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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Text Commentaries</title>
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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'all');">Act 26</a> - Paul’s Defense Before King Agrippa</h2>
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<p>A. Paul on trial before King Agrippa (continued).</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'1-3');">1-3</a>) Paul’s introductory words.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Then Agrippa said to Paul</span></b>: Remember Paul stands before the man whose great-grandfather had tried to kill Jesus as a baby; his grandfather had John the Baptist beheaded; his father had martyred the first apostle, James. This was a man whose family history made him unlikely to receive Paul warmly!</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you</span></b>: Paul <i>is</i> <b><span class="c3">happy</span></b> to speak before Agrippa. First, because he is pleased to have the evidence of his case examined closely by the highest officials, but also because he is pleased to preach the gospel to kings!</p>
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<p class="c5">i. This was a partial fulfillment of what the Lord promised Paul at his conversion: <i>Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel</i>. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',9,15);">Act 9:15</a>)</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'4-11');">4-11</a>) Paul describes his life before his conversion.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>“My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. To this <i>promise </i>our twelve tribes, earnestly serving <i>God </i>night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against <i>them.</i></span> <span>And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled <i>them </i>to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted <i>them </i>even to foreign cities.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">According to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee</span></b>: Paul states his credentials as a faithful Jew before his conversion to Jesus Christ, and reminds Agrippa that he is still walking in faithful fulfillment of the <b><span class="c3">promise made by God to our fathers</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. Agrippa was an <i>expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,3);">Act 26:3</a>), yet he did not believe that God could, or would, raise the dead. Paul boldly exposes the foolishness of limiting God this way, by saying to Agrippa: <b><span class="c3">Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?</span></b></p>
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<p class="c5">i. <b><span class="c3">Why should it be thought incredible</span></b> that God can do anything? We must stop putting God in a small box, and realize that the only thing that limits God is His own Word, because He will always honor His word (<a onclick="return mV('Psa',138,2);">Psa 138:2</a>).</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth</span></b>: Paul also described his hatred of Christianity before his conversion, and his energetic persecution of Christians.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. <b><span class="c3">I cast my vote against them</span></b> clearly implies that Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin, having a vote against Christians who were tried before the Sanhedrin (like Stephen in <a onclick="return mV('Act',7,'all');">Act 7</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">i. If Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin, it also means that at that time he was married, because it was required for all members of the Sanhedrin. Since as a Christian, he was single (<a onclick="return mV('1Cr',7,'7-9');">1Cr 7:7-9</a>), it may mean that Paul’s wife either died or deserted him when he became a Christian.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'12-20');">12-20</a>) Paul describes his conversion and its aftermath.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>“While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? <i>It is </i>hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the <i>Jewish </i>people, as well as <i>from </i>the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, <i>in order </i>to turn <i>them </i>from darkness to light, and <i>from </i>the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and <i>then </i>to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">As I journeyed to Damascus</span></b>: Here Paul gives the fullest account yet of his experience on the Damascus road, detailing the fact that he was made aware of his commission to the Gentiles even at that time.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. The commission was clear: <b><span class="c3">For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness</span></b>. Paul was commissioned to be two things. First, <b><span class="c3">a minister</span></b>, which means he was to be a <i>servant</i> of <b><span class="c3">the things which</span></b> he had <b><span class="c3">seen, and of the things which</span></b> Jesus would <b><span class="c3">yet reveal</span></b> to him. The commission of the Christian is not to make the message or his testimony serve him; he is called to <i>serve</i> the message. Second, Paul was called to be <b><span class="c3">a witness</span></b> of those <b><span class="c3">things</span></b>. The commission of the Christian is not to create experience or create the message, but to <b><span class="c3">witness</span></b> it and experience it.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Right now, as he stands before Agrippa, Paul is being obedient to this command of Jesus. Paul knew the significance of telling others what Jesus had done in his life. He knew how to present the gospel not only in words, but also by his life story, presenting the truth that once he was lost, now he was found</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">But rise and stand on your feet</span></b>: Jesus called Paul up to his feet. This was not because his humility wasn’t proper, but because he was sent to go somewhere, and he had to <b><span class="c3">rise and stand on</span></b> his <b><span class="c3">feet</span></b> if he was going to go anywhere!</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">That they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance</span></b>: This is a neat summary of Paul’s message.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'21-23');">21-23</a>) Paul summarizes his defense.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>“For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill <i>me.</i></span> <span>Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come; that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the <i>Jewish </i>people and to the Gentiles.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me</span></b>: Paul plainly states the truth of the case. It is only because he sought to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles that the Jews <b><span class="c3">seized</span></b> him and <b><span class="c3">tried to kill</span></b> him. It wasn’t because he was a political revolutionary or because he offended the sanctity of the temple.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come</span></b>: Paul also states his unswerving commitment to the same gospel, because that gospel is based solidly on the Word of God (<b><span class="c3">the prophets and Moses</span></b>) not on the traditions or spiritual experiences of man.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">That the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles</span></b>. These were the three main points to Paul’s preaching: Jesus’ death, resurrection, and the preaching of gospel to the whole world, without respect to either Jew or Gentile.</p>
