Acts Chapter 26

Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa/Festus

Paul had already made his defense to Festus (25:6-12), so now he will address Agrippa. Furthermore the purpose of the speech was for Agrippa information. When given the cue by Agrippa Paul stretched out his hands and began a recital of his Christian experience. First, he expressed gratitude that he was permitted to present his case before one who, being a Jew was conversant with the customs and questions which prevailed among the Jewish people. In his early life, Paul was an exemplary Jew. The Jews would have to admit, if only they were willing to testify, that Paul had followed a pathway of the strictest orthodoxy being a consistence Pharisee. Now he was on trial for no greater crime than the fact that he clung to the hope of the promise made by God to the Jewish fathers in the Old Testament.

The flow of Paul’s argument here seems to be as follows: in the Old Testament God made various covenants with the leaders of Israel, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon. The principle covenant had to do with the promise of the Messiah, his coming to deliver the nation of Israel and to reign over the earth. The Patriarchs of the Old Testament died without seeing the fulfillment of this promise. Does this mean that God would not carry out the terms of the covenants? He would assuredly do so! But how could He do it when the fathers are already dead? The answer is “by raising them from the dead.” thus , in a very direct way, Paul links the promises made to the Old Testament saints with the resurrection of the dead.

Paul pictured the twelve tribes of Israel as earnestly and ceaselessly serving God, hoping to see the promises fulfilled. This reference to the twelve tribes is important in view of the current teaching that ten of the tribes of Israel have been lost since the captivity. Though they were scattered among the Gentile nations, Paul saw them as a distinct people, serving God and looking for the promised deliverer. This was Paul’s crime! He believed that God would fulfill his promise to the fathers by raising them from the dead. What was so incredible about this? Paul asked Agrippa and all those who were with him.

Reverting to the story of his life, Paul recounted the savage and committed campaign he waged against the followers of the Christian faith. With all his strength he opposed the name of Jesus of Nazareth. With authority from the chief priest, he imprisoned many of the Christians in Jerusalem. When they stood before the Sanhedrin, he gladly cast a vote against them. Over and over again he arranged punishment for those whom he found in every Synagogue, and he did all he could to force them to deny their Lord. (When it says that he compelled them to “blaspheme” it does not mean he was successful, but he tried to do it). Paul’s hate campaign against the Christians had overflowed from Jerusalem and Judea to foreign cities.

Paul once again recounts his conversion. It was while he was on one of these foreign expeditions that a transforming experience occurred in his life. He was en route to Damascus, equipped with official papers authorizing him to arrest the Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment. At midday he was overcome by a vision of glory. A light from heaven shone upon him, brighter than the midday sun. After he had fallen from his beast, and to the ground, he heard a voice asking him this probing question: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (ox goads). These were sharp pointed instruments used to force stubborn animals to move along. Paul was kicking against the goads of his own conscience, but even more important, against the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit. He was fighting against God himself. Paul asked, “Who art thou Lord?” The voice answered. “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” Jesus? How could that be? Hadn’t Jesus been crucified and buried? The truth quickly dawned on Paul’s soul. Jesus had indeed been buried, but He had risen from the dead! He had ascended back to heaven, from where He was now speaking to Paul.

Next Paul gives a condensed summary of the commission which was given to him by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. He was told to rise and stand on his feet. He had this special revelation of Christ in glory because he was appointed to be a servant of the Lord and a witness of all he had seen that day and all of the great truths of the Christian faith which would be made known to him. The promise that Paul would be delivered from the Jewish people and the Gentiles must be understood as meaning deliverance in general until his work was done.

Paul would be sent especially to the Gentiles to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Through faith in the Lord Jesus they would receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified. Having been thus commissioned, Paul explains to Agrippa that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Both in Damascus and in Jerusalem, throughout all of Judea and then to the Gentiles Paul preached to men that they should repent and turn to God, doing works that prove the reality of their repentance.

Paul states that this is what he was doing when the Jews seized him in the temple and tried to kill him. But God had given him protection and help, and he continued to testify to all with whom he came in contact, preaching the message which the Prophets and Moses preached in the Old Testament. The message was that the Messiah would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, and that he would show light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

Being a Gentile, Festus failed completely to understand any of Paul’s argument. He accused Paul of being mad (crazy) as a result of too much learning. With no trace of irritation or temper, Paul simply and quietly denied the charge and emphasized that his words were those of truth and reason. Paul expressed confidence that the king knew the truth of what he had been saying. Paul’s life and testimony had not been a secret. The Jews knew all about it, and doubtless the report had reached Agrippa.

