Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Acts Chapter 26 mean?

The Sanhedrin continues to cause problems for Paul. They want to kill him because he preaches that Jesus rose from the grave (Acts 24:21). Two years before, they tried to have him assassinated (Acts 23:12–15). When their plans were foiled by Paul’s nephew, they tried to convince Governor Felix to execute him. Though the charges were spurious and unproveable, Felix kept Paul in custody as a political favor to the Sanhedrin (Acts 24:5–6, 27). Two years later, when Festus replaced Felix, the Sanhedrin tried again (Acts 25:1–7). Like Felix, Festus wanted to accommodate the Jewish leaders, but he couldn’t summarily convict Paul because his Roman citizenship protected him. Festus tried to convince Paul to meet him half-way, and Paul responded by appealing his case to Caesar (Acts 25:8–12). Festus must send Paul to Rome, but he has no charges, so he’s invited King Agrippa II, the king’s sister/lover Bernice, and the military and civil leaders of Caesarea to hear Paul’s story and help him determine what, if any, crime Paul has committed (Acts 25:23).

In Acts 26:1–11, after acknowledging that Agrippa will understand the cultural and religious nuances of his story, Paul describes his life before he started following Jesus. He was trained as a Pharisee and absorbed their beliefs. That included ascribing truth to the resurrection of the dead. He also embodied a great respect for the Mosaic law. He was so devout in his traditional beliefs that he actively hunted and arrested Christians, even voting that those who did not recant should be put to death. He was on such a mission when he traveled to Damascus, Syria.

Acts 26:12–18 is Paul’s account of his conversion. On Paul’s way to Damascus, Jesus appeared in a bright light. Jesus not only claimed Paul, but He also commissioned him to spread the news of His resurrection to Jews and Gentiles and to bring them to understanding so that they would turn from darkness to light, be released from Satan’s power, receive forgiveness of sins, and have a place among those sanctified by faith.

In Acts 26:19–23, Paul gives a very short account of his ministry. This reflects the pattern of Jesus’ mandate in Acts 1:8. He then explains why he is in custody, including the attack by the Jews. In short, Paul asserts, he was arrested for believing in the prophets and Moses.

Acts 26:24–32 reveals two very different reactions to Paul’s speech. Festus, a Roman governor who has only been in the region for a few weeks, can’t accept the resurrection of any dead and determines Paul has gone mad. Agrippa understands, however, and even flirts with the idea that Paul may be right. When the noblemen leave to discuss the situation, they determine that whether Paul is a madman or a prophet, he is no criminal. If he hadn’t appealed to Caesar, they would have had no choice but to free him. As it is, they have no choice but to send him to Rome.

The remainder of the book describes Paul and Luke’s journey to and arrival at Rome. Luke gives a detailed account of the sea voyage, including a violent storm and shipwreck (Acts 27). The castaways are cared for by the natives of the island of Malta after Paul survives a viper bite with no ill effects. Paul and Luke eventually reach Rome where they meet with the Jewish leadership and members of the growing church. After two years under house arrest, Paul’s case is apparently dismissed (Acts 28). Although Paul goes on to minister several more years before his final arrest and execution, Luke’s account stops here.

Chapter Context
After being held in custody for two years and, again, hassled by the Sanhedrin who want to kill him, Paul appeals his case to Caesar (Acts 25:7–12). Before he travels to Rome, however, Governor Festus has Paul give his testimony before King Agrippa II and the noblemen of Caesarea Maritima (Act 25:23–27). When Paul is finished, they realize they should have set him free before he appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:30–32). But he must go to Rome, surviving a violent storm and a shipwreck along the way (Acts 27—28).

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

Paul has been under house arrest in Caesarea Maritima for two years (Acts 24:27). The Sanhedrin claimed, “this man [is] a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him” (Acts 24:5–6). Paul countered that their real issue is his belief that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 24:21). Although the Sanhedrin couldn’t prove their claims, first Governor Felix (Acts 24:27) and then Festus (Acts 25:9) wished to placate the council while not obliterating Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen.

After enduring two years of unjust indecisiveness, Paul appealed his case to a higher court (Acts 25:11–12). Festus must send him, but he has nothing with which to charge Paul. Festus has asked the help of King Agrippa II, the king’s sister/lover Bernice, and the civil and military leaders of Caesarea for help (Acts 25:23–27). To that end, Agrippa invites Paul to tell his story.

Agrippa and Bernice are the children of Agrippa I, the king who beheaded the apostle James, brother of John, and arrested Peter before dying of intestinal worms after receiving worship as a god (Acts 12:1–3, 20–23). Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great. The family has been in the region a long time and has a very good understanding of Judaism. They also fully grasp Jewish culture, although they are ethnically mixed; Herod the Great was Idumean, meaning Edomite, and Nabatean, meaning Arabian. His wife, Mariamne, was a Hasmonean Jew descended from the Maccabees. Both Agrippa II and Bernice are friends and informants of the Jewish historian Josephus.

Context Summary
Acts 26:1–11 contains Paul’s account of his life before encountering Jesus Christ. He speaks to Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, and the military and civil leadership of Caesarea Maritima. Before conversion, Paul absorbed training as a devout Pharisee, including passionate devotion to the Mosaic law. His beliefs led him to zealously hunt Jesus-followers, even voting that they be executed if they did not deny Christ. Everything changed when he tracked Christians to Damascus.

Verse 2. “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,

King Agrippa II, Governor Festus, and the local leaders of Caesarea Maritima are listening to Paul. The Sanhedrin accused him of serious crimes, which they can’t prove. Because the Roman governors, first Felix and then Festus, refused to dismiss the charges, Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:10–12). Very quickly, Festus realized he’s about to send a prisoner to Rome who probably committed no crime. He hopes the audience can help him determine what to tell Caesar’s court (Acts 25:23–27).

Agrippa will be particularly useful. His great-grandfather was Herod the Great. Although his grandfather, Aristobulus, spent little time in Judea, his father, Agrippa I, was king from AD 41 to 44. Agrippa knows the people, the culture, and the religion in a way Festus, who arrived only a few weeks before, never will.

The presentation follows the pattern of a Roman legal defense: the exordium, or introductory address (Acts 26:2–3); the narratio, or explanation and context of the events (Acts 26:4–18); and the argumentio, or formal defense (Acts 26:19–23). As is custom, he starts with a polite greeting. As is Paul’s custom, the politeness does not drift into unearned flattery.

The defense does address the legal charges, but the narratio allows Paul to spend significant time on his testimony. His early life as a devout, zealous Pharisee and his conversion to Christ-follower explains the Sanhedrin’s animosity almost as much as his ministry teaching that their enemy—Jesus—rose from the dead.

Verse 3. especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

When Festus took the position of governor after Felix, he inherited a problem: Paul. Two years prior, the Sanhedrin had first tried to assassinate Paul (Acts 23:12–15) and then charge him with capital crimes against the Roman law (Acts 24:5–6). Felix knew something of Christianity and realized the charges were unproven and unwitnessed by Paul’s accusers. But he didn’t want to provoke the Sanhedrin, so he left Paul under house arrest in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 24:22–27).

