Tara-Leigh Cobble

He's where the joy is.

Tomorrow we'll be reading Paul's first letter to Timothy.

It's six chapters long.

We've linked to a video in the show notes to give you a quick overview, so check that out if you've got nine minutes to spare.

Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

Yesterday, 470 soldiers delivered Paul to Governor Felix in Caesarea.

Today, we pick up five days later when some of the authorities from Jerusalem have come to talk to Felix about Paul.

They brought a spokesman-slash-lawyer named Tertullus with them.

Tertullus starts off by flattering Felix, then launches into accusing Paul of starting riots and defiling the temple, neither of which he's done.

Paul defends himself with the truth.

He says he goes to great lengths to live with integrity and that he has honored the ways of Yahweh, including everything written in the law and the prophets, which is the shorthand way of saying all the Hebrew scriptures, i.e.

the Old Testament.

Felix is pretty familiar with first century Christianity, or the way, as Paul calls it, possibly because he lives in Caesarea among prominent evangelists like Philip.

He wants to hear more from Paul.

So he tells the people who came down from Jerusalem that he'll make a decision later and sends them back home.

In the meantime, he tells the soldiers to keep Paul in prison, but to be nice to him.

Remember, in this day, prisons aren't required to care for you.

Your friends have to do that.

And sometimes prison guards even prevent the friends from doing that.

Felix keeps calling Paul up to talk to him about the way, but it's never enough for him.