November 8
Bible Reading: Acts 24:24-27
Acts 24:27, “After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.”
Felix and Drusilla were quite a pair! Wealthy. Powerful. Wicked. Felix was the younger brother of a man named Pallas. The two brothers shrewdly advanced from low positions in the Royal household to gain favored status. Pallas was the secretary of the treasury during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Felix became the procurator of Judea by the petition of his brother. Both men became quite wealthy.
Internal troubles and an increase in crime throughout Judea marked the period of Felix’s rule in Judea. He dealt with such matters with severity. He not only displayed cruelty but also had a tendency towards licentiousness and accepting bribes (Acts 24:26). One historian described him to be “a master of cruelty and lust who exercised the powers of a king in the spirit of a slave.”
Felix was married three times. Drusilla was his second wife, the youngest of three daughters of King Herod Agrippa I—the same Herod who slew James, the brother of John. Her great-grandfather was the Herod who slew the babes in Bethlehem. Her great uncle was Herod Antipas, the Herod who slew John the Baptist. She married for the first time to a petty king in Syria. Always looking to climb the social ladder, she divorced him to marry Felix. In their shrewd and wicked ways, they were obviously made for each other.
By God’s providence, Paul was brought to Felix’s court. Felix listened to the charges made by Tertullus and the Jews against Paul (Acts 24:1-9). After hearing Paul’s case, he then instructed the centurion to keep Paul in custody but allow him some freedom, and to not stop any of his friends from looking after his needs (Acts 24:22-23).
After some days Felix and Drusilla sent for Paul and heard him speak about “faith in Christ Jesus” (Acts 24:24). Imagine that! They had the privilege of personally listening to the writer of those epistles you’ve read from. They could do no better than to hear about faith in Christ Jesus from the Apostle Paul himself. We’re not privy to the details of their response. The last word is that Felix “sent for him often and conversed with him” (Acts 24:26). They were wicked folks. Their family had done much harm to the cause of Christ. But God, who “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), worked to provide them ample opportunity to trust in Jesus.
“The Gospel is open to all; the most respectable sinner has no more claim on it than the worst.”—Marty Lloyd Jones
THERE’S ROOM AT THE CROSS FOR YOU
The cross upon which Jesus died
Is a shelter in which we can hide
And its grace so free is sufficient for me
And deep is its fountain as wide as the sea.
Chorus:
There’s room at the cross for you
There’s room at the cross for you
Though millions have come, there’s still room for one
Yes there’s room at the cross for you.
Though millions have found him a friend
And have turned from the sins they have sinned
The Savior still waits to open the gates
And welcome a sinner before it’s too late. [Chorus]
The hand of my Savior is strong
And the love of my Savior is long
Through sunshine or rain, through loss or in gain,
The blood flows from Calvary to cleanse every stain. [Chorus]
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