When Festus, likewise, tried to accommodate both the Sanhedrin and Paul’s Roman citizenship, he found Paul’s patience had run out. Paul appealed to Caesar, and Festus must send him (Acts 25:6–12), but Festus has no charges to send with him. He’s asked King Agrippa II and an assortment of Caesarean leaders to help him determine what he should tell Caesar (Acts 25:23–27).

To that end, Paul is giving his testimony—both legally and religiously—primarily to Agrippa, whose great-grandfather was Herod the Great and who has a thorough understanding of Jewish religion and culture. As is customary, Paul begins with a polite greeting, but Paul does not edge into undeserved flattery.

“Customs” is from the Greek root word ethos. It can mean an informal custom, but it also means laws and rites, of which the Jews had many. “Controversies,” elsewhere translated “questions,” is from the Greek root word zētēma. It refers to debates about the law.

Festus, a Roman, does not perceive a difference between Christianity and Judaism. In fact, Rome will only begin to see a distinction in AD 150 after the Khobar Rebellion. Agrippa understands. He knows that although the Pharisees believe in the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of a particular man—Jesus of Nazareth—has caused a fierce conflict (Acts 4:18). Prior to his conversion, Paul was more than willing to resolve that argument by exterminating Jesus’ followers (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2). Now, however, Paul fully accepts Jesus, and the Sanhedrin identifies him as an enemy.

Verse 4. “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.

The Sanhedrin has charged Paul with serious crimes against the Jewish and Roman laws. For these, they can provide neither proof nor witnesses (Acts 25:7). Paul is giving his side of the story to Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima (Acts 25:23). He uses the format of a Roman defense, which includes an introduction, an explanation and context, and the defense, itself. He is beginning the narratio, or explanation section.

A legal defense includes significant context and Paul is convinced the core issue between himself and the Sanhedrin is Jesus’ resurrection. So, he can give the story of his conversion to Christianity and his ministry. He starts with his childhood. His own “nation” is the province of Cilicia, a narrow strip of land on the southeastern shore of modern-day Turkey; when he says his youth was spent among his own nation, Paul is probably referring to the Jews in Tarsus. Later, he moved to Jerusalem and trained under the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). It was Gamaliel who had counseled the Sanhedrin to ignore the very early Jesus-followers, saying, “for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5:38–39).

The term “Jews” typically refers to Jewish leadership in a region; in this case, it means the Sanhedrin. They knew of Paul’s background because he had worked closely with them. He had received their authorizations to scour the synagogues of Damascus to find and arrest Jesus-followers. If they did not recant their faith in Jesus, Paul brought them back to Jerusalem and voted for their execution (Acts 9:1–2; 26:10).

Paul goes into further detail about his Jewish bona fides in his letter to the church in Philippi: “though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:4–6).

All of Paul’s genetic predisposition and education could not reveal the truth; only Jesus could (Acts 26:13–18).

Verse 5. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

Paul is explaining why the Sanhedrin hates him, to an audience in Caesarea Maritima. His critics claim Paul teaches that Jews do not have to circumcise their sons, that he desecrated the temple by inviting a Gentile to enter, and that he causes riots (Acts 21:20–21, 27–30). Both Paul and Governor Festus know the Sanhedrin has no proof or witnesses and that Paul is innocent (Acts 25:5–7, 18–20).

The real problem has its roots in Paul’s early life. Although born in Tarsus, he was raised in Jerusalem under the tutelage of the famous Pharisee rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). As a Pharisee, Paul grew up believing that the dead would be raised at judgment. As a devout Pharisee, Paul carefully followed the Mosaic law as well as the extra-biblical regulations. He even violently suppressed the new church, hunting Jesus-followers wherever they may go (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2).

It was on one of those hunting expeditions that Jesus revealed Himself to Paul and claimed him to spread His message of forgiveness to Jews and Gentiles (Acts 9:3–19). Now, Paul preaches not just the future general resurrection, but the past physical resurrection of the Sanhedrin’s mortal enemy: Jesus of Nazareth. Paul, the Sanhedrin’s attack dog, has betrayed them.

Verse 6. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers,

For hundreds of years, the Jews had hoped for the promised Messiah who would rescue them from occupying forces and make them a free people again. When the Messiah arrived, however, He did not look like their expectations. He offered them freedom from the sin nature that occupied their hearts, not the Romans who occupied their cities. He offered to free them from slavery to sin and the rigors of the Law, not the swords of the Romans. He offered them the church, not the independent nation of Israel.

Many Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah because of broken expectations. Others did so because they had carved out a comfortable existence which Jesus’ teaching showed to be worthless. That included those who were satisfied through either the Law—the Pharisees—or collusion with the Romans—the Sadducees.

Paul, devout Pharisee, once held the same view. On the way to Damascus, however, the resurrected Jesus revealed the truth about the hope of God’s promise to Israel. It began with God’s promise to Eve: that God would send her Offspring to destroy the enemy (Genesis 3:15). The focus narrowed to Abraham whom God promised would bless the earth (Genesis 22:18), then to Judah, the father of kings (Genesis 49:10). To Isaiah and Jeremiah, God promised the Messiah would inherit David’s throne and rule with justice and righteousness forever (Isaiah 9:6–7; Jeremiah 23:5). To Zechariah, God got so specific as to describe the King riding on a donkey, a promise fulfilled during Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem shortly before He was crucified (Zechariah 9:9; Mark 11:1–10).

Paul explains to Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, and the civil and military leaders of Caesarea Maritima that this hope is why the Sanhedrin hates him. It is not because he broke the Mosaic law or caused riots, but because he believes the risen Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the hope of God.

Verse 7. to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!

Paul is explaining to King Agrippa II and others why the Sanhedrin dislikes him. They have tried to murder him (Acts 23:12–15), twice (Acts 25:2–3), and charged him with capital offenses they cannot prove (Acts 24:5–6), also twice (Acts 25:7).

Speaking in his own defense, Paul explains this animosity is not because of his background. He was trained as a devout Pharisee (Acts 26:5). Pharisees follow not only the Mosaic law, but the Oral Law: extra regulations designed to keep people from even approaching the Mosaic restrictions.

Rather, the Sanhedrin hates Paul because he believes the resurrection of Jesus brings fulfilment of the promises God made to the nation of Israel. Where the Jews wanted freedom from Roman rule, however, Jesus brought freedom from sin. Where the Sanhedrin wanted recognition for their spiritual leadership and devotion, Jesus explained that He is King and reconciliation is found only in Him (John 14:6).

The Pharisees make up a minority of the Sanhedrin, yet they have greater popularity among the people. They strongly believe the dead will be raised at the judgment of God. Many, however, cannot accept that Jesus already rose from the dead. Paul does. That makes him the enemy.

