⁴“But, that I may not weary you any further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing. ⁵For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. ⁶And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. ⁷But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, ⁸ordering his accusers to come before you. By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him.” ⁹The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.

If we had to listen to the kinds of accusations against us that Paul was subjected to, our patience would surely wear thin. The apostle was quite skilled himself in debate, and understood what the lawyer Tertullus was doing. After his flattery toward Felix, the governor, Paul’s opponent insinuated this would be an open-and-shut case, easily judged and quickly dispensed of. The matter was simple: Paul was seditious, a troublemaker stirring up people around the Roman world against Roman authority. Tertullus was careful to distinguish Paul and his followers as an isolated group among the Jews, not representative of all Jews. In fact, Tertullus asserted that Paul was also seditious among the Jews as a whole.

The Jews knew their dealings with one of their own were not a significant concern for the governor. But by tying Paul’s behavior to sedition against the Roman authorities, Tertullus made the matter carry more interest for Felix. This was quite a skillful maneuver. The high priest chose his legal counsel wisely! Still, Paul would soon prove to be a formidable opponent in court.

Of course, the high priest and the Jews would have had no problem with Paul if he were stirring people up against the Romans; they would have considered him somewhat of a hero for doing that. However, Paul was not stirring up people against Rome. Conflict only came when people objected to his message about Jesus Christ. What incensed the Jews in Jerusalem was not any perceived dissension against the Romans, but his message about Jesus Christ and the new light this cast on the Law of Moses.

Tertullus’ point was that the Jews had been dealing with an internal matter until the Roman commander Lysias intervened in their affairs. One can begin to sense the intrigue and back story going on here, a subtle accusation against Lysias for interfering in what was rightfully Jewish jurisdiction. Yet, despite all this, Paul awaited his time to present his side of the story.

Lord, give me patience to wait and wisdom to known when to speak up.