Paul remained under arrest in Caesarea for two years while Felix ruled as the procurator of Judea. Soon after Festus succeeded Felix in 59 AD, he arranged a hearing in Caesarea at which he had the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem present their case against the apostle. It says in v.7 that they brought "many and serious charges against him which they could not prove." When he was given license to speak for himself, Paul proclaimed, "Neither against the Law of the Jews or against the Temple or against Caesar have I committed an offense." Then, refusing to go up to Jerusalem for a formal trial before the Sanhedrin, believing he would be ambushed and murdered along the way, (see v.3), he exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the Emperor in Rome.
Paul's disclaimer that he had offended in any way the Law of the Jews, or the Temple, or Caesar is actually the ideal behavior for every Christian. Followers of Christ are to be model citizens in their communities in order to bring honor to the Name which they wear. We are exhorted in I Pet. 2:12-16, "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as to one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God." This passage is telling us that our behavior is on display before the public, and since we are Christians, it broadcasts an important message about the effects of Christ in our lives. If our conduct is blameless with respect to community standards, it speaks well for the beneficial power of Christ acting within us. But if we occasionally disregard or defy those standards, it gives occasion for critics of Christianity to speak out against us and ridicule our Lord.
To behave oneself is no guarantee, however, that malicious people will not still make accusations and seek occasions to vilify our Lord and His gospel. Paul had done absolutely nothing for which to be arrested, reviled as a public nuisance, and held in custody for a period of about four years. It is entirely possible, in fact even quite probable, that the irreligious, filled with venom against Christ, will make atrocious charges against Christians. Rather than be surprised and discouraged when such unjust treatment comes, Christians must be prepared. We are forewarned in the New Testament that if we are the witnesses for Christ we must be, such adverse reactions will come against us. Then Paul's ordeal becomes valuable inspiration to us. Finally, there is Peter's encouragement in I Pet. 4:16, "If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that Name let him glorify God."