Verse 8. Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

Paul is addressing a large audience in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 25:23). King Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great, understands the culture, religion, and law of the Jews (Acts 26:2–3). Governor Festus has only been in the territory a few weeks and only knows that his predecessor, Felix, was corrupt and cruel. Festus is a fair ruler and wishes a better relationship with the Jewish leadership. The military tribunes are likely Romans. The civil leaders are probably a mix of Roman, Jewish, and Samaritan.

Of these, those Jews who follow the teachings of the Pharisees believe in the resurrection of the dead; those who are more Greek in their worldview are probably annihilationists: they believe the soul and spirit cease to exist at death.

Paul is explaining that the reason the Sanhedrin hates him has nothing to do with the charges they’ve brought against him. He did not stir up riots, defile the temple, or teach the Jews to abandon the Mosaic law (Acts 24:5–6). His issue with the Sadducees, who make up the bulk of the Sanhedrin, is that he believes in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6–8). His issue with the Pharisees is that he believes Jesus of Nazareth has already been raised. This proves that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, come to take the sin of the world and reconcile His followers to God.

Jesus as savior is inconvenient to the Sanhedrin’s plans. They wish to be rid of the Romans, but they do not want to lose power. Even losing Jews to Christianity has weakened their hold. Paul, once the persecutor of the church (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2), now dedicates his life to drawing others to faith in Jesus. That is a betrayal the Sanhedrin cannot bear.

Verse 9. “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Sanhedrin has a grudge against Paul, and he is explaining their reasons to King Agrippa II. They claim he started riots, defiled the temple, and leads a cult (Acts 24:5–6). In truth, they’re upset he betrayed them by preaching that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 24:21).

Paul’s words are an understatement, but he elaborates in the following verses. Paul was present at the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54–60), of which he approved. Immediately after, he volunteered to be the Sanhedrin’s attack dog, first hunting Jesus-followers in Jerusalem, and then all over, as far as Damascus in Syria (Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2). Paul goes on to say he punished them in the synagogues, he imprisoned them, and if they refused to deny Christ, he voted they be put to death (Acts 26:10–11).

This past gives Paul insight into the motivation of the Jewish leadership. Most Sanhedrin members are Sadducees. This sect does not believe in the resurrection of the dead: they’re annihilationists. Yet they live and work with Pharisees, who do believe in the resurrection. Even so, the deeper issue isn’t resurrection itself, but that Jesus rose from the dead. The Sanhedrin has ample evidence this occurred; the guards of the tomb came to them and told them what happened. Instead of listening, they bribed the guards to claim they fell asleep, which was a capital offense (Matthew 28:11–15). Jesus ascended to heaven from Mount Olivet, within sight of the temple (Acts 1:9–12). Many priests did accept Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 6:7). Those who didn’t have no excuse other than fear of losing their respected positions.

“Name” is from the Greek root word onoma. It doesn’t merely mean the sounds or letters used to identify someone. It represents their character and reputation. In Jesus’ case, His “name” means His sovereignty, power, authority, and deity. Paul’s early zeal, as he would learn later, opposed His own God.

Verse 10. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.

Acts 8:1–3 and 9:1–2 describe when and where Paul persecuted Jesus followers. Paul condemned his former sins in the strongest terms, telling Timothy he was the foremost sinner (1 Timothy 1:15). He told the church in Corinth he was “the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because [he] persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). But Acts 26:10–11 may be the most detailed description of what, precisely, he did.

It’s unclear where these votes took place. The Sanhedrin could only independently execute someone if they defiled the temple. Paul may be speaking of Stephen’s execution (Acts 7:54–60) as a generalization. If Paul was a voting member of the Sanhedrin, then at some point he was married and had children. Only fathers could rule in the Sanhedrin as the council felt fathers were more gracious in their judgment. First Corinthians 7:8 and 9:5 indicate Paul is unmarried. These verses suggest to some scholars that he is a widower.

The next verse goes on to say Paul punished Christians in the synagogues, tried to convince them to deny Christ, and hunted them to foreign cities. He fulfilled Jesus’ words during the Last Supper: “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2).

Verse 11. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

The Sanhedrin came before Governor Festus and charged Paul with serious crimes. They accused him of desecrating the temple, starting riots, and leading a cult (Acts 24:5–6; 25:7). Festus investigated the matter and realized their claims were unfounded and unwitnessed. Festus has only been governor for a couple of weeks and knows little about Jewish culture and religion. He’s asked King Agrippa II and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima to listen to Paul’s testimony and help him determine if Paul is guilty of anything (Acts 25:23–27).

Paul begins his defense by asserting he has never broken the Mosaic law, but he is guilty of far greater sins: he hunted Jesus-followers. He chased them, dragged them from the synagogue, and tried to force them to deny Christ. If they didn’t, he voted they should be executed (Acts 26:4–10).

The great irony is that Paul’s persecution caused the message of Jesus to spread to those foreign cities. Before the murder of Stephen (Acts 7:54–60) and Paul’s initial campaign in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3), most Christians lived in Jerusalem and Judea where they could learn from the apostles (Acts 4:32–35). When Paul started his attack, Christians fled, taking their faith with them. Even more ironic, when Paul pursued them to the foreign city of Damascus, he met Jesus (Acts 9:1–19).

To be expelled from the synagogue is like being excommunicated from the church. The synagogue is the center of community, worship, and the study of the Jewish Scriptures: the Old Testament. Jerusalem had several synagogues for different people groups and languages (Acts 6:9). In foreign cities, the synagogue was vital for the Jews as a place to meet, share resources, and bolster their identity as God’s chosen people in a land of paganism. Even this probably helped the message of Jesus spread; when the Jewish Christians were expelled from their synagogue, they had to form a church with the Gentile Christians (Acts 18:1–7). Jesus promised that those who left their family for His sake would receive an even bigger family (Matthew 12:50; 19:29). When the Jews were pushed out of the synagogue, they became family with countless Gentiles who also followed Jesus.

Verse 12. “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

Two years prior, the Sanhedrin tried to convince Governor Felix that Paul committed serious crimes against the Roman law. Felix didn’t believe them, but he also didn’t want to antagonize them, so he kept Paul under house arrest for the remaining two years of his term (Acts 24). When Nero called Felix to Rome to answer for his cruelty, Festus became governor, and the Sanhedrin renewed their complaints. Felix knows very little about Jewish culture and religion and has called King Agrippa II, the king’s sister Bernice, and the leadership of Caesarea Maritima to hear Paul’s testimony and determine if he has broken the law—Jewish or Roman (Acts 25:23–27).

Paul responds by giving his Christian testimony in the format of a legal defense. He started with his introductory address: the exordium (Acts 26:2–3) and is in the middle of his context of events: the narratio (Acts 26:4–18). He will finish with his formal defense: the argumentio (Acts 26:19–23).

