Acts 26:1-11
SS Lesson for 06/30/2024
Devotional Scripture: Matt 10:16-20
The book of Acts relates one of the most significant mindset changes made by an individual throughout history. That change involved a man named Saul, who was a deadly enemy of Christianity at first (Acts 7:60b-8:3). But after an encounter with the risen Lord, Saul became Christianity’s chief proponent. The specifics of how the change came about are recorded in Acts 9:1-19; 22:3-21; and 26:12-18. Today’s lesson is the preface to the third of these accounts. Saul was converted to Christianity in about AD 34. He subsequently traveled around the Mediterranean world on three missionary journeys, as recounted in Acts 12:25-14:28; 15:36-18:22; and 18:23-21:9. Perhaps desiring to leave his old identity in the past, Saul became known as Paul early in these journeys (13:9). Shortly after the third journey ended in Caesarea Maritima, Paul traveled down to Jerusalem. There he was sighted by enemies who incited a riot to silence him (21:17-29). Paul’s subsequent arrest undoubtedly saved his life (21:30-36). The year was probably AD 58. After another riot or near-riot, Paul used his Roman citizenship to avoid being flogged (Acts 22:22-29). An inquest and a murder plot ensued (22:30-23:22), so Paul was transferred under heavy guard to Caesarea Maritima, about 75 miles road distance from Jerusalem, for trial under Governor Felix (23:23-24:26). That trial was inconclusive, and Paul was held in prison for two years until Governor Festus replaced Felix (24:27). That change in leadership resulted in another trial (Acts 25:1-9), Paul’s appeal to Caesar (25:10-12), high-level consultation (25:13-22), and appearance before King Agrippa II (25:23-27). That’s the immediate backdrop to today’s lesson; the year was about AD 60
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:
2 "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,
3 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.
4 "My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?
59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.
40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
22 For Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' 24 "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.
5 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.
6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.
7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.
8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." 9 And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
13 It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
9 "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 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 them.
11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
8 The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia — your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead — Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation
7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense (Acts 26:1).
Agrippa clearly takes charge here. Festus had summoned for Paul to be brought in, and having explained the purpose of this gathering, he seems to have yielded the floor to King Agrippa, who was more than willing to take charge. From here on out, we are witnessing Paul’s proclamation of the gospel to Agrippa, first and foremost, and only secondarily to the others. Agrippa took pride in his “Jewishness,” and it is a very “Jewish-oriented” gospel that Paul proclaimed to him.
2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 3 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently. 4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty!
8 Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? 9 Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were sentenced to death. 11 I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged at them, I went to persecute them even in foreign cities (Acts 26:2-11).
The question which has gone unanswered4 to this point in Acts is this: “What is it about Paul that causes such a violent reaction from the Jews?” Indeed, this is Festus’ purpose for putting Paul before this group of dignitaries (see Acts 25:23-27). When invited to speak on his own behalf, Paul proclaims the gospel. This is not only because Paul desires for these folks to come to faith in Jesus; it is also because the gospel is the reason why the Jews want Paul put to death. The gospel is thus the answer to their, as yet, unanswered question, and the answer to their need of a Savior.
For me, Paul’s words to Agrippa in the verses above were like someone turning on a light in a dark room. I don’t know why I missed the clues earlier in Acts, but Paul’s explanation suddenly brought everything into focus for me. It was not (as Festus indicated) “the entire Jewish populace”5 who wanted Paul dead; it was Paul’s former colleagues. His opponents were likely some of the Jewish men Paul had grown up with. These were not strangers; these were Paul’s classmates, no doubt, when they were all trained under Gamaliel. They shared the same belief in the resurrection of the dead and in the supernatural working of God (which included visions). These were the folks who shared Paul’s zeal for persecuting and killing Christians.
I now realize that up until now I have not been reading Acts 23:9 carefully enough. Look at this verse once again, in its context:
6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks (Acts 23:6-10, emphasis mine).
When Paul stood before the Sanhedrin and cried out that he was a Pharisee, I somehow mistakenly concluded that Paul had created a complete rift between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. To some degree this is true, but from what Luke has been careful to tell us, we can see that Paul’s words also created a split within the party of the Pharisees. Some of the Pharisees defended Paul, declaring him to be innocent of all charges, and even agreeing that he may well have had a vision from God (Acts 23:9). What I failed to see is that Luke makes it clear that not all of the Pharisees defended Paul. Thus, the riot was not just between Pharisees and Sadducees, but between those Pharisees who took Paul’s side and all the rest (Pharisees or Sadducees) who did not.
I had wrongly assumed that when Paul went to trial before Felix and Festus in Caesarea, it was only the Sadducees who came to accuse him. But that can’t be right, and Paul’s words to Agrippa prove it. Those who most strongly opposed Paul were Pharisees who had once been his closest friends and colleagues. They opposed Paul because they looked upon him as a defector and a traitor, as well as a serious threat to Pharisaism.
