Pomp and Pride

 ACTS IN 90 DAYS

A reading for Wednesday, September 23, 2020: Acts 25:23-27.

"So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city."

The juxtaposition and irony is shocking. Throughout the book of Acts, Paul and others have been making the claim that Jesus Christ of Nazareth has brought the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Jesus is the rightful King over all people, and in fact over all of creation. Throughout all his travels, Paul has argued this same message many times over.

Now, we see just how clearly the message has not been heard. King Agrippa and his wife enter with pomp and pride. Festus is there as well as all the other prominent members of Jewish and Roman society. It's a really big show, complete with proper procedure and protocol. Then Paul, the messenger of the true Kingdom, is brought in...

The charges are not clear. Mainly because the true charge that Paul proclaims another King altogether cannot and will not be heard. And yet, the Kingdom of God is present even in this. Thanks be to God!