The Book of Acts: Chapter 24 (pt 15 of 21)

“Some days later, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. While Paul was discussing righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and said, ‘Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, I will send for you.’ At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, and for this reason he sent for Paul as often as possible and talked with him —Acts 24:24-26

Both Paul and Luke have already told us that Felix was “well informed” concerning Judaism and Christianity (“the Way”). One reason for his understanding of Judaism is that his wife, Drusilla, was Jewish. This was a very interesting woman:

“Drusilla was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and at this time was not yet twenty years old. As a small girl she had been betrothed to the crown prince of Commangene, in eastern Asia Minor, but the marriage did not take place because the prospective bride-groom refused to become a proselyte to Judaism. Then her brother Agrippa II gave her in marriage to the king of Emesa (modern Homs), a petty state in Syria. But when she was still only sixteen, Felix, with the help (it is said) of a Cypriot magician called Atomos, persuaded her to leave her husband and come to be his wife, promising her (with a play on his name) every ‘felicity’ if she did so. Accordingly, she joined Felix as his third wife, and bore him a son named Agrippa, who met his death in the eruption of Vesuvius in A. D. 79.” —F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts

“She was one of three daughters of Herod Agrippa I (Drusilla, Mariamne, Bernice). Her father murdered James, her great-uncle Herod Antipas slew John the Baptist, her great-grandfather (Herod the Great) killed the babes of Bethlehem.” — A.T. Robertson, III, Word Pictures in the New Testament

Quite the family tree, don’t you think? But Felix and Drusilla asked for Paul to come back. Good ol’ Paul, ol’ “one note” Paul. His message was always simple and clear: “Jesus Saves.”

“For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength —I Corinthians 1:21-25

Have you ever taken the time to really read that verse? As we are seeing in Paul’s adventures here, indeed, preaching about Jesus being cruicified—then raised from the dead, sure angers the Jews and is a “stumbling block,” and when you explain this to non-believers, they laugh at you, For them, it is indeed “foolishness.” But when you heard the story, it became the the power and wisdom of God!

Our Lord told His disciples that the Spirit would convict the lost of “sin, righteousness, and judgment.” So what does Paul talk about to Felix and his wife? Well, he didn’t say: “I’ve been framed! I’m innocent!” No, he talks about, “righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment.” No wonder Felix  and Drusilla became frightened and never came back for any more of Paul’s preaching. I was talking to a marriage counselor who told me that when you point out the reality of a couples’ relationship, they often won’t come back for more counseling. Sometimes, the truth hurts. However, Felix did come back—frequently. He had some kind of fascination with Paul and his message, just like Herod (Drusilla’s great-uncle) had with John the Baptist (Mark 6:20).

I was reading this text about Felix calling for Paul to hear him preach and also with the hope of receiving a bribe, and began to think about that. Every time Felix called him back, Paul would give him the same message. It was not the message Felix wanted to hear, because it was always a message about righteousness, self-control, and judgment. It was the message that frightened Felix. Obviously, Felix needed to be saved from his sins. Felix needed to find deliverance from sin and guilt, which only comes through faith in Jesus. Paul’s message was right on target—yet Felix kept coming back for more. I have have seen this before. I would share the message of Salvation to a coworker, and sometimes he would just sit quietly and not reply in any way, other times he would argue his point of view. Then there were times when he would just flat-out get angry==but he kept coming back and asking questions. I would like to tell you that he bowed his head and prayed with me, but he didn’t. Maybe it was his pride, or maybe confusion, or simply a rebellious spirit. But to this day, I can only hope that the Lord finally broke through to him.

I have to wonder what some of the smiley-faced, “God can’t wait to bless your socks off (as soon as you send in your check),” preachers would say to Felix. Do you think it would be a broad, flashing smile, and the promise of good things, if Felix would only first make his “seed-faith” contribution? Oops. Sorry. Shame on me for thinking such thoughts. No, shame on them. Shame on anyone whose gospel excludes righteousness, self-control, and judgment.

If interested, you can download the entire study of The Story of Acts

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