Chapter 26 Acts 26
Paul’s Defense before Agrippa (vv. 1-23)
Agrippa said a to Paul, “You have permission to speak on your own behalf.” Paul stretched out his hand b and defended himself as follows:
2 “King Agrippa! I consider myself fortunate that today I am to defend myself before you from all the things the Jews accuse me of, 3 particularly since you know so well all the Jewish customs and disputes. c I ask you, then, to listen to me with patience.
4 “All the Jews know how I have lived ever since I was young. They know how I have spent my whole life, at first in my own country and then in Jerusalem. 5 They have always known, if they are willing to testify, that from the very first I have lived as a member of the strictest party of our religion, the Pharisees. 6 And now I stand here to be tried because of the hope I have in the promise that God made to our ancestors d 7 the very thing that the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive, as they worship God day and night. And it is because of this hope, e Your Majesty, that I am being accused by the Jews! f 8 Why do you who are here find it impossible to believe that God raises the dead? g
9 “I myself thought that I should do everything I could against the cause of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 That is what I did in Jerusalem. I received authority from the chief priests and put many of God’s people in prison; and when they were sentenced to death I also voted against them. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues and tried to make them deny their faith. h I was so furious with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
12 “It was for this purpose that I went to Damascus with authority and orders from the chief priests. i 13 It was on the road at midday, Your Majesty, that I saw a light much brighter than the sun, j coming from the sky and shining around me and the men travelling with me. 14 All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by hitting back, like an ox kicking against its owner’s stick.’ k 15 ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus, whom you persecute. 16 But get up and stand on your feet. l I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant. You are to tell others what you have seen of me today and what I will show you in the future. 17 I will rescue you from the people of Israel and from the Gentiles to whom I will send m you. 18 You are to open their eyes and turn them from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God, n so that through their faith in me they will have their sins forgiven and receive their place among God’s chosen people.’ o
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I did not disobey the vision I had from heaven. 20 First in Damascus and in Jerusalem and then in the whole country of Israel and among the Gentiles, I preached that they must repent of their sins and turn to God and do the things that would show they had repented. 21 It was for this reason that the Jews seized me while I was in the Temple, and they tried to kill me. 22 But to this very day I have been helped by God, and so I stand here giving my witness to all, to small and great alike. What I say is the very same thing which the prophets and Moses p said was going to happen: 23 that the Messiah must suffer q and be the first one to rise from death, to announce the light of salvation to the Jews and to the Gentiles.”
Interesting Stuff:
a Agrippa gave the permission because Festus allowed him to have charge of the hearing.
b Although Paul was chained (v. 29), he was able to gesture with his hand in the manner typical of ancient orators or public speakers.
c Agrippa was considered as an authority on the Jewish religion and was consulted by the Romans on religious matters. This is one of the reasons Festus wanted him to assess Paul.
d It refers to the expectation that God will fulfill the prophecies made in the OT. These include the prophecies regarding the coming of God’s Kingdom, the Messiah and the resurrection. For Paul, it refers specifically to the belief that these promises have been fulfilled in Jesus.
e More precisely, the specific hope that Paul had in mind was that of the resurrection from the dead which will bring God’s people into the experience of salvation. The Jews hoped to attain to this experience, which they described as ’the age to come’, by their devotion to God expressed in continuous worship, day and night.
f Paul was essentially asking why he should be under accusation for his loyalty to the Jewish religion and its hope.
g The issue was of course Paul’s belief in the resurrection. He takes the offensive to ask why it should be considered incredible that God can raise the dead, although the real issue is why Jesus’ resurrection should be thought impossible for God. Although earlier he had been speaking to Agrippa, at this point, Paul must have addressed the others as well, who, like Festus did not believe in the resurrection. Agrippa was on the side of the Sadducees for he was the one who appointed them high priests. Thus he was likely to reject the resurrection of Christ and the belief in resurrection in general.
h The original word used was ‘blaspheme’, i.e., to curse Christ or disown their faith. He tried to force them to either curse Jesus or to confess publicly that Jesus is the Son of God. In the latter case, they could be condemned for blasphemy, a sufficient cause for death.
i This was the third account of his experience and it differs in some details from the earlier ones (cf. 9:1-19, 22:6-21). The main points are the same but the differences bring out the different points that Paul wanted to emphasise each time.