Addressing the king directly, Paul asked “king Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? Then Paul answered his own question, “I know that thou believest.” The force of the argument is unmistakable. Paul was saying in effect, I believe all that the prophets said in the Old Testament. You too believe their testimony, don’t you, Agrippa? How then can the Jews accuse me of a crime deserving of death? Or how could you condemn me for believing what you yourself believe?

That Agrippa felt the force of Paul’s words is indicated by his sarcastic remark “almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian”. Whether Agrippa was speaking in sincerity or in jest, Paul answered with deadly earnestness. He expressed the fervent wish that whether with little persuasion or with much, both Agrippa and all others present might enter into the joys and blessings of the Christian life, that they might share all Paul’s privileges, that they might become like him except for the chains. After conferring together they were all forced to admit that Paul had done nothing deserving of death or chains. Perhaps with a little tinge of regret, Agrippa said to Festus, if Paul had not appealed to Caesar he might have been set free. At this point we naturally wonder why the appeal to Caesar could not be cancelled. Whether or not such an appeal was unalterable, we do know that it was God’s purpose that the Apostle to the Gentiles should go to Rome for the trial before Caesar.

Questions/Answers?
Who were the ten lost tribes of Israel?

After the death of Solomon the kingdom spilt into two kingdoms. The southern kingdom consisted of Judah and Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. The northern kingdom was comprised the other ten tribes which was centered around Samaria and Israel. Because of their sins the Assyrians in 722 B.C. took them into captivity. Historians have debated as to what happened to the ten lost tribes down through history with no right or wrong conclusion (See II kings chapter 17).

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Acts Chapter 13

Saul and Barnabas Are Commissioned by God

Acts chapter 13: 28-31 deals with the ministry to the Gentiles and the spread of the church around the world. Paul replaces Peter as the central figure in the book. Paul completes three missionary journeys and ends up imprisoned in Jerusalem and transported to Rome to stand trial. The city of Antioch becomes the central base of operation. The book of Acts ends, abruptly, showing that the history of the church is not yet complete.

In Acts 12:25 we learned that Saul, Barnabas and John Mark were all at the church at Antioch after returning from delivering the gift of support to the church in Judea. Saul and Barnabas were among the teachers and prophets there. Luke names three of the disciples there. They were Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and one named Manaen. What is notable about this group is their racial, cultural and social diversity. Two are from North Africa (Simeon & Lucius), one is from Cyprus (Barnabas), one from Tarsus (Paul), one is from the holy land (John Mark), and the other (Manaen) Luke does not inform us where he is from. We know much about Barnabas (5:36; 11:22). Simeon called Niger (which means “black”) may have been the same Niger that carried the cross for Christ (Luke 23:26). Lucius of Cyrene was probably one of the men from Cyrene who first took the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch (11:20). Manaen had ties to the royal family of Herod the great, ruler of the Jews when Jesus was born. In Greek, the expression “brought up with Herod” implies that they were childhood friends. This Herod Antipas was the one that beheaded John the Baptist and sent Jesus back to Pilate (Mark 6:14-29; Luke 23:6-12).

With the death of Herod, the church was again free to preach the gospel. The last great advancement in winning souls had been the addition of many Gentiles to the church in Antioch. Antioch (this Antioch is of Syria) will now become the springboard for the next great advancement. The Holy Spirit directed the Disciples to separate Saul and Barnabas for the work he has for them. He did not reveal exactly what that work would be. Rather, they would find out as they followed His (Holy Spirit) day-by day direction. The church spent much time in prayer and fasting. No doubt they asked God for strength and protection for them as they prepared to travel to dangerous places preaching the gospel. After praying and fasting, they laid hands on them. The laying of hands in this instance does not constitute ordination, but separation for a special task and the approval of its mission. The events leading to Saul’s first missionary journey show the way God usually puts new missionaries in the field. (1) God impressed on Saul and Barnabas his desire that they serve him as missionaries, (2) He confirmed to the church that these men were indeed called by God, (3) The church prayed for God’s blessings on their work, and (4) The church sent off the missionaries with the laying on of hands.

