kangaroo court. Christ is the ultimate example of suffering for doing what is right. He was the only perfect person who has ever lived and took on the sins of the entire world. He suffered for doing what is right, but those who did it to Him will bear the ultimate shame of making the ultimate mistake.

Beyond this, He said to rejoice when you are falsely accused.

Matthew 5:11-12 – Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This says that those who are persecuted will be blessed. We normally try to avoid persecution and view it as a bad thing. Certainly, it is painful.

Being persecuted is a mark of true believers. It shows that we are living holy and uncompromising lives. A compromising and worldly person will not be persecuted. Why would he be? He is the same as everybody else. But a holy and righteous person will be persecuted because others will feel convicted by their lives. It shows that we are like Christ, who was also persecuted by the world.

Some are persecuted for their race, gender, mental abilities or other things. Jesus doesn’t say we will be blessed if we endure this kind of persecution. We are blessed if the catalyst behind the persecution is our holy lives and our close relationship to God.
The early Christians, at times, did actually rejoice when they faced persecution.

Acts 5:41 – Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

The apostles rejoiced when they were beaten. It wasn’t that they enjoyed the pain, but they counted it as an honor (and perhaps an indication of the sincerity of their faith) that they could suffer for Jesus. Many of the early church martyrs viewed persecution as an honor.

This can be hard for a comfort-driven, well-off Christian today. The very idea of persecution also flies in the face of the Prosperity Gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless all believers with health and wealth. That wasn’t the case with Jesus, the early disciples, or Paul.

In fact, the Biblical promise is that genuine followers of Christ will face persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12 – Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Reflect – Have you experienced persecution or slander? How did you respond? Are you ready to face persecution as the heat on Christians turns up?

II. Paul’s defense before Felix (10-21)

Discussion Questions

• Jesus didn’t defend Himself, but Paul did. When should we defend ourselves? When should we not?
• Can you summarize Paul’s defense?
• How did he maintain his testimony while defending his innocence regarding the charges against him?
• Where does the idea that there will be a resurrection of the just and unjust come from?
• Did the truth set him free? If not, then what does that verse mean?
• Paul normally took every advantage to preach about Jesus, but he didn’t here. Why not?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Defend yourself? –

Paul faced many false accusations during his ministry. Sometimes it was from false teachers. Other times it was from the Jewish leaders.

While Jesus went as a lamb to the slaughter without opening his mouth in self-defense (Isaiah 53:7), Paul routinely defended himself.

Reflect – Why did they react differently? Was Paul wrong?

Jesus was a mission to die for the world. He was not trying to “get out of jail” and continue His ministry. Also, the main thing they were accusing Jesus of was claiming to be the Son of God. That accusation was true. Jesus did claim to be the Son of God. They just didn’t believe He was. His miracles, signs, teachings, and character had not convinced them to that point, so there was no reason to throw pearls before swine and continue.

Paul often defended himself against false teachers. By proving himself to be credible, he could show that his message was credible. By proving himself to be acting out of love, he could show that the loving message of the gospel was genuine. He was exposing the lies of the false teachers one at a time. The goal was to cause the Corinthians to doubt Satan and his messengers and to build trust in God and God’s messengers.

He also defended himself in court. The charges were false. The opposition lied. So Paul told the truth. Christians are not required to be masochists. In the court of law, by all means, tell the truth.

That does not mean that in interpersonal conflicts we should vociferously defend ourselves in every argument or disagreement. Many times, the wiser course of action is to graciously listen to the complaint and, even if you don’t believe you are in the wrong, take it to heart. We do not need to turn every discussion into a debate or win every debate. A Chinese idiom says, “Listen to correction. If they are correct, take it to heart. If they are not, take it to heart.”

Our family moved to a new neighborhood and soon complaints started rolling in. Our children (we have four) were too loud, the neighbors said. They bounced the ball too loudly. They talked too loudly on the back patio. I was frustrated because we moved to the neighborhood so that we would have more space for the kids to play outside rather than be cooped up in a small apartment.

However, we decided to follow Jesus’ encouragement to be a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9). So we talked to the neighbor and told them we would try to compromise. We asked our kids not to make noise during our neighbor’s naptimes or late in the evenings. We changed the hard basketball for a soft one so that dribbling would not make noise. Our neighbor was quite happy and has since stopped complaining.

