“Mi Appeal Long Caesar!”

WANFALA grup pipol kasholem wanfala man and start for killim hem. Long tingting bilong olketa hem fit for dae. Luk olsem olketa bae killim dae man hia, seknomoa olketa soldia kam and stragol for tekem datfala man from raf sekson hia. Datfala man hem aposol Paul. Pipol wea attakim hem nao olketa Jew wea barava les long preaching bilong Paul and wea sei hem mekem temple kamap dirty. Olketa bilong Rome, anda long komanda Claudius Lysias nao sevem hem. From bigfala wei for konfius kamap olketa arrestim Paul from olketa tingse hem wanfala criminal.

Sevenfala last chapter long buk bilong Acts storyim disfala case taem olketa arrestim hem. Taem iumi minim history bilong Paul saed long law, samting wea olketa accusim long hem, hao hem defendim datwan, and wei bilong Rome for givim panis, diswan bae helpem iumi minim gud olketa chapter hia.

Stap Long Prison Anda Long Claudius Lysias

Claudius Lysias hem garem waka for keepim peace long Jerusalem. Boss bilong hem nao governor bilong Rome long Judea, wea stap long Caesarea. Wei wea Lysias sevem Paul hem wanfala example bilong wei for protectim wanfala man from raf fasin and for arrestim man wea mek trabol. From samting olketa Jew duim, Lysias putim prisoner bilong hem long haos bilong olketa soldia long Taoa bilong Antonia.—Acts 21:27–22:24.

Lysias need for savve wanem nao Paul duim. Taem evriwan go ahed for faet hem no kasem eni idea. So hem givim komand for olketa ‘kwestinim hem witim wei for whipim, mekem hem savve faendaot why nao olketa shout againstim Paul olsem.’ (Acts 22:24) Diswan hem samting wea olketa savve duim for kasem pruv from olketa criminal, slave, and nara pipol wea no garem hae position. Datfala wei for whip (flagrum) maet helpem olketa kasem samting wea olketa lukaotem, bat hem wanfala samting wea man fit for fraetem. Samfala samting wea olketa iusim for whip garem iron bol wea hange from olketa chain. Olketa narawan garem rope wea olketa platem sharp bon and iron insaed. Olketa savve mekem body barava garekil, and savve katem meat bilong body.

Datfala taem nao Paul talemaot hao hem wanfala citizen bilong Rome. Eni man bilong Rome wea olketa no judgem yet no fit for kasem whip, so wei wea Paul talemaot diswan hem stopem wei wea olketa laek whipim hem. Wanfala army officer savve lusim position bilong hem sapos hem spoelem or panisim wanfala citizen bilong Rome. So dastawe, start dat taem olketa treatim Paul olsem spesol prisoner, wea fit for kasem olketa visitor.—Acts 22:25-29; 23:16, 17.

From hem no sure wanem nao olketa accusim long Paul, Lysias tekem hem go long Sanhedrin for faendaot why nao pipol kros tumas long hem. Bat Paul mekem wanfala raoa kamap taem hem sei olketa laek judgem hem abaotem kwestin bilong resurrection. Disfala raoa kamap big tumas, Lysias fraet nogud olketa killim Paul, and so Lysias tekem hem from olketa Jew hia wea kros tumas.—Acts 22:30–23:10.

Lysias no laek for garem blame for dae bilong wanfala citizen bilong Rome. So taem hem here abaotem plan for killim dae Paul, hem kwiktaem sendem prisoner bilong hem go daon long Caesarea. Taem olketa sendem prisoner long judge wea moa hae olketa mas sendem go report abaotem datfala case witim prisoner. Insaed report olsem olketa mas raetem samting wea olketa faendemaot taem olketa kwestinim hem, olketa reason why olketa duim samting, and tingting bilong man wea lukluk long datfala case. Lysias reportim hao olketa accusim Paul ‘long samfala kwestin bilong Law bilong Jew, bat no long eni samting wea mekem hem fit for dae or stap long prison,’ and hem komandim olketa wea accusim Paul for go talem komplen bilong olketa long governor bilong datfala province, Felix.—Acts 23:29, 30.

Governor Felix No Givim Judgment

Wei for judge insaed province depend long paoa bilong Felix. Hem savve chus for followim kastom bilong datfala ples or followim criminal law—wea fitim olketa wea garem hae position and bigman long gavman. Olketa kolem datfala criminal law ordo, or list. Hem savve followim tu extra ordinem paoa, wea olketa savve iusim for deal witim eni crime. Governor bilong province mas ‘tingim no samting wea olketa duim long Rome, bat samting wea olketa shud duim.’ So, hem garem paoa for disaedem staka samting.