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<p>B. Agrippa’s response to Paul’s defense.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'24-26');">24-26</a>) Agrippa asserts Paul is mad, and Paul responds.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad! </span></b>The gospel, when properly presented, will make some people think we are crazy. Paul put it this way: <i>the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing</i> (<a onclick="return mV('1Cr',1,18);">1Cr 1:18</a>).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason</span></b>: Yet, Paul knows that not only is his gospel <i>true</i>, it is also <i>reasonable</i>. Our God may sometimes act <i>above</i> reason, but never <i>contrary </i>to reason.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. Paul’s gospel was characterized by <b><span class="c3">truth</span></b> and <b><span class="c3">reason</span></b>, because it was based on <i>historical events</i> (such as the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus), things which were <b><span class="c3">not done in a corner</span></b>, but open to examination.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'27-29');">27-29</a>) Agrippa is <i>almost</i> persuaded to become a Christian.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe</span></b>: Paul brought the challenge home with a shot to the heart: <b><span class="c3">do you believe</span></b>?</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Any faithful presentation of the gospel knows when it is appropriate to press the challenge home, and how to press it. Paul knew that this was the time.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">You almost persuade me to become a Christian</span></b>: The literal idea behind <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> is “in a little, you seek to persuade me to act a Christian.” The meaning of <i>little</i> could be “in a short time” or it could mean “there is little distance between me and Christianity”.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. If the sense is “almost,” Agrippa’s reply is especially sorry. Of course, <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> being a Christian means that you <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> have eternal life and will <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> be delivered from the judgment of hell; but <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> isn’t enough.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. Far from being admired for how far he did come, Agrippa condemned himself even more by admitting how close he has come to the gospel and how clearly he has understood it, while still rejecting it.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">To become a Christian</span></b>: What in fact is a Christian? What had Agrippa <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> become? <a onclick="return mV('Act',26,18);">Act 26:18</a> describes five things that happened t Paul when he became a Christian. A Christian has their eyes opened. A Christian has turned from darkness to light. A Christian has turned from the power of Satan to God. A Christian has received forgiveness of sins. And a Christian has an inheritance among those set apart to God.</p>
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<p class="c4">d. What stopped Agrippa short? Why did he only <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> become a Christian?</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Why was Agrippa only <b><span class="c3">almost</span></b> persuaded? One answer is the person sitting next to him - Bernice. She was a sinful, immoral companion, and he may have rightly realized that becoming a Christian would mean losing her and his other immoral friends. He was unwilling to make that sacrifice!</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. On the other side of Agrippa sat Festus - a man’s man, a no-nonsense man, a man who thought Paul was crazy. Perhaps Agrippa thought, “I can’t become a Christian! Festus will think I’m crazy too!” And because he wanted the praise of men, he rejected Jesus. “Alas, how many are influenced by fear of men! Oh, you cowards, will you be damned out of fear? Will you sooner let your souls perish than show your manhood by telling a poor mortal that you defy his scorn? Dare you not follow the right through all men in the world should call you to do the wrong? Oh, you cowards! You cowards! How you deserve to perish who have not enough soul to call your souls your own, but cower down before the sneers of fools!” (Spurgeon)</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. In front of Agrippa is Paul - a strong man, a noble man, and man of wisdom and character – but a man in chains. Does Agrippa say, “Well, if I became a Christian, I might end up in chains like Paul! Or at least, I would have to associate with him! We can’t have that - I’m an important person!” “O that men were wise enough to see that suffering for Christ is honour, that loss for truth is gain, that the truest dignity rests in wearing the chain upon the arm rather than endure the chain upon the soul.” (Spurgeon)</p>
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<p class="c4">e. <b><span class="c3">I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains</span></b>: Paul declares his continued trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has not retreated from his stand one inch, despite his long imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.</p>
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<p class="c4">f. <b><span class="c3">Except for these chains</span></b>: With a dramatic gesture, Paul shows that even though he is in chains, he has more freedom in Jesus than any of the royalty listening have.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. “O that men were wise enough to see that suffering for Christ is honour, that loss for truth is gain, that the truest dignity rests in wearing the chain upon the arm rather than endure the chain upon the soul.” (Spurgeon)</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Act',26,'30-32');">30-32</a>) Agrippa admits Paul’s innocence, yet forwards him to Caesar.</p>
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<p class="c2"><span>When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”</span></p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains</span></b>: Agrippa also sees there is no <i>evidence</i> offered to support the accusations against Paul, and he respects Paul’s great integrity, even while rejecting Paul’s gospel. So, Agrippa and the others pronounced a “not guilty” verdict.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar</span></b>: Yet, Paul cannot be <b><span class="c3">set free</span></b>, because he has <b><span class="c3">appealed to Caesar</span></b>. It seems that once an appeal was made, it could not be retracted.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. It seems that Paul might have been set free here if he had not appealed to Caesar. So, was Paul’s appeal to Caesar a good thing or a bad thing?</p>
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<p class="c5">i. Some people believe it was a bad thing, and that Paul was trusting in the power of the Roman legal system instead of in the power of God. They say that Paul might have been set free by Agrippa if he had not appealed to Caesar.</p>
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<p class="c5">ii. However, we should see the fulfillment of God’s plan through all these events. By his appeal to Caesar, Paul will have the opportunity to preach to the Roman Emperor the way he had to Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, thus fulfilling the promise that Paul would <i>bear My name before . . . kings</i> (<a onclick="return mV('Act',9,15);">Act 9:15</a>).</p>
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<p class="c5">iii. The appeal to Caesar, and his subsequent journey to Rome at the Empire’s expense, were also the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit’s purpose that Paul go to Rome (<a onclick="return mV('Act',19,21);">Act 19:21</a>; <a onclick="return mV('Act',19,23);">23:11</a>). This also answered a long-standing desire in the heart of Paul to visit the already present Christian community there (<a onclick="return mV('Rom',1,'9-13');">Rom 1:9-13</a>).</p>
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