CHAPTER 26

(A.D. 62)

PAULS DEFENSE

¹Then Agrippa said unto Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

²I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before you touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:

³Especially because I know you to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews (this was not offered as flattery; in fact, Agrippas Father, King Agrippa I, was zealous for the Jewish Law up to almost the end of his life): wherefore I beseech you to hear me patiently.

⁴My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews (concerns Paul being immersed in Jewish Ritual and Law from the time he was old enough to begin his advanced studies, which was probably about twelve years of age);

⁵Which knew me from the beginning (means simply that what he is saying can be easily proven), if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee (pertains to this group being the most strict in Doctrines and moral practices).

⁶And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our Fathers (this hope was the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ Whom the Jews rejected):

⁷Unto which promise our Twelve Tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hopes sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews (many of the Jews were looking forward to the fulfillment of the Prophecies regarding the coming Messiah; the great dissension was over Jesus).

⁸Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead? (Israels history was one of Miracles, so the dead being raised, as extraordinary as it is, should not come as a surprise.)

⁹I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth (presents Paul taking himself back to his dreadful time of unbelief).

¹⁰Which 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 (we know of Stephen; however, there may have been more).

¹¹And I punished them oft in every Synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme (should have been translated, and attempted to compel them to blaspheme, because the Greek Text implies that he was not successful in this effort); and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities (indicates that Damascus was not the only city, other than Jerusalem, where Paul was practicing his deadly wares).

¹²Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the Chief Priests (intending to continue his persecution in that city),

HIS CONVERSION

¹³At midday, O king, I saw in the way a Light from Heaven (proclaims one of, if not, the most dramatic conversions the world has ever known), above the brightness of the Sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me (this was the Glory of Jesus Christ).

¹⁴And when we were all fallen to the earth (the Power of God was so strong that Paul and all his associates with him fell to the ground), I heard a Voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue (actually speaks of all hearing the Voice, but only Paul knowing what was said [Acts 9:7]), Saul, Saul (his Hebrew name), why do you persecute Me? (This proclaims the fact that when we persecute those who belong to the Lord we, in fact, persecute the Lord.) it is hard for you to kick against the pricks (proclaims a common idiom of that day and even now; in other words, you will only succeed in hurting yourself; you will not stop the Plan of God).

¹⁵And I said, Who are you, Lord? (This proclaims the fact that Paul knew he was speaking to Deity.) And He said, I am Jesus Whom you persecute (proclaims the Lord using the Name Paul hated the most Jesus).

¹⁶But rise, and stand upon your feet (very similar to what the Lord had said to Job many years before [Job 38:3]): for I have appeared unto you for this purpose (specifies that the Lord has a very important work for Paul to do), to make you a Minister and a witness both of these things which you have seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto you (in fact, it would be to Paul that the Lord would give the meaning of the New Covenant, which, in effect, was the meaning of the Cross [II Cor. 12:1-12]);

¹⁷Delivering you from the people (refers to the Jews), and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send you (the Lord would not allow the death of the Apostle until he had finished his Mission; his primary Mission was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, which he did),

¹⁸To 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 (the Apostle pointed out that man is blind, enslaved, impure, immoral, poverty-stricken, and unholy, but he can receive sight, liberty, forgiveness, true wealth and holiness upon the Principle of Faith in Christ and what Christ has done at the Cross).

LIGHT

¹⁹Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the Heavenly Vision (Paul had faithfully carried out that which the Lord had called him to do):

²⁰But showed first unto them of Damascus (he preached Christ in Damascus immediately after being saved), and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea (pertains to Paul going to Jerusalem immediately after Damascus, and then later to other areas of Judaea), and then to the Gentiles (speaks of the far greater majority of his Ministry, even up to this particular time), that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance (turn from the heathen idols to God).

²¹For these causes the Jews caught me in the Temple, and went about to kill me (Paul is saying that the Jews do not hate him because of their stated reasons, but rather because of his preaching Jesus).

²²Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great (proclaims the fact that God has sustained him through some very difficult times), saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come (Paul claims total Scripturality for his Message, which it certainly was):

²³That Christ (the Messiah) should suffer (means that he would die; in other words that was the reason He came [Isa., Chpt. 53]), and that he should be the first who should rise from the dead (Jesus is the Firstfruits of the Resurrection and, therefore, the guarantee of the Resurrection of all Believers [I Cor. 15:1-23; Rev. 1:5]), and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles (refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as being the only Light, and for all people).

FESTUS

²⁴And as he thus spoke for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself; much learning does make you mad (as a heathen, Festus could not understand as Agrippa could the great argument that the Atoning Death and Resurrection of the Messiah fulfilled the predictions of the Prophets, and were necessary in order to effect the Salvation of sinful men).

²⁵But he said, I am not mad (insane), most noble Festus; but speak forth the Words of Truth and soberness (presents the only Truth the Governor and others present had ever heard).

²⁶For the King (Agrippa) knows of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner (King Agrippa most certainly knew of Jesus; it would have been impossible for him not to have known).

ALMOST PERSUADED

²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? (This presents an Altar Call being given to this King and his Sister, which drilled straight to the heart of this profligate Jew.) I know that you believe (presents the Apostle answering for the King, which saved him from embarrassment).

²⁸Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian (the Greek Text does not give any more indication of what the King actually said; it is not known if he was really moved and then said sincerely, you almost persuade me to be a Christian! or do you think you can easily make me a Christian?!).

²⁹And Paul said, I would to God, that not only you, but also all who hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am (the Apostle, through and by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, proclaims the position of the Believer in Christ as being above any other office or position in the world), except these bonds (this must have been a dramatic moment when, coupled with the majesty of his words, Paul lifts up his manacled hands forming a picture of arresting grandeur).

³⁰And when he had thus spoken, the King rose up, and the Governor, and Bernice, and they who sat with them (they did not want to hear anymore, so they rose and thus closed the audience, and their opportunity for Eternal Life):

³¹And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man does nothing worthy of death or of bonds (they had been brought face-to-face with themselves, and above all with God; as such, they would never be the same again, even though they had rejected the appeal and the plea).

³²Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar (implies that the appeal had already been registered, and now must be carried out; behind it all, the Lord wanted the Apostle to go to Rome).