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The Book of Acts
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BIBLE STUDY ACTS 26:1-32 REVIEW: In chapter 25, the Roman governor Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. The chief priests and Paul’s other Jewish opponents immediately began to badger him about Paul. They first asked him to have Paul brought up from Caesarea to Jerusalem (according to Luke, they were actually planning to ambush and kill him on the way). When Festus instead invited them to come to Caesarea, they came and once again began to accuse Paul. Festus, seeking a compromise, suggested that Paul be brought to Jerusalem and be tried by him there. Paul then invoked his right as a Roman citizen to have his case decided by the Emperor in Rome. Finally, Festus invited King Agrippa to hear Paul’s case. Agrippa would presumably have a greater understanding of Jewish controversies – which would help Festus to better articulate exactly why Paul was being sent to Rome for trial. As I (Pastor George) also mentioned, involving King Agrippa would also give Festus some “political cover” from the Jewish leaders for having Paul sent to Rome rather than to Jerusalem for trial. CHAPTER 26:1-11 “Paul’s Defense before Agrippa – His Former Life in Judaism” “Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself: “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently. All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise make by God to our ancestors, a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.” Paul’s speech before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice is his last major discourse. After this, we will overhear only short exchanges with his fellows-travelers, and a final sad encounter with the Jews of Rome (28:17-28). This is also Paul’s longest speech, and Luke has prepared for it elaborately in the last chapter by assembling the Roman governor, the Jewish king, their entourage, and the nobility of the city of Caesarea. We might say that this speech is the final summary of what and what Jesus is to Paul. Paul repeats his assertion that he is on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead. This is the third time that Luke has Paul stating this (see also 23:6 and 24:15). In other words, this is more than just a casual statement. We might expect Paul to state that he was on trial because of his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. But for Paul, however, the resurrection and Jesus’ Messiahship are linked. For Paul, that Jesus is the Messiah is proven by his resurrection. As he writes at the beginning of Romans: “(Jesus) was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 1:4) Finally, in this section Paul recounts his former life in Judaism – especially as being a persecutor of the Church. Paul never tried to hide what he had been in the past – instead uses the retelling of his former life to show that he is truly a changed man. In a way, he sees his former relationship with God as “dead” – and that now he is “alive” to God through Jesus. (Let us explore Romans 6:1-11.) Paul’s changed life is also a “resurrection! CHAPTER 26:12-18 “Paul’s Defense before Agrippa – His Conversion Experience” “With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around my and my companions. When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.’ I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles – to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” This is the third time that Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus is recounted in Acts (see also 9:1-9; 22:6-16). The story is the same, but this telling also has some additional points not mentioned in the other accounts. Specifically, in this telling all of Paul’s party fell to the ground (not just Paul). Paul mentions that Jesus spoke to him “in the Hebrew (Aramaic) language”. Also, Jesus in this account tells Paul that “It hurts you to kick against the goads.” This was a common phrase of speech – a goad was a cattle prod. Paul up until this point had been violently resisting God’s “prodding” to repent and believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Finally, in this third telling of the vision Jesus directly tells Paul what his future ministry will be. There is no mention of Ananias, or of a subsequent vision in the temple. The effect is to “sharpen” the understanding that Paul is an apostle who was directly commissioned by Jesus Christ. CHAPTER 26:19-23 “Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa – His Obedience to Christ” “After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” The chronological details of Paul’s subsequent ministry are not necessarily accurate. There is no record elsewhere of Paul having a ministry in Judea. Indeed, Paul himself in his letter to the Galatians states that he did not go to Jerusalem until three years after his conversion – and then only to visit Cephas (Peter) and James for fifteen days – and that he was “unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.” (Gal. 1:17-24) Be that as it may, the point here is that Paul did immediately begin proclaiming the gospel after his conversion. He also states the three major points of his gospel message:
Finally, Paul again asserts that Jesus’ suffering and resurrection was foretold by Moses and the prophets. As I mentioned above, for Paul Jesus’ resurrection proves that he is the Messiah (the one who will save people (both Jews and Gentiles) from sin and (eternal) death). CHAPTER 26:24-32 “Festus and Agrippa Respond to Paul’s Speech “While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth. Indeed the king knows about these things, and him I speak freely; for I am certain that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?” Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am – except for these chains.” Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them; and as they were leaving, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the Emperor.” The main reason for Festus’ reaction is Paul’s assertion of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. To a pagan Roman, such a concept would be utter nonsense. In response, after asserting that he is speaking the “sober truth”, Paul then turns his attention specifically to King Agrippa. Why? Because Agrippa “knows” (the Greek word literally means “is an expert”) about the Jewish hope of a resurrection of the dead. Even if Agrippa would not believe in Jesus as the Messiah, he would at least believe in the hope of a resurrection. On one level, Paul’s “defense” before Festus and Agrippa was successful. Both of them (and Bernice) ended up being convinced that Paul was innocent of the charges which the Jewish leaders had made against him – and that he could have been set free if he had not appealed to the Emperor. But at another level, Paul’s “defense” was not successful. He was not simply seeking his own survival, but that Festus, Agrippa, and the rest of his hearers should “repent” and put their faith in Jesus. This of course does not happen. Festus will not even admit the reality of a resurrection from death. Agrippa will, but his only reaction to Paul’s plea about believing the prophets is dismissive humor. -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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