Let me attempt to illustrate what I am saying. Suppose (as you will see, this is a very hypothetical example!) that Osama bin Laden were to have had a dramatic encounter with Christ leading to his conversion while on his way to bomb a major city. And suppose also that he commenced going from one terrorist training camp to another, preaching the gospel. Now suppose further that an alarming number of these terrorists were professing faith in Jesus Christ. Who do you think would be most distressed and oppose him most strongly? I contend that it will be those who were most like him, but who have rejected the gospel he believed and now preaches.
Paul’s outcry in the Sanhedrin seems to have brought some Pharisees to his defense (and perhaps even to faith in Jesus as the Christ); but it also ignited the rest to strongly oppose Paul and his preaching. The more than 40 assassins who vowed to kill Paul could have included some radical Pharisees. Certainly some of the Jews who went to Caesarea to accuse Paul were Pharisees. This is why Paul could say to them:
14 “But I confess this to you, that I worship the God of our ancestors according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law and that is written in the prophets. 15 I have a hope in God (a hope that these men themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous” (Acts 24:14-15, emphasis mine).
Paul is not some kind of cult leader who has radically departed from Judaism. Paul is a faithful Jew who (like the Pharisees) believes in the resurrection of the dead. And like the Pharisees, Paul’s hope is in the promise God made to their Jewish ancestors. It is this “hope of the Jews” for which he is now being persecuted (Acts 26:6-7).
It is because Paul still holds to his fundamental beliefs as a Pharisee that his Jewish opponents are so violently opposed to him. The Sadducees do not believe in the supernatural, in the resurrection of the dead, or in visions, and so Paul’s claims are nonsense to them. But the Pharisees cannot so easily dismiss what Paul is saying. Paul is challenging his former colleagues to accept the implications of their own doctrine, and thus to trust in Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah, Who not only died on a Roman cross, but also rose from the dead. It is the gospel that Paul’s enemies hate, along with the fact that their former colleague has deserted their ranks to embrace it and to preach it.
Verse 8 marks a transition:
“Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8)
The NET Bible, along with a number of the modern translations (including the NASB), renders the “you” in such a way as to indicate that it is plural, not singular. In verse 7, Paul was speaking specifically to Agrippa (“Your Majesty”). But now Paul has expanded his focus to include (as I understand the text) his entire audience, which would include a number of Gentiles. Up till now, Paul was been speaking to Agrippa as a Jew. He identified himself as a Pharisee, who with great zeal persecuted Christians and opposed the gospel. He indicated that it was his hope in the resurrection of the dead (and of Jesus in particular, as we shall soon see6) for which he was being accused.
The resurrection of the dead was a fundamental doctrine of the Pharisees. Gentiles found such teaching foolish. When Paul preached to the Gentiles in Athens, he included the doctrine of the resurrection in his message. Note Paul’s words and their response:
30 Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard about the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We will hear you again about this” (Acts 17:30-32, emphasis mine).
Apparently Paul observed a similar response among the Gentile dignitaries who were listening to him. That would explain why he turns his attention from Agrippa to the others who were gathered. Do they find it bizarre that Paul should believe Jesus rose from the dead? Paul hadn’t believed the reports of Jesus’ resurrection, either. That is why he made it his mission in life to oppose anything having to do with Jesus the Nazarene (verse 9). And so, with the authority of the chief priests (who are now opposing him), Paul went about hunting down Christians and locking them up. More than this, Paul participated in their execution by casting his vote for their death. He went from city to city seeking out Christians. And when he apprehended them, he did his best to force them to blaspheme.
Did this gathering wish to understand why the Jews hated Paul so much and demanded his death? Then let them listen to Paul, who had been one of them in the past. Indeed, Paul was even more violently opposed to Christians than they. By knowing what Paul once was, they can understand his opponents. They are what Paul was not so many years ago.
(Adapted from URL:https://bible.org/seriespage/agrippa-comes-grips-gospel-acts-261-32)
All believers who have turned to God were once God’s enemies (Romans 5:10). This means having opposed what God was doing. God desires to make peace, find reconciliation, and move forward in life’s newness. Unlike participating on the debate team mentioned earlier, we should seek reconciliation rather than victory. And we don’t have to look very hard to find it, it’s right there in the Bible. See Romans 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 2:14-22; and Colossians 1:19-23. Paul, the onetime deadly enemy of the church, wrote all those texts on reconciliation. Though Paul was ashamed of his past behavior, this did not hinder his ministry. One result was a certain set of sad ironies in that ministry. He who had had blindness inflicted upon him (Acts 9:8-9) found it necessary to inflict it on another in turn (13:11). He who beat others (22:19) was in turn beaten (16:22). He who imprisoned others (8:3) was himself imprisoned—more than once (16:23; etc.). He who approved the death of others (8:1) was eventually executed for that same faith. Through it all, he followed the call of God to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. In what ways can you follow in Paul’s footsteps?