Iumi no savve planti samting saed long law bilong Rome, bat samfala tingim case bilong Paul olsem “wanfala example long saed bilong law for givim panis wea olketa kolem extra ordinem.” Governor, witim help bilong olketa wea givim advaes long hem, bae lisin long olketa man wanwan wea accusim narawan. Then olketa bae kolem kam man wea olketa accusim and hem bae defendim hemseleva, bat main pruv hem mas from olketa wea accusim narawan. Then magistrate bae givim eni panis wea hem ting hem fitim. Hem savve disaed datfala semtaem or delayim datfala judgment for longfala taem, sapos olsem datfala man wea olketa accusim bae weit long prison. Savveman Henry Cadbury sei: “Iumi no daotem hao from governor garem big paoa olsem, bae hem savve letem ‘olketa samting wea no stret for affectim hem’ and letem eniwan switim hem witim selen—maet for mekem kamap free, judgem or delayim.”

Hae Priest Ananias, olketa older man bilong Jew, and Tertullus go and accusim Paul front long Felix, olketa sei hem ‘wanfala man for mekem problem wea savve mekem wei for divaed for kamap midolwan olketa Jew.’ Olketa sei hem main wan insaed datfala “sect bilong olketa Nazarene” and hem trae for mekem temple kamap dirty.—Acts 24:1-6.

Datfala grup wea firstaem attakim Paul tingse hem tekem wanfala Gentile wea nem bilong hem Trophimus go insaed courtyard bilong olketa Jew nomoa.a (Acts 21:28, 29) So man wea olketa fit for sei hem trespass hem Trophimus, no Paul. Bat sapos olketa Jew tingim samting Paul duim olsem wei for helpem and saportim disfala wei for trespass, diswan minim olketa fit for panisim hem for dae tu. And luk olsem Rome agree for luksavve hao man fit for dae from datwan. So sapos olketa police bilong temple nao arrestim hem and no Lysias, bae Sanhedrin savve tekem hem long kot and judgem hem for dae.

Long tingting bilong olketa Jew, samting Paul teachim hem no Judaism, or religion wea law agree witim (religio licita). Bat, olketa tingim teaching bilong hem olsem samting wea no followim law, and wea savve spoelem gavman.

Olketa sei tu hao Paul “mekem wei for divaed kamap midolwan long olketa Jew wea stap evriwea long earth.” (Acts 24:5) No longtaem go nomoa Emperor Claudius hem tok againstim olketa Jew from Alexandria from olketa “mekem kamap wanfala trabol evriwea long world.” Lukim hao tufala toktok hia klosap semsem. Wanfala man for studyim history A. N. Sherwin-White hem sei: “For accusim wanfala Jew long kaen samting olsem hem barava fitim taem wea Claudius hem rul or olketa firstfala year bilong Nero. Olketa Jew trae hard for mekem governor for tingim preaching waka bilong Paul hem semsem witim wei for mekem trabol kamap midolwan olketa Jew wea stap anda long datfala rul. Olketa savve hao olketa governor les for judgem man long samting saed long religion nomoa so olketa joinim samfala samting bilong politik insaed wei wea olketa accusim hem.”

Paul defendim hemseleva long evri point hia. ‘Mi no mekem eni trabol for kamap. Hem tru, mi insaed wanem olketa kolem wanfala “sect,” bat diswan no minim mi no followim olketa rul bilong olketa Jew. Samfala Jew from Asia nao startim disfala raoa. Sapos olketa laek for komplen, olketa shud kam long hia for talem.’ So Paul showimaot klia hao olketa samting wea olketa accusim long hem, hem kamaot from raoa saed long religion midolwan olketa Jew, wea olketa bilong Rome no minim gud. From hem no laek for mekem olketa Jew feel nogud, Felix delayim wei for ansa, hem mekem wanfala samting saed long law wea blokem disfala case for go ahed. Hem no givim Paul go long olketa Jew and no judgem hem followim Roman law, and hem no mekem hem kamap free. Felix no laek talemaot eni judgment, and long semtaem hem laek for mekem olketa Jew hapi, hem garem nara reason tu for mekem disfala wei for delay—hem hope Paul bae switim hem witim selen.—Acts 24:10-19, 26.b

Change Kamap Anda Long Porcius Festus

Tufala year bihaen taem niu governor Porcius Festus hem arrive, olketa Jew long Jerusalem accusim Paul moa, olketa ask for hem givim Paul long olketa. Bat Festus strong for sei: “Hem no wei bilong Rome for givim go eni man olsem wanfala favor bifor datfala man feisim olketa wea accusim hem and kasem chance for talemaot samting for defendim hemseleva from datfala komplen.” Wanfala man for studyim history Harry W. Tajra sei olsem: “Festus luksavve hao olketa plan for killim dae wanfala citizen bilong Rome.” So from diswan hem talem olketa Jew for talem case bilong olketa long Caesarea.—Acts 25:1-6, 16.