j It was at noon, when the sun’s light would be the brightest; and yet Paul felt himself surrounded by a light from heaven that was even brighter than the sunlight.
k This phrase is translated as ‘to kick against the goads’ in other versions. The word ‘goad’ refers to a pointed instrument used to prod something into motion. This was a Greek proverb for useless resistance or struggling against one’s destiny – here the ox succeeds only in hurting itself.
l The command to ‘stand’ or ‘get up’ was a preliminary to Jesus’ command to Paul ‘to go’. The commissioning of Paul as Christ’s apostle was shaped by Luke to resemble the call of the other OT prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel and others. In each case, the language of ‘sending’ was used. As God ‘sent’ His prophets to announce His word to His people, so Christ ‘sent’ his apostles to preach and teach in his name. This included Paul who was now ‘sent’ to be the apostle to the Gentiles (v. 17).
m The phrase ‘I will send you’ could be translated as ‘I myself make you an apostle’. Jesus was essentially commissioning Paul, placing on him the authority to be his apostle to the Gentiles.
n It is both a setting free from the darkness of satanic rule and an entering of God’s kingdom of light and power.
o The promise of forgiveness was part of the gospel message from the beginning. So was belonging to the new community of God’s people.
p This phrase ‘ the prophets and Moses’ refers to the OT.
q Moses and the prophets predicted three events: that the Christ or Messiah would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and that he would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles. More simply still, Jesus was Isaiah’s suffering servant of God who fulfilled all these prophecies – suffered and died for our sins, was raised and highly exalted, and became a light to the Gentiles. Paul kept on referring to the resurrection during his trials not to provoke the Pharisees and Sadducees into argument but to show that the resurrection of Jesus was the beginning and the heart of the gospel. Thus the proclamation of both a suffering Messiah and the resurrection of Jesus were distinctive teachings in early Christianity.
Questions:
Describe briefly the main points of Paul’s defense before King Agrippa (vv. 1-23).
Summary of Section:
- Agrippa told Paul that he had permission to speak on his own behalf.
- Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense as follows:
i) He told the king that he was fortunate to have him hear his defense because he was so knowledgeable about Jewish affairs.
ii) All the Jews knew about his background, how he grew up both in his own country and in Jerusalem as a member of the Pharisees, the strictest party of their religion.
iii) He was now being tried by the Jews themselves for believing in the promise made by God to all their ancestors which every Jew hopes to receive as they worship God day and night.
iv) He asked them why it was impossible for them to believe that God could raise the dead.
v) He then told about that period of time when he himself was a persecu- tor of those who believed in Jesus of Nazareth. He had authority from the chief priests and put many of them in prison.|
vi) He even voted for them to be put to death; he had many punished and tried to force them to deny their faith.
vii) He was so furious with them that he even went to foreign countries to persecute them.
viii) It was when he was going to Damascus for such a purpose that Jesus met him in a vision from heaven. A light brighter than the brightest sunlight shone around him and the men travelling with him.
ix) He heard a voice asking why he was persecuting him. When Paul asked who he was, the voice replied that he was Jesus.
x) Jesus then told him to stand up and commissioned him to be his servant and apostle to the Gentiles.
xi) Jesus said that Paul was to witness to what he had seen of Jesus that day and what Jesus would tell him in the future. Jesus would rescue him from his people and send him to the Gentiles.
xii) He was to open the eyes of the Gentiles and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s power to God so that they would receive forgiveness for their sins through faith in Jesus and receive their place among God’s chosen people.
xiii)He told King Agrippa that he did not disobey that vision from heaven. Thus, beginning in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and later in the whole country of Israel and among the Gentiles, he preached that people must repent of their sins and turn to God and show the fruits of their repentance in their life.
xiv) He said it was for this reason that the Jews seized him and tried to kill him in Jerusalem. But God had helped him and so he was giving his witness to all people, great and small, this day.
xv) Paul told the king that he was saying the very same thing predicted by Moses and the prophets: that the Messiah must suffer, be the first one to rise from death, and to announce the light of salvation to the Jews and Gentiles.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Paul’s defense before Herod Agrippa II was for Luke the most important of the five defenses. It is the longest and most carefully constructed of the five. Perhaps Luke was even in the audience chamber through the courtesy of an officer of the guard. Paul’s defense here is more polished in structure and language than the others.