Paul’s context began with his Jewish bona fides: how he was raised as a strict Pharisee, devoted to the Mosaic law, and believes in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 26:4–8). After the murder of Stephen—the first Christian martyr—Paul believed he had to defend God’s honor against the blasphemous Jesus-followers (Acts 7:54–60). He hunted them throughout Jerusalem and Judea, trying to get them to deny Christ or be executed (Acts 8:1–3; 26:9–11). He now explains what happened when he chased Christians far to the north in Damascus (Acts 9:1–2).

The story is well-known today. Before Paul reached Damascus, Jesus appeared to him in a bright light (Acts 9:3–9). Within days, Paul had repented of his persecution of the Jewish Messiah and accepted Jesus’ commission to become what he had hated: an evangelist to “the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Paul explains to Agrippa that he isn’t on trial because he broke the Mosaic law or even because he believes in the resurrection of the dead—all Pharisees do. The Sanhedrin hates him because he believes Jesus rose from the dead.

The original account of Paul’s conversion is in Acts 9:1–19.

Context Summary
Acts 26:12–23 is Paul’s testimony to King Agrippa II, Governor Festus, and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima, of how he started following Jesus. The audience wants to determine if Paul broke a law. Paul wants to offer reconciliation with God. Paul describes how he met Jesus on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus and accepted Jesus’ commission to spread His offer of forgiveness to Jews and Gentiles. It is for this reason that the Sanhedrin wants him dead, not because he committed a crime. Paul’s conversion is recorded in Acts 9:1–19.

Verse 13. At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.

Paul is giving his testimony before Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, Agrippa’s sister/lover Bernice, and the civil and military leaders of Caesarea Maritima (Acts 25:23–27). But Paul is most interested in Agrippa. His great-grandfather was Herod the Great. His father was King Agrippa I who murdered the apostle James, brother of John, and was struck by God when he accepted the praise only due to God (Acts 12:1–2, 20–23). Unlike Festus, Agrippa knows and believes the Jewish Scriptures—the Old Testament—as well as the basics of Christianity (Acts 26:2–3, 26–27).

The Sanhedrin has accused Paul of breaking the Mosaic and Roman laws. Paul counters that their real issue is he teaches Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead (Acts 24:5–6, 21). His defense is largely comprised of his conversion to follow Jesus and his work as an evangelist. This verse echoes Acts 9:3.

Paul had been authorized by the Sanhedrin to hunt Jesus-following Jews in Damascus. He intended to visit the synagogues, weed out the Christians, arrest them, and take them to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2). The autonomy the emperor gave Jews included authorization to judge all Jews, no matter where they lived, according to their religion. Once in Jerusalem, Paul would try to force them to deny Christ and, if they refused, cast his vote that they may be executed as blasphemers (Acts 26:10–11).

Before Paul reached the city, however, Jesus confronted him. Jesus revealed Paul’s sin of persecuting Him by persecuting His followers and claimed Paul as His evangelist to “Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). It is Paul’s loyalty to this commission that angers the Sanhedrin. But it is King Agrippa’s presence that fulfills it.

Verse 14. And 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 is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

During Paul’s conversion, Jesus promised Paul would bring the message of forgiveness and salvation before kings (Acts 9:15). Now, Paul is telling the story of his conversion to King Agrippa II.

Paul had been a devout Pharisee, idolizing traditional views of the Mosaic law such that he hunted Christians. His goal was either convincing them to deny Christ or convincing the Sanhedrin to execute them for blasphemy (Acts 26:10–11). On Paul’s way to arrest Jewish Christians in Damascus, Jesus appeared in a bright light that knocked Paul to the ground (Acts 9:3–4). The men with Paul heard the voice but didn’t see Jesus (Acts 9:7).

Paul’s phrase about kicking goads is not recorded in the original account in Acts 9. “Goads” is from the Greek root word kentron. These objects resembled a thick, short spear used to poke livestock, to encourage them to move (Judges 3:31). To kick against it is futile; the wielder can simply move it away and stab the ox in another spot. Likewise, there’s no action Paul could take to keep God from directing him where He wanted him to go. The phrase was often used in Greek literature to mean it’s useless to defy the gods.

Some early theologians suggest the “goads” were doubts Paul felt about Stephen’s words (Acts 7) and his own convictions. This suggests that as Paul traveled to Damascus, he was already questioning whether what he was doing was right. His repeated comments that he had held a clear conscience his whole life (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4) speak against the idea that he would act contrary to his conscience. The “goads,” as in the Greek sense, are the Holy Spirit’s nudging.

“Hebrew language” is also rendered “Hebrew dialect” and probably means Aramaic.

Verse 15. And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

Paul is describing to Governor Festus and King Agrippa II why he has been under house arrest for the last two years. The Sanhedrin claims he defiled the temple, caused riots, and leads a cult (Acts 24:5–6). Paul explains it’s because he believes in the resurrection of the dead. Specifically, because he preaches that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead (Acts 26:19–21).

During his defense, Paul gives a lengthy explanation of the context of his relationship with the Sanhedrin. He starts by describing his initial devotion to the legalistic Judaism of the Pharisees. Then he shows how devotion led him to violently persecute Jesus-followers in Jerusalem and Judea. Now, he recounts how, while traveling to Damascus to arrest Jewish Christians, Jesus intervened (Acts 26:4–14).

Paul had arrested numerous followers of Christ. He tried to force them to deny their faith. If they didn’t, he voted that they should be executed. He says he was “enraged” with them (Acts 26:10–11). But Jesus claims Paul persecuted Him. This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching during His earthly ministry. When describing the actions of those who follow Him, He said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). At the Last Supper, He said:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:18–20).

Jesus doesn’t say this to minimize the individual experiences of persecution His followers face. He says it to contextualize that persecution and to show that the violence is in response to Him. It’s a rebellion against His authority, identity, and message. He is so involved in His followers’ lives that when we act on His behalf, He feels on our behalf.

Paul experienced much persecution of his own, including being stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). He knew Jesus was with him, even then.

Verse 16. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,

This is part of Paul’s testimony before the leaders of Caesarea Maritima, giving context for their benefit—specifically King Agrippa II. Paul is describing how he first met Jesus on the road to Damascus as recorded in Acts 9:1–19. We shouldn’t expect the wording to be exact. Some of the words were not recorded in Acts 9. Some may be from what Ananias told Paul later. Others are representative.

God telling people to rise is a theme in the Bible. When Ezekiel fell to his face, overwhelmed by God’s glory, God told him to stand so he could hear what God had to say (Ezekiel 1:28—2:1). Daniel, often overwhelmed by God’s messengers, was told to stand (Daniel 8:18; 10:11). And Jesus had to tell Peter, James, and John to rise when they were overpowered by the voice of God on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6–7).

“Witness” is from the Greek root word martys. It refers to someone who provides testimony to what he or she has experienced. Often, it refers to the Christ-followers who told others they had seen Jesus after the resurrection. But martys is also the source of the English word martyr. A martyr bears witness to the good news of Jesus not only with words, but with their lives, forfeited at the hands of those who reject that message. When Jesus told Paul he would be a servant and a witness, He’s saying Paul will live and die to spread the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17; Colossians 1:24).

