Acts 25:23 – 26:1 :

So on the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and they had entered into the place of hearing with the commanding officers and principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said, “King Agrippa, and all men who are here present with us, you see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor I determined to send him. Of whom I have no certain thing to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him forth before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, that, after examination, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to also specify the charges against him.”

Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak for yourself.”

Festus admits, here, that not only did he not find anything about Paul that was worthy of death, he didn’t even know what to write about him to the emperor concerning the case. Festus wasn’t very knowledgeable about Jewish issues and was not in a good position to bring justice but still decided to persecute Paul by leaving him in jail.

It is very unfortunate that today we have a similar problem concerning the Jews and Arabs in the middle east. Many people are willing to cast blame because they hear of a complaint, but very few appear to understand the issue at all. I doubt that most people, even those with an opinion about the Jews, know the history behind the issue even though it is fairly easy to get from a reliable source. Others are probably believing things that were spoken by unreliable sources. Even our own experience is not a good way to interpret what only actual history can explain.

Satan is aware of the fact that people take rumor as fact if it pleases them. He is called the “prince and power of the air” for a reason. Fortunately, the truth of God is also available to us in the Bible and the Holy Spirit is able to make that truth known.