- Since Festus had already said that Paul had not committed a capital crime, Paul chose to defend himself only against the charge that he had transgressed against Judaism. Paul insisted that it was because of his Jewish heritage that he believed and proclaimed what he did. So he began by drawing together his Pharisaic background and his Christian commitment, arguing that the Jewish hope and the Christian message are inseparably related.
- It was because of the Jewish hope in the resurrection of the dead that he was being tried. Ironically, the charges against him were brought by the Jews themselves. He found it hard to believe that any of his audience thought ‘it incredible that God raises the dead’ particularly when God had proven the truth of the resurrection by raising Jesus from the dead.
- Paul went on to acknowledge that he too at one time thought that Christian preaching about the resurrection of Jesus was incredible. Pharisee though he was, he too had rejected the belief in Jesus’ resurrection and had persecuted those who claimed to have seen him alive after his crucifixion. However, everything changed for him when Jesus appeared to him in the vision from heaven.
- In Paul’s account to Agrippa of what happened on the Damascus road, he stressed not his conversion, but his commissioning or appointment to be Jesus’ apostle to the Gentiles. Jesus told him he had appeared to him to appoint him as his servant and witness (v. 16b); he would rescue him from his people and the Gentiles (v. 17); and he would send him to the Gentiles (v. 17) to open their eyes and turn them to God.
- Paul told Agrippa with great emphasis that he was not disobedient. The vision was evidently from heaven and it was so overwhelming that his fanatical opposition was overcome and his doubts resolved in a moment.
- Luke’s purpose in describing the three court scenes (before Felix, Festus and Agrippa) was not just apologetic, i.e., in defense of the gospel, but evangelistic, to proclaim the gospel. He wanted his readers to remember that Paul had been commissioned to be Christ’s servant and witness. Paul’s two years in prison which interrupted his missionary work, must have frustrated him. However, whenever opportunities for witness were given him, he seized them with confidence and courage. In all these trials, Paul was fearless, even though Felix was supposed to be one of the worst of Roman officials, and Agrippa was a king.
- He wanted the king’s salvation, not his favour. Three times Paul repeated the main elements of the gospel message in the king’s hearing. Each time he repeated the gospel in court, Paul was in fact preaching it to the court. So when he finally addressed the king, he was confident that the king not only believed the prophets but was sufficiently familiar with the facts about Jesus to be persuaded of the truth.
- Paul’s speech before Agrippa II is not just a personal defense of himself. It is also a positive presentation of the gospel with an evangelistic appeal:
i) According to the OT prophets, the Christ would suffer, rise from the dead, and proclaim light to both Jews and Gentiles (v. 23)
ii) What God did in and through Jesus the Christ was done openly, ‘not done in a corner’ (v. 26)
iii)Believing the prophets leads one to accept redemption in Christ (v. 27)
iv) Paul’s prayer for all who hear is that they ‘may become what I am, except for these chains’ (v. 29) - It must have been a dramatic moment for Paul to be tried before the family of the Herods because they had, for generation after generation, set themselves in opposition to truth and righteousness. The founder, Herod the Great, had tried to kill the infant Jesus. His son Herod Antipas beheaded John the Baptist and was called the ‘fox’ by Jesus. His grandson, Herod Agrippa I had James killed by the sword. And now Paul was standing before Herod Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I, the great grandson of Herod the Great.
Festus and Agrippa Respond to Paul (vv. 24-32)
24As Paul defended himself in this way, Festus shouted r at him, “You are mad, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!”
25 Paul answered, “I am not mad, Your Excellency! I am speaking the sober truth. 26 King Agrippa! I can speak to you with all boldness, s because you know about these things. I am sure that you have taken notice of every one of them, for this thing has not happened hidden away in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do!” t
28Agrippa said to Paul, “In this short time do you think you will make me a Christian?” u
29 “Whether a short time or a long time,” Paul answered, “my prayer to God is that you and all the rest of you who are listening to me today might become what I am – except, of course, for these chains!” v
30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others got up, w 31 and after leaving they said to each other, “This man has not done anything for which he should die or be put in prison.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”
Interesting Stuff:
r At this point Festus broke into Paul’s address, unable to endure it any longer. No sensible Roman could believe in the resurrection of a man from the dead. The governor felt that Paul’s education and reading of the sacred Scriptures had led him to a mania or madness about prophecy and resurrection. Such talk was the height of insanity.