Verse 17. delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles — to whom I am sending you

Paul is giving an overview of the first few directions Jesus gave him. First, Jesus met him in a blinding light as Paul approached Damascus to arrest Christians. Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?…I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4–5; 26:14–15). Later that week, Jesus revealed His purpose to Paul, as a servant and witness of the things Jesus will teach Paul to the Jews, Gentiles, and kings (Acts 9:15; 26:16).

“Delivering” is from the Greek root word exaireō. It can mean to rescue, but it also means to select one person from many. Jesus “delivered” Paul in both ways. First, He chose Paul—the persecutor of the church—to be His messenger. Second, He delivered Paul from danger. In Damascus, Paul escaped out a hole in the city wall (Acts 9:23–25) and in Jerusalem, he escaped the Greek-speaking Jews and fled home to Tarsus (Acts 9:29–30). Throughout Paul’s ministry, he escaped many times, although often only after being beaten.

That Paul needed to be rescued from the Jews stung badly. Paul had a deep desire for his fellow Israelites to accept their Messiah (Romans 9:3–5). He thought that his former lifestyle of violently persecuting Jesus’ followers should lend credibility to his new identity as a Jesus-follower. Jesus told him, no. It was time to leave (Acts 22:17–21). God may have let him see the opposition to his teaching in Jerusalem to strengthen his resolve in going to Gentiles. Not only would the Jews in Jerusalem not listen to Paul (Acts 22:18), but the same leadership who commissioned him to persecute Christians (Acts 9:1–2) tried to kill him (Acts 23:12–15; 25:24).

One of the reasons Paul is on trial is because of false charges brought by Jews from Asia, the southwestern province of modern-day Turkey. They accused him of bringing Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, into the temple (Acts 21:27–29). This is a serious charge; it would defile the temple according to the Mosaic law, and to defile a religious structure was a capital offense according to the Roman law. Paul didn’t bring Trophimus to the temple, but here Paul explains why he spends so much time with Gentiles: Jesus told him to.

Verse 18. to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, Agrippa’s sister/lover Bernice, and the military and civil leadership of Caesarea Maritima are listening to Paul. He is defending himself against charges by the Sanhedrin that he started riots, desecrated the temple, and leads a cult not authorized by the Roman government (Acts 24:5–6). But because the background of his defense requires an account of his conversion from church persecutor to Jesus-follower, he easily slips in a gospel message.

Here, Paul may be paraphrasing Jesus’ overall message to him, given in the first years after he became a Christian. Or he may be recounting something Jesus told him directly which isn’t recorded in the original story in Acts 9:3–19; it’s probably the former. Jesus chose Paul to tell Gentiles about Him (Acts 26:16); this is His message.

Isaiah prophesied Paul’s message. He said of the Messiah, “I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness” (Isaiah 42:6–7). And, later, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). During His earthly ministry, Jesus explained that He is the light (John 8:12; 12:46).

Although Festus called this meeting, Paul is directing his words to Agrippa (Acts 26:2–3). Agrippa is the great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1–4) and the son of Agrippa I. Ethnically, he is a combination of Jewish, Idumean, and Nabatean Arab, among others. Paul will go on to ask him, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe” (Acts 26:27). “Idumean” is the New Testament-era term for “Edomite.” Agrippa is, in part, descended from the nation that Jacob’s brother Esau ruled (Genesis 36:1). The thought that an Edomite king could regain part of the spiritual inheritance which Esau sold (Genesis 25:29–34) startles Agrippa. “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” he asks Paul. Paul affirms, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains” (Acts 26:28–29).

Paul offers Agrippa everything: the lost inheritance, freedom from the power of Satan, even forgiveness from the incest Agrippa commits with his sister (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). There’s no historical evidence Agrippa takes the offer.

Verse 19. “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

The Sanhedrin accused Paul of leading a cult, desecrating a religious structure, and starting riots (Acts 24:5–6). After a cursory investigation, Governor Felix determined Paul was innocent, but kept him under house arrest to placate the Jewish leaders (Acts 24:27). Two years later, when Festus replaced Felix, the Sanhedrin asked Festus to reopen the case. Festus, too, realized Paul was innocent, but while trying to appease the Sanhedrin without annulling Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen, he waffled too long, and Paul appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:1–12). Now, Festus must send Paul’s case to Rome, but he has no charges to send.

Festus has decided to ask King Agrippa II for help. The great-grandson of Herod the Great, Agrippa has much more experience with Jewish customs and religion. He’s intrigued by the case, and Festus invites him, the king’s sister/lover Bernice, and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima to hear Paul’s side of the story in hopes they can find something Festus can tell Caesar (Acts 25:23–27).

Paul’s testimony adheres to the traditional Roman courtroom. His exordium, or introductory address, included a polite, sincere, but not overly flattering, greeting to Agrippa (Acts 26:2–3). The narratio, or context of events, began with a description of Paul’s childhood training as a Pharisee and time spent persecuting Christians before transitioning into his conversion to Christianity (Acts 26:4–18). Now, he begins his argumentio, or formal defense. He explains how Jesus gave him a commission in a “heavenly vision” which he faithfully fulfills by spreading the offer of forgiveness through repentance to the Jews and the Gentiles, an offer promised by Moses and the other Old Testament prophets (Acts 26:20–23).

The “heavenly vision” is likely a combination of Paul’s initial meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–9), further instruction Paul received over the years directly following (Galatians 1:15–18), and Jesus’ words Paul received while in a trance when he returned to Jerusalem (Acts 22:17–21). Jesus warned Paul that the Jews in Jerusalem would not accept his message; he needed to go out into the world and preach to the Gentiles. It is largely because of Paul’s relationship with Gentile believers that he is on trial now (Acts 21:27–36).

Verse 20. but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

In a speech before Agrippa II, Paul is describing how Jesus commissioned him to spread an offer of divine forgiveness. Paul had once violently persecuted the church but met Jesus on his way to Damascus to arrest Jewish Jesus-followers. Instead of attacking the Christians, Paul became one. Furthermore, Jesus claimed him as a messenger to Jews, Gentiles, and kings (Acts 9:15). It is both ironic and a partial fulfillment of prophecy that Agrippa is a king with both Jewish and Gentile blood.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He charged the disciples to be His witnesses, “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Paul’s ministry has followed a similar trajectory, although he started by leaving Damascus and spending three years in Arabia, the desert to the east (Galatians 1:17–18). Only after the Jewish leaders in Damascus threatened to kill him did he return to Jerusalem (Acts 9:23–26). He stayed fifteen days until Jews from outside Judea, again, threatened to kill him, and both Jesus and the apostles sent him home to Tarsus (Acts 9:29–30; 22:17–21).