But soon after that, a neighbor on the other side complained. Our car in our driveway was not parked far enough into our garage for him. Even though it was our driveway and most other cars in the neighborhood were parked even farther out, our neighbor had an issue with it. It seemed as absurd to us as trying to tell our neighbor we don’t like the color of their door and they should repaint it or to plant different flowers in their garden. According to the management office, this man had a history of being unreasonable and complaining. He threatened to complain every day (and started off three days in a row) and then escalate to the police department if we didn’t park the car totally in the garage without an inch showing.

The fleshly part of me was rooting for him to call the police so that they would tell him he was out of line. But we decided to pray and ask what God’s will was. We were reminded of the verse, “Overcome evil with good.” So instead of defending ourselves or arguing, we cleared out space in the garage and parked farther in. Then we gave him a fruit basket and wrote a card. The next day he brought us a gift and shook my hand.

Moral of the story, we don’t always have to defend ourselves in relationships, even if we believe we are in the right. Humility and kindness can sometimes overcome what vigorous self-defense cannot.

2. The truth will set you free? –

The Jewish leaders lied. Paul spoke the truth.

Jesus said this.

John 8:31-32 – So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This is a reminder that we should always interpret Scripture in context. Jesus was talking about spiritual freedom, not physical freedom. It was not a promise that speaking the truth will always deliver you from legal trouble. It was a promise that if we reject Satan’s lies and turn to Jesus, we will be set free from the power of darkness, sin, and guilt.

John 8:34-36 – Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

3. Paul again mentions the resurrection –

Paul goes back to the well again and brings up his belief in the resurrection. In the past, he has effectively used this to create disunity and division among his opponents (as the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection, but the Pharisees did).

While all of Paul’s words were truthful, he highlighted his points of agreement with the Jews rather than disagreement. In addition to the resurrection, he mentioned that he worshiped the same God and believed in the Law and the prophets.

III. Paul kept in custody for two years (22-27)

Discussion Questions

• Why did Felix delay a decision on Paul?
• Why do you think Felix was afraid when Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and judgment?
• Why did he ask Paul to “go away?”
• How does this show the fallen condition of people?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Justice delayed –

Felix has had cases presented to him by the accusers and the defense. Yet he doesn’t give a verdict. He instead detains Paul for two years. Verse 26 tells us he was hoping to receive some money as a bribe to release Paul. It shows us a lot about Paul’s character that he doesn’t give him that money and willingly stays in prison.

Reflect – Is giving a bribe ever OK? What if you pay someone to make a just decision?

Receiving a bribe is wrong (Deuteronomy 16:19, 1 Samuel 8:3). You should do what is right for justice’s sake.

Exodus 23:8 – And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

Paying someone to do the wrong thing (subverting justice) is also wrong and universally condemned in Scripture.

But bribing someone to do the right thing can be acceptable. If my family member is falsely accused and in a third-world prison, I would be willing to pay the authorities to release him. There are Scriptures that also indicate bribes can sometimes be acceptable.

Proverbs 17:8 – A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.

If Paul was really in the wrong, he should have been swiftly punished (Ecclesiastes 8:11-12). If he wasn’t, he should have been released. Delayed justice is not justice.

2. Paul shares with Felix and his wife –

Acts 24:25 – And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

With the hostile Jews not around, Paul had better opportunities for sharing the gospel with Felix.

Application – Paul was not afraid to share with powerful people. Let us also have the same mentality as he did, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God.” Have you ever drawn back from sharing the gospel with someone because of their power or influence? How can we depend on Christ for boldness the next time?

3. Felix responds, “Go away…” –

Felix was “alarmed” at what he heard. It clearly resonated with him deeply. Yet instead of seeking to learn more or placing his faith in Jesus, he sent Paul away.

We don’t know the exact reason. It could have been that he valued his position as a Roman elite more than the truth of the gospel. Or it could be that pride kept him from repenting. We don’t know.

But this reaction is common. Many people who are convicted by the truth of God respond by pushing it away instead of accepting it. This highlights man’s sinful nature. Not everyone who is convinced intellectually is willing to submit to the Lordship of Christ. Many choose the world, sin, and power instead.

Only the Holy Spirit truly changes a person’s heart. When you share the gospel, pray diligently for a soft heart to receive the Word and repent.

God’s Word is convicting. It will not always be comfortable. Burying your head in the sand might be easier than confronting the truth of Scripture at times, but it is not better.

Felix had the opportunity to become a follower of Jesus and have eternal life, but based on what we see here, it is likely he missed that chance. If so, he still regrets that decision to this day. Don’t make a similar mistake.