They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. – Acts 25:3

Today's Scripture Reading (April 2, 2021): Acts 25

I grew up watching Batman before I fell in love with Spiderman. My introduction to superheroes was with the campy "Batman" starring Adam West as the titular hero. I loved the idea of Batman. He has no superpowers; he isn't from another planet like Superman, and unlike my beloved Spiderman, he wasn't bit by a radioactive spider. He works out and has some great gadgets, and that is it. He is a very human hero who happens to go about his activities wearing a mask. He is the superhero that maybe isn't all that super, someone who even a child can aspire to be. But that was when I was a child.

I still love to watch superhero movies and television shows, but I also recognize the fatal flaw present in every superhero story. In some way, superheroes can only exist because the law cannot or will not do what it needs to do. In the Batman saga, it is partially the existence of super-criminals that necessitates a Batman. He is the only one who can combat villains like the Joker or the Penguin. These criminals are beyond the abilities of ordinary law enforcement. Only Batman can restore order to Gotham City.

Of course, in the Batman story arc, there is another problem. Not only are the supervillains too strong for the police, but the police themselves, in fact, the society at large, has been corrupted by the criminal enterprise that has gripped the city. And both the power of the criminals and the society's corruption has made Batman's presence essential. When you can't trust authority, you have no option other than to take the law into your own hands. Vigilante justice becomes the only answer. Without a Batman in Gotham City, justice dies.

Paul is being tried in front of the political powers of the society. King Agrippa has a firm hold on the Herodian throne and offers part of that political power. Porcius Festus is the Roman procurator. Agrippa II reigns as King in Judah only because Rome allows him to, and the visible hand of Rome in Judah was the procurator. These are the men who decide significant issues of justice, and it is before them that Paul has been brought.

But Paul's opponents are not convinced that Agrippa and Festus will do what they believe must be done. Scholars argue that they don't have the evidence to get to a guilty verdict, but other elements were also at play here, including the concept that Paul was born a Roman citizen. Taking action against a Roman citizen was problematic, even for those in charge of the nation's system of justice.

So, those who opposed Paul lobbied for a change in venue for the trial of Paul. It wasn't that they hoped that the trial would end differently if the trial were moved to Jerusalem, but rather that in moving Paul, they would have an opportunity to kill him. They didn't trust Agrippa and Festus to get the job done, so now they wanted to take matters into their own hand. It was time to get in touch with their inner Batman, or maybe better their inner super criminal, and make sure that Paul is eliminated.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 26