After several years in Tarsus, Barnabas came to him and asked for help building the church in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19–26). Paul spent the next several years in Syria, modern-day Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece teaching Jews and Gentiles about Jesus’ offer of salvation. We aren’t told when Paul told people about Jesus in Judea.

To “repent” is simply to accept that our way is wrong, and Jesus’ is right, and to allow Jesus to fix that error in us. Many people, however, are confused about the relationship between faith in Jesus and good works. Ephesians 2:8–10 echos the message of this verse:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone. There is no way our works can earn salvation or ensure we keep salvation. Throughout the centuries, Christians—including Martin Luther—argued over whether Paul’s description of salvation contradicts James’ assertion that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). James, however, is not saying salvation requires faith and works. He’s saying that if someone does not exhibit the works which naturally come from a heart indwelt by the Holy Spirit, that person is not saved. A person totally lacking in good works has not truly repented and they do not have true faith. We do good works because we have faith and have repented—because we are saved. There are no works we can do to earn salvation.

Verse 21. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Paul finally comes to the meat of his defense. He is standing before King Agrippa II, Governor Festus, and the noted men of Caesarea Maritima, the Roman capital of Judea and Samaria. Paul has already explained that the Sanhedrin disliked his belief in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6; 24:21; 26:6–8). Specifically, they abhor his claim that Jesus rose from the dead. Now, in a room filled with Gentiles, Paul adds that they hate his association with Gentiles.

About five years before, Paul had arrived in Ephesus on the western coast of the province of Asia in southwest modern-day Asia Minor. There, he planted a church and built it up for two years. From Ephesus, he spent several months visiting the churches he’d planted during previous trips along the coast of the Aegean Sea. Along the way, he picked up traveling companions: men chosen by their churches to deliver donations for the church in Jerusalem. One of these men was a Gentile from Ephesus named Trophimus (Acts 19:1—20:4).

When the group reached Jerusalem, the leadership of the church told Paul about swirling rumors. This gossip suggested he had taught Jewish Christians they did not need to circumcise their sons. To prove Paul’s devotion to the Mosaic law, they asked him to help a group of men fulfill a vow. While Paul was in the temple, preparing for the resolution of the vow, Jews from Asia saw Paul and assumed he’d brought Trophimus with him. They incited a crowd to attack him and caused such a stir that Roman soldiers had to rescue Paul by arresting him (Acts 21:17–36).

Ever since Jesus called Paul to spread the offer of salvation to the Gentiles—despite his great concern for the Jews (Romans 9:3)—he has done so with great zeal and perspective. In every city he enters, he first teaches in the synagogue where Jews and God-fearing Gentiles meet. Invariably, the Jewish leaders will drive him out, and a few Jews and a great many Gentiles will follow him and establish a church. Pisidian Antioch gives a representative response to the message: “And when the Gentiles heard this [the offer of forgiveness through Jesus], they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Paul constantly defends Gentile Jesus-followers. When legalistic Jewish Christians from Jerusalem told Gentiles from Galatia, the district in central Turkey, and Syrian Antioch they needed to be circumcised, Paul acted quickly. He wrote to the Galatians, telling them the only reason the Jews tried to force circumcision on them was so they wouldn’t lose their position in the synagogue (Galatians 6:12–13). Then he took the issue back to Jerusalem and gave evidence to the leaders of the church that Jesus saves without circumcision (Acts 15:1–21). Paul even confronted Peter when the apostle submitted to the legalistic Jews’ shame for eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11–14).

Verse 22. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:

Caesarea Maritima was the Roman capital of Judea and Samaria. Paul is there speaking to Governor Festus, Roman army tribunes, and city leaders about why the Sanhedrin wants him dead. In the past, Paul mentioned it was because he believed in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:21). That worked for the previous governor, Felix, because Felix had a good understanding of the Jewish religion and knew that the Pharisees, the most common type of Jewish religious leader, all believed in the resurrection. Festus, however, has only been governor a few weeks and knows little about the Jewish culture or religion, so this defense won’t make sense.

To that end, Paul points out that the Sanhedrin also vilifies him for spending so much time with Gentiles. Jesus chose him to spread the offer of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God to the Gentiles, and that is what Paul has spent the past few decades doing (Acts 26:20–21). In fact, he is with Gentiles so much he was falsely accused of bringing one into the temple, which is why he is in custody now (Acts 21:27–36).

But Paul is not primarily addressing his defense to the Gentiles in the room. He is focused on King Agrippa II (Acts 26:2–3, 19). As the great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1–4), Agrippa is a mixture of Arabian, Edomite (Genesis 36:1), and Jewish, among other ethnicities. He knows the Mosaic law and he believes the prophets of the Old Testament (Acts 26:27). Jesus promised that Paul would evangelize before kings, and Paul is taking advantage of this opportunity (Acts 9:15).

The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah of the Jews would bring life to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 60:3; Daniel 7:14). Agrippa knows these prophecies and believes them, although he probably never imagined they would be fulfilled by a carpenter from Nazareth. Still, there’s no indication that he acts on this understanding and accepts Jesus as his savior.

Verse 23. that the Christ 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.”

Paul finishes his evangelistic message, thinly veiled as a legal defense.

In his audience are Roman military tribunes and leaders of the city of Caesarea Maritima. To them, he has given an account of his willing ministry to bring the light of the Jewish Messiah to Gentiles. They may know that Cornelius, a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, invited Peter to his home. What resulted was the first mass conversion of Gentiles (Acts 10).

Yet, Paul contextualizes and validates that offer through the Old Testament prophets. He does this for the benefit of King Agrippa II (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 60:3). He glosses over the prophecies of the suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13—53:12) and Jesus’ resurrection (Psalm 16:9–10), but as a ruler in the homeland of Christianity, Agrippa may be familiar with these passages, as well.

What’s more, Paul publicly identifies Agrippa as one of “our people.” Agrippa is part Jewish, but he is also Arabian and Idumean: he is an Edomite, descended from Esau (Genesis 36:1), the rival brother to Israel’s patriarch, Jacob. Agrippa is also involved in an incestuous relationship with his sister. Paul has insisted he follows the Mosaic law as well as any Pharisee (Acts 26:4–5), but he’s not afraid of identifying with Agrippa, a sinner (1 Corinthians 9:22). He’s also standing before the council in chains, but he’s not ashamed (2 Timothy 1:12) to identify with Agrippa, a king.

Paul’s words have some impact on Agrippa. He asks Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul responds, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains” (Acts 26:28–29). There is no historical indication that Agrippa II ever followed Jesus, but who knows how many others in the audience did (Acts 25:23)? Paul’s opportunity to speak truth likely had impacts we will only fully realize in eternity.

Verse 24. And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.”

Paul has finished telling how he first persecuted Jesus-followers, then met and started following Jesus. He has also explained that Jesus fulfills the prophecies given in Scripture of the Jewish Messiah (Acts 26:2–23). His audience is Governor Festus, King Agrippa II, Agrippa’s sister Bernice, and “the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city” of Caesarea Maritima, the Roman capital in the region (Acts 25:23).