s Paul turned to Agrippa for support. The ministry of Jesus was widely known in Palestine, and Agrippa would have heard of it. Jesus’ death and resurrection were widely spoken of and the Christian gospel had now been proclaimed for three decades already. Certainly the king knew of these things, because they had been done openly. Paul knew that the king certainly believed the prophets and it was a belief, as Paul saw it, that inevitably brought one to Christ. So the prisoner became the questioner and he went on to boldly ask the king whether he believed the prophets.
t King Agrippa was faced with a dilemma. If he said ‘Yes’, Paul would press him to recognise their fulfillment in Jesus. If he said ‘No’, he would be in trouble with the devout Jews, who accepted the message of the prophets as the very word of God.
u Paul’s direct question embarrassed Agrippa. He had his reputation to maintain before Festus and the other dignitaries. Whatever he may have thought about Paul’s message personally, he was too worldly-wise to commit himself in public to what others thought was madness. So he evaded Paul’s question with his own question.
v Paul was probably speaking with great fervour to all listening until he realised that he was talking about spiritual freedom while he himself was chained. So he added that what he would wish for them did not include their being chained like him if they came to accept the gospel.
w Paul had had the last word, and his last comment evidently broke up the meeting. With it Agrippa dismissed the proceedings and with Festus and Bernice strode out of the audience chamber to discuss the situation. Agrippa had presumably heard enough to instruct Festus about what he should write in his report to Rome. Their conclusion was that Paul had done nothing that in Rome’s eyes merited death or imprisonment. Agrippa was heard to comment, “This man could have been released, if he had not appealed to the Emperor.” This comment should not be taken to mean that a governor could not free a prisoner after an appeal to the Emperor. In this case, however, Paul’s status was not a question of law only but also of politics. The governor had to think about his relationship with his Jewish subjects.
Questions:
Who shouted at Paul and told him that he was mad (v. 24)?
On what occasion was this said (25:23)?
2. What had Paul just declared (vv. 22-23)?
3.How did Paul respond to this accusation (vv. 25-27)?
4.How did Agrippa answer Paul (v. 28)?
5.What was Paul’s reply to him (v. 29)?
6.How did the trial end (v. 30)?
7. What was the decision that they arrived at regarding Paul (v. 31)?
8. What were Agrippa’s last words to Festus (v. 32)?
Summary of Section:
- As Paul defended himself in that way, Festus shouted at him and accused him of being mad. He said that Paul’s great learning was driving him mad.
- Paul told him that he was not mad and that he was speaking the sober truth.
- He turned to King Agrippa and said that he could speak to him boldly because the king knew about these things. He was certain that the king had taken notice of everything for they had not happened hidden away in a corner.
- He asked King Agrippa whether he believed in the prophets, adding that he believed the king did so.
- Agrippa asked Paul whether he thought he would make him a Christian in so short a time.
- Paul’s reply was whether it was a long or short time, his prayer to God was that he and all those listening might become what he was except for those chains.
- Then the king, governor, Bernice and the others got up and left. As they were leaving, they told each other that Paul had not done anything for which he should die or be put in prison.
- Agrippa told Festus that Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Behind all the three trials, there lay the double accusation of the Jews that Paul had spoken or acted against their Law on the one hand and against Caesar on the other. But Paul vigorously denied both charges. Before Agrippa, no fresh charges were produced. Paul seemed to have been responding to the unspoken question of why the Jews were so anxious to get rid of him. It had to do with his ministry to the Gentiles. Paul’s three defenses were successful. Neither Felix, nor Festus, nor Agrippa found him guilty. Instead, each indicated that he was innocent of the charges made against him.
- Paul went further and proclaimed in court his threefold loyalty – to Moses and the prophets, to Caesar, and above all to Jesus Christ who met him on the road to Damascus. He was a faithful Jew, a faithful Roman and a faithful Christian.
- Agrippa must have realised what he would be letting himself in for if he gave an affirmative answer to Paul’s question. If he confessed belief in the prophets, the obvious follow-up would be that he should then accept that Jesus is the Messiah. On the other hand, to deny that he believed in the prophets would be unthinkable for a loyal Jew. So he answered in such a way as to get out of the trap in which he was in danger of being caught.
- Agrippa was quite right in theory that Paul could have been set free but to acquit him now would be to stop his appeal, and so invade the Emperor’s territory. No governor of any province would dare do that.
- Thus Paul’s long-delayed desire to see Rome was brought a step nearer to fulfillment.
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