25:6-8 In view of Paul's defense (v. 8), the serious charges made by the Jews appear to have been the same as those Tertullus had presented (24:5-6). However the Jews could not prove them and produced no witnesses, so all Paul had to do was deny them categorically. This trial seems to have proceeded very much as the one before Felix had (ch. 24). Luke summarized the proceedings.
25:9 As the new governor, Festus did not want to do anything that would turn the Jewish authorities against him, especially in view of Felix's record. He did not know how to proceed (v. 20), but he wanted to stay in the Jews' favor. Therefore he somewhat naively asked Paul if he was willing to move his trial to Jerusalem, the site of some of his alleged crimes. The fact that he asked Paul's permission indicates that Paul was not a common criminal but an unconvicted Roman citizen with rights that the governor had to respect.
25:10-11 Paul turned this offer down perhaps because he feared that in Jerusalem popular opinion against him might sway his judge even more strongly than it had in Caesarea. His appeal for a trial in Rome was the right of every Roman citizen who believed he was in danger of violent coercion or capital punishment in a lower court.913Only Roman citizens who were murderers, pirates, or bandits caught in the act could not make this appeal.914
At this time Nero was emperor, but in the early years of his rule (54-62 A.D.) he was an admirable emperor, and Paul had no reason to fear him now (59 A.D.). Only after 62 A.D. did Nero begin to rule erratically and to turn against Christianity.
Nothing in the New Testament indicates that Paul's appeal to Caesar was contrary to God's will. He probably saw this appeal as the way he could reach Rome having been detained in Caesarea for two year.
25:12 Paul's appeal got Festus off the hook with the Jews, so the governor willingly granted it. He could have released Paul because he was innocent (cf. 26:32), but the charges against him were political sedition and profaning the temple both of which were capital offenses.
"The narrator shows unusual interest in Felix and Festus. They are complex characters with conflicting tendencies. Felix is attracted to Paul and his message, yet seeks a bribe and leaves Paul in prison to appease Paul's enemies. Festus presents a favorable image of himself to the public, but his handling of Paul's case is tainted with favoritism. Neither one is willing to offend the high priests and elders by releasing Paul. The narrator's characterization of the Roman governors contributes to a portrait of Paul as one caught in a web of self-interested maneuvers by people who vie for support within the political jungle. However, Paul is not just a helpless victim. As opportunity comes, he continues to bear witness to his Lord. Although Paul continues to be denied justice and freedom, the saving purpose of God still has use for this resourceful and faithful prisoner."915