Festus is Roman and has only held the position of governor for a few weeks. He knows little about Jewish religion and culture but wants to have a good relationship with local leaders. Those leaders, however, want Paul charged, convicted, and executed for crimes against the Roman law (Acts 25:1–2, 24). So, Festus is not only politically motivated, but he’s also probably an annihilationist and believes the resurrection of Jesus goes against all reason. Only Paul’s Roman citizenship and Festus’ fair and reasonable nature are in Paul’s favor.

It’s unclear what Festus is referring to by Paul’s “great learning.” Paul mentioned how he was trained by the Pharisees (Acts 26:5), and he obviously knows how to address a Roman court, but we don’t know how often Festus spoke with Paul before this council. Festus may not know that Paul can quote Greek philosophers easily (Acts 17:28). Felix, the previous governor, spoke with Paul often (Acts 24:24–26). It’s possible Festus is merely being sarcastic.

Context Summary
Acts 26:24–32 records Governor Felix and King Agrippa II reacting to Paul’s testimony. He has just finished giving account of how he accepted Christ and dedicated his life to spreading the gospel. Festus thinks Paul has gone insane. Agrippa understands Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, but he can’t accept the personal implications. What they all agree on, however, is that Paul shouldn’t be imprisoned. If he hadn’t appealed to Caesar, he should have been freed.

Verse 25. But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.

Governor Festus thinks Paul is crazy. Paul has been explaining how his life changed when he met Jesus. He had been raised as a strict Pharisee and violently persecuted the church. But when he met Jesus, he applied that same fervor to the propagation of Jesus’ message of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. Paul also alluded to the prophecy of the Messiah given in the Jewish Scriptures, knowing that his other primary audience member, King Agrippa II, would understand (Acts 26:2–24).

Festus does not understand. Though he is a fair ruler and wants good relationships with Jewish leadership, he has only been in the territory for a few weeks. He doesn’t understand the Jewish religion or culture. If he thinks anything about Christianity, he perceives it as a sect of Judaism, one which the Sanhedrin hates. None of what Paul is saying makes sense to him.

“Rational” is from the Greek root word sōphrosynē which means “soundness of mind, or sobriety.” Paul is not insane; he is speaking logically. “True” is from the Greek root word alētheia. It can refer to objective or subjective truth, but also refers to the accurate view of God, along with humanity’s responsibility to Him as Creator and Lord.

Agrippa understands what Paul is saying, at least intellectually. He can see how Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy. He understands his responsibility to God. But he doesn’t want it. He’s in an incestuous relationship with his sister. He’s from a long line of rulers who understand Judaism and follow it superficially. Yet this family line unanimously refuses to submit to God. God promised Paul would share Jesus’ message to kings, but He never said the kings would accept (Acts 9:15).

Verse 26. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.

Paul is speaking to an audience of the governor and the leadership of Caesarea (Acts 25:23). Yet his primary focus is King Agrippa II (Acts 26:2–3). He is the son of Agrippa I who killed the apostle James, brother of John (Acts 12:1–2), and the great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1–4). Agrippa II was born shortly before the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and he stayed in Rome for about twenty-five years, but he is well-versed in the Jewish culture and religion. And he’s part Jewish, so he has a vested interest in the Christian application of the Jewish Scriptures.

Specifically, Agrippa can see how the life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled prophecy. In fact, Paul is bold enough to assume Agrippa not only understands the prophecy, but that he believes it (Acts 26:27).

“Boldly” is from the Greek root word parrhēsiazomai and means “to speak freely or have confidence.” To spread the message of Jesus “boldly” is a theme in the book of Acts and Paul’s epistles. The apostles both prayed for and exhibited boldness in the early days of the church (Acts 4:13, 29, 31). Paul has bravely presented truths about Christ since he first accepted Him as the Messiah (Acts 9:28). He often writes to the churches with boldness (Romans 15:15; 2 Corinthians 3:12; Philemon 1:8) and also asks them to pray his boldness in proclaiming the gospel may continue (Ephesians 6:19–20).

“These things” refers to Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 26:22–23) and the beginning of the Christian movement. “This has not been done in a corner” is a colloquial saying; Paul uses it to defend Christianity against the accusation that it is a “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5), meaning an illegitimate variation of Judaism that is not authorized by the Roman government. The faith has been open, public, and honest about its beliefs and intentions.

The worship of Jesus as the Messiah is fully legitimized by Old Testament prophecy and has spread naturally and publicly; Paul does not lead an illegal cult. In addition, Agrippa has no reason to personally reject Christianity except for moral and political reasons. Perhaps because of his political position and his incestuous relationship with his sister, he politely declines (Acts 26:28).

Verse 27. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.”

In a room filled with military tribunes, the civilian leadership of Caesarea Maritima, Paul is calling out King Agrippa II. Also in the audience are Agrippa’s sister/lover Bernice and the new governor Festus (Acts 25:23). Paul has presented the gospel in the context of his own conversion story. He has defended himself against charges that he incites riots, profaned the temple, and leads a cult not authorized by the Roman government (Acts 24:5–6; 25:7–8).

During his talk, Paul referenced Old Testament prophecy. Specifically, he quotes Jesus saying Paul needs to go to the Gentiles, “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).

The prophecies describing Jesus as a light to the nations are found in Isaiah 42:6 and 60:3, but especially 49:6:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Agrippa was born around AD 27 and didn’t move to Judea until around AD 50. As the great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1–4), he has some Jewish blood, and he knows the Jewish culture and religion (Acts 26:2–3). He is in a room filled largely with Romans while Paul, a Jew the Sanhedrin considers apostate, confronts him. He can believe the prophecies, and he likely understands Paul’s line of logic, but converting to Christianity is a step too far (Acts 26:28). As with many people, “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” (Mark 4:19).

Verse 28. And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

Paul has struck a nerve. Governor Festus has invited him to present his defense before King Agrippa II, Bernice, and the leaders of Caesarea Maritima (Acts 25:23). Paul knows Agrippa understands Jewish culture and religion (Acts 26:2–3). Further, he believes Agrippa believes—in some sense—the prophecies recorded in Jewish Scriptures (Acts 26:27). Agrippa knows the story of how Jesus of Nazareth reportedly rose from the dead, even though he was probably only about six years old at the time. He understands that Jesus-worship is a sect of Judaism, and that they’re called “Christians.” Unlike Festus, who thinks Paul has gone insane (Acts 26:24), Agrippa acknowledges the logic of Paul’s argument and can’t counter it.

When Paul challenges Agrippa to believe in Jesus, he deflects. He is a king: the last king of the Jews. To confess belief in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and Son of God would be political disaster. Further, he’s surrounded by Roman leaders who call Caesar son of the gods and likely don’t believe in the physical resurrection of the dead.

Agrippa cannot follow Paul’s Christ, but neither can he condemn Paul for leading an illegal cult (Acts 24:5). Festus called him to listen to Paul to see if he had committed any crime. Agrippa has no choice to but to declare that he hasn’t. In fact, he says, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:32).

