Wednesday September 19
Paul’s Defense
With the scene set and the royal guests seated alongside the governor, the prisoner was brought in to present his defense, which was aimed primarily at Agrippa, as Festus had already heard it before (Acts 25:8-11).
Read Acts 26:1-23.
26:1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
26:2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
26:3 Especially [because I know] thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
26:7 Unto which [promise] our twelve tribes, instantly serving [God] day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
26:8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
26:9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against [them].
26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled [them] to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted [them] even unto strange cities.
26:12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? [it is] hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
26:15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
26:17 Delivering thee from the people, and [from] the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
26:18 To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
26:21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill [me].
26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
26:23 That Christ should suffer, [and] that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
What was Paul doing in his speech before Agrippa?
Paul’s speech was in fact an autobiographical report of his life both before and after his conversion. In terms of content, it recalls the one in Acts 22:1-21, which he spoke before the crowd in Jerusalem.
The apostle began by trying to secure Agrippa’s favor. He acknowledged his gratitude for the opportunity to state his case before such an eminent person, all the more so because Agrippa was well acquainted with all the customs and issues related to Jewish religion. For that reason, Agrippa could be of great assistance in helping the Roman governor understand that the charges brought against him had no merit and were false.
The speech can be divided into three parts. In part one (Acts 26:4-11), Paul described his former Pharisaic piety, which was widely known among his contemporaries in Jerusalem. As a Pharisee, he believed in the resurrection of the dead, which was essential to the fulfilment of Israel’s ancestral hope. The Jews, therefore, were being inconsistent in opposing his teaching, for there was nothing in it that was not fundamentally Jewish. But he understood their attitude quite well, and that was because he himself had once found it so incredible that God could have raised Jesus that even he persecuted those who believed that way.
In part two (Acts 26:12-18), Paul reported how his perspective had changed since his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and the call that he received to take the gospel message to the Gentiles.
Paul says, finally, that the impact of what he had seen (Acts 26:19-23) was such that he had no choice but to obey and to carry out his missionary activity, the only reason that he was now on trial. The real issue behind his arrest, therefore, was not that he had violated the Jewish law or desecrated the temple. Rather, it was because of his message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which was in full harmony with the Scriptures and allowed believing Gentiles to have an equal share in salvation.
The Jewish leaders wanted to put Paul to death for the same reason they put Jesus to death. Why did they want Jesus dead? It was not because of the doctrine of the resurrection, not the salvation for Gentiles. Why were the Jewish leaders intent on putting Paul to death? And wanted Jesus dead also? Will we see the same in our day? Do we see the same already in some countries of the world?
Read Acts 26:18.
To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
According to that text, what happens to those who have salvation in Christ?
They have turned from the power of Satan and receive power from God. All who have salvation have been forgiven and been sanctified. What does it mean to have been sanctified?
How have you experienced this reality?
How? How do we get salvation? We get salvation by grace through faith. If we do not have faith enough for salvation, how do we get it? Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word. Why? Because we cannot trust God with all we are and all we have if we do not know Him. The Word is a revelation of God's character. If we would spend a thoughtful hour a day contemplating the life of Christ, we would know Him and trust Him with everything. If we do not know Him that well, then we need to study Him more. By beholding His character we shall be changed into His image (character). See 2 Cor 3:18.