Long there olketa Jew sei Paul “mas no go ahed for laef,” bat olketa no showim eni pruv for diswan, and Festus luksavve hao Paul no duim eni samting wea minim hem fit for dae. “Olketa garem raoa witim hem abaotem worship bilong olketa long god bilong olketa and abaotem wanfala man Jesus wea olketa sei hem dae bat Paul sei hem go ahed for laef,” Festus talem olsem long wanfala nara bigman.—Acts 25:7, 18, 19, 24, 25.

Hem klia tumas Paul no guilty long eni samting saed long politik, bat from hem wanfala dispute bilong religion, luk olsem olketa Jew sei kot bilong olketa nomoa fit for deal witim datwan. Waswe, bae Paul go long Jerusalem for kasem judgment? Festus askem Paul sapos hem laek for go long there, bat really hem no fit for askem datwan. From sapos hem go long Jerusalem olketa wea accusim hem bae kamap judge wea bae minim Paul hem insaed hand bilong olketa Jew. “Mi stand ap front long judgment chair bilong Caesar, wea hem fit for judgem mi.” Paul hem sei. “Mi no duim eni rong samting long olketa Jew. . . No eni man savve givim mi go long olketa olsem wanfala favor. Mi appeal long Caesar!”—Acts 25:10, 11, 20.

Taem eni man bilong Rome talem disfala toktok, hem stopem eni wei for judgem hem insaed olketa province. Wei wea hem fit for appeal (provocatio) hem “tru, klia for minim and barava waka gud.” So bihaen hem story long olketa man for givim advaes long hem, Festus hem sei: “Iu appeal long Caesar, so bae iu go long Caesar.”—Acts 25:12.

Festus hapi for sendem go Paul. Olsem hem sei long Herod Agrippa II samfala day bihaen, datfala case hem barava mekem hem konfius. Festus mas raetem wanfala leta abaotem datfala case for sendem long emperor, bat Festus no savve minim olketa samting saed long law bilong olketa Jew. Bat Agrippa barava savve long kaen samting olsem, so taem hem showimaot interest long diswan, Festus askem hem for help for raetem datfala leta. From hem no minim toktok bilong Paul long Agrippa, Festus hem singaot: “Iu gogo for krangge, Paul! Bigfala savve mekem iu kamap krangge!” Bat Agrippa barava minim. Hem sei: “Long shortfala taem iu bae muvim mi for kamap wanfala Christian.” Nomata feeling bilong tufala difren abaotem samting Paul talem, Festus and Agrippa agree hao Paul no guilty and olketa fit for mekem hem kamap free sapos hem no appeal long Caesar.—Acts 25:13-27; 26:24-32.

End Bilong Datfala Problem Saed Long Law

Taem hem arrive long Rome, Paul kolem olketa main man bilong olketa Jew, no for preach long olketa nomoa bat tu for faendaot sapos olketa herem eni nius abaotem hem. Datwan maet helpem hem for luksavve wanem nao plan bilong olketa wea accusim hem. Samtaem olketa long Jerusalem savve askem olketa Jew long Rome for helpem olketa long wanfala case, bat Paul faendaot hao olketa no talem kam eni nius abaotem hem. Taem hem weitim trial, olketa letem Paul for rentim wanfala haos and for go ahed for preach. Kaen wei for letem hem stap olsem maet luk olsem olketa long Rome tingim Paul hem no guilty.—Acts 28:17-31.

Paul stap olsem for tufala year moa. Why nao olsem? Bible no talem. Wanfala appeal savve kamap taem olketa man wea againstim narawan kam for accusim hem, bat maet olketa Jew long Jerusalem luksavve hao case bilong olketa no strong, so olketa nating kam. And maet olketa ting best wei for mekem Paul stap kwaet for longtaem hem for olketa no kam. Nomata wanem, hem klia hao gogo Paul hem go front long Nero, and olketa talem hao hem no guilty, and olketa mekem hem kamap free for go ahed long missionary waka bilong hem—diswan kamap samting olsem faevfala year bihaen olketa arrestim hem.—Acts 27:24.

For longtaem nao olketa wea againstim truth ‘iusim law long rong wei for mek trabol’ for stopem Christian preaching waka. Diswan no mekem iumi sapraes. Jesus sei: “Sapos olketa persecutim mi, bae olketa persecutim iufala tu.” (Psalm 94:20, King James Version; John 15:20) Bat, Jesus promis hao bae iumi free for talemaot gud nius long full world. (Matthew 24:14) Dastawe, olsem aposol Paul faet againstim persecution and wei for againstim hem, Olketa Jehovah’s Witness distaem ‘defendim and iusim law for protectim gud nius.’—Philippians 1:7.

[Olketa Footnote]