Verse 29. And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am — except for these chains.

When Jesus first told Ananias that Saul, the Pharisee and attack dog of the Sanhedrin, was in Damascus and Ananias needed to see him, Ananias understandably balked. But Jesus went on to share His plan: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15–16). During the ensuing years, Paul did share Jesus and His offer of salvation to many Jews and Gentiles in Syria, modern-day Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece. As for suffering, he told the church in Corinth:

“[I have suffered] countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23–28).

Now, Paul has shared Jesus’ message with a king: King Agrippa II. He has explained how the worship of Jesus is a natural extension of the Jewish faith and how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures, in which Agrippa believes (Acts 26:26–27).

But Paul and Agrippa are not alone. They are in a room filled with a Roman governor, Roman military tribunes, and a mixed group of Jewish, Samaritan, and Roman city magistrates. Also there is Agrippa’s sister, Bernice, with whom he has an incestuous relationship (Acts 25:23). Agrippa may intellectually understand Paul, but he can’t go so far as to commit to Jesus. He deflects, saying “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28).

Agrippa rejects Jesus, but Paul is hopeful that others may follow. He was arrested two years prior in part for being a “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). But he will not be ashamed of his chains (Ephesians 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:12). He will share Jesus wherever, whenever, and however he gets the chance.

Verse 30. Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them.

Porcius Festus has only been the governor in Caesarea Maritima for a few weeks, called to replace Governor Felix who had been summoned to Rome to answer for his cruelty and licentiousness. Festus knows next to nothing about his new territory except that he is determined to have a better relationship with the local leaders. To that end, he had barely dropped off his travelling bags before heading to Jerusalem to meet the Sanhedrin (Acts 25:1).

Two years prior, the Sanhedrin had met Felix in Caesarea and attempted to convince him that Paul was a menace to society. Felix quickly determined the Sanhedrin could not prove the charges. Even further, Paul hadn’t actually committed a crime. Felix couldn’t hand over a Roman citizen, but he didn’t want to let Paul go and irritate the Sanhedrin. So, for political reasons, he left Paul in prison (Acts 24:5–6, 27).

When Festus arrived in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin took up the old case. As before, they came to Caesarea where they repeated their unfounded accusations. Like Felix, Festus couldn’t determine what, exactly, Paul had done wrong. While the governor waffled over his decision, Paul appealed his case to a higher court (Acts 25:2–12). Now, Festus must send Paul to Rome, but he has nothing to tell the Roman court. So, he asked King Agrippa II, Agrippa’s sister Bernice, and the leaders of Caesarea to hear Paul’s testimony (Acts 25:23–27). Unfortunately, they’re not as helpful as Festus might like.

Paul has given his defense. Specifically, he has used his opportunity to show that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures. He knows Agrippa, great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1–4), believes the prophets. Paul is even so bold as to challenge Agrippa to believe Jesus (Acts 26:2–3, 26–29).

Now, Paul’s audience leaves the auditorium to discuss what they have heard. They quickly decide Paul has done nothing wrong. If he hadn’t appealed to Caesar, they would have been compelled to let him go (Acts 26:31–32). Even Festus, who thinks Paul is half-mad (Acts 26:24), clearly sees he is innocent.

Verse 31. And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.”

When Paul told the Sanhedrin, “I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day” (Acts 23:1), the high priest had him struck for insolence. The Sanhedrin told Governor Felix that Paul, “stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple” (Acts 24:5–6). Felix saw through that lie, realizing Paul was innocent. And yet, Felix kept Paul in custody for two years to placate Jewish religious leaders (Acts 24:27). When the Sanhedrin brought the same charges before the new governor, Festus, he tried to accommodate the council while still respecting Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen. By that time, Paul was done with them. If Rome’s appointed representatives could not make a fair judgment, he would go to Rome, itself (Acts 25:2–12).

This leaves Festus, who is by all accounts a good ruler, in a quandary. He must send Paul to a higher court in Rome, but he has nothing to charge him with. He invites King Agrippa II, the king’s sister Bernice, and the civil and military leaders of Caesarea Maritima to hear Paul’s story and determine if he has committed a crime (Acts 25:23–27).

After listening to Paul’s explanation of his early life persecuting the church, his meeting with Jesus and conversion, his decades spreading Jesus’ message, and evidence that Jesus fulfills the Jewish prophets’ descriptions of the Messiah (Acts 26:2–23), the council is unanimous: Paul hasn’t done anything wrong.

Still, they will send him to Caesar. The ship that takes him will go through a horrible storm. When it runs aground some distance from an island, Paul will be saved from the soldiers’ swords by the centurion. When he reaches for firewood to try to warm himself, he will be struck by a viper, which does him no harm. Once he reaches Rome, he will be under house arrest for two years (Acts 27—28). But right now, because of his unjust treatment, he has the opportunity to share Jesus’ offer of forgiveness with the leaders of the capital, as well as a king. And when he is incarcerated in Rome, he will watch members of Caesar’s household come to Christ (Philippians 4:22) and write letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians as well as to Philemon. Paul proves that sometimes God does His best work through us when we are helpless.

Verse 32. And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

When Festus took over as governor, he resolved to have a good relationship with the local leadership. His first stop after arriving in his capital of Caesarea Maritima was Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin, still angry that Paul had been out of their grasp, quickly pushed their agenda. They asked Festus to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial, planning to assassinate him along the way. Festus knew that Paul was a Roman citizen and had the right to choose where his trial would be, so he countered by inviting them to Caesarea where Paul had been placed under house arrest two years prior (Acts 25:1–5).

Festus knows very little about Judaism, Christianity, or the Jewish culture. From where he stood, he couldn’t see anything valid in the Sanhedrin’s accusations against Paul. But he still wanted to accommodate their request, so he asked Paul if he wouldn’t mind moving the trial to Jerusalem. Paul scolded Festus, saying if he couldn’t perform his legal duties and hold the trial in Caesarea, Paul would take advantage of his rights as a Roman citizen and move the trial to Caesar’s court in Rome (Acts 25:6–12).

Festus will send Paul to Caesar, but he must also have legal charges. He’s asked King Agrippa II and the leaders of Caesarea to hear Paul’s testimony and determine what he should tell Caesar’s court (Acts 25:23). The decision is obvious: “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment” (Acts 26:31).

Agrippa’s words are true, but God has a reason for Paul’s appeal. Two years prior Jesus had told Paul, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome” (Acts 23:11). Paul knows it’s time to go to Rome, as he’s wished to for years (Romans 1:9–10). To get there, he will survive a violent storm, a shipwreck, murderous guards, and a snakebite. When he arrives, the reception of the Jews will not be as enthusiastic as he wished. But he will share the story of Jesus with members of Caesar’s household and write letters to Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Philemon. And two years later, he will finally be free (Acts 27—28).

End of Chapter 26.

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