Saul and Barnabas traveled to the port city of Seleucia on the Mediterranean. The first place they went was Cyprus where the Jews had already heard the gospel. In Salamis, one of the principle cities, they followed a strategy that Saul used throughout his years of ministry. They focused on the Jews first, going into all the Synagogues and preaching on the Sabbath. John Mark became the third member. Saul and Barnabas eventually made their way to Paphos, another principle city on the island. This Paphos was the capital of Cyprus. They went to the home of the governor, Sergius Paulus, described as a “prudent man”. That is, he was wise and discerning and he took an interest in the message of Saul and Barnabas. Yet he had come under the influence of another Jewish religious teacher, a false prophet and sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas. The fact that he was Jewish is not surprising because many Jews engaged in various forms of magical practices during this era. As Saul and Barnabas preached to the Governor, Elymas realized that if the governor believed in Jesus he would be out of a job. He stood and tried to argue with them. Finally, Saul grew so annoyed that he sharply rebuked Elymas, calling him a child of the devil and an enemy of righteousness. Saul who is now called Paul, called on the Lord to strike Elymas with blindness for “a season” (that is, temporarily). He immediately lost his sight. The motive behind Saul’s harsh treatment of Elymas was not anger or spite. Saul was controlled not by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. Paul remembered his experience on the road to Damascus that blindness is very useful for humbling a proud man. He brought physical blindness on Elymas in hope that it would open his spiritual eyes. After witnessing this event, the governor believed and came to the Lord.

With their success in Paphos Paul and Barnabas now sailed from there, intending to take the gospel to the vast unreached regions of Asia Minor. They landed on the southern coast at Perga in Pamphylia. For some reason not given, John Mark decided not to go along. Instead of giving more help to the cause, he went back to Jerusalem. Years later, Paul still viewed him as a quitter, but eventually Mark regained Paul’s respect. Paul and Barnabas did not stay in Perga, but traveled inland a short way to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they found the local Synagogue and sat down with the congregation. The service went according to custom. First, there was a reading from the Old Testament Scripture. Then, there was a sermon explaining and applying it. Recognizing Paul and Barnabas as teachers the rulers invited them to address the congregation. Paul accepting the invitation stood up to address the audience. In his opening words he addressed two kinds of people in the audience. There were Jews and there were “God fearers”. The term “God fearers” was a common way of describing Gentiles who regularly attended a Synagogue and worshipped the God of Israel.

Like Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin, Paul began with a review of the nation’s history. The lesson Stephen drew from this history was that the nation had always been rebellious. Paul on the other hand wanted to extract a very different lesson. He wanted to show God’s purpose in always being gracious to Israel. God had shepherd and preserved the nation so that someday it could produce the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Paul reminded the Jews of God’s disclosure to David and the Prophets that the Messiah would come from David’s line. Paul now made the sensational announcement that he had been preparing his audience to accept, that the Christ (Greek for “Messiah”) had recently come. He was Jesus. In just a few words, Paul presented a strong case that Jesus was the Christ. He was David’s seed, that is, a descendant of David. The Apostles could declare this fact without fear of contradiction because the truth was well known. During His lifetime, the crowds hailed Him as the Son of David (Matt.12:23; 9:27). John the Baptist, a man all Jews accepted as a Prophet of God, testified that Jesus was the Christ. John said that he was not worthy even to tie Jesus’ shoelace (Matt.3:11). In rejecting Jesus and sending Him to His death, the Jewish leaders brought to pass exactly what Scripture prophesied (Isaiah 53:5).

Paul explained that God raised Jesus from the dead. He then appeared to His own followers so that they could declare to all that He was alive (Acts 3:15; 10:39-41). Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled several prophecies in the Old Testament. Paul emphasized David’s prophecy in Psalm 16:10 that the Holy One would die, but not see corruption. The Jews though that David was speaking of himself, so Paul pointed out that David did see corruption after he died. Paul explained why it is important to believe in Jesus. By believing in Him, we gain two great benefits. First, we obtain forgiveness of sins and avoid the penalty we just deserve. Second, we are justified before God from all things which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. The Jews though they could be justified by the law, but Paul declared they were mistaken (Rom. 3:28; 1Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:11; Phi. 3:7-9). Paul’s closing words were a stern warning. He quoted from the book of Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 5, which he applied to the future day when Christ would die for the sins of the world. When the world heard what Christ had done, many would not believe. Whoever despised Him and despised the message of salvation would perish in his sins.

Paul’s sermon hit the mark for some. After, the service the Jews left first as was the custom. The Gentiles wanted to hear more of Paul’s message and asked Paul to return on the next Sabbath. As they left outside the Synagogue, many Jews and proselytes followed them and listen as the Apostles exhorted them “to continue in the grace of God”. As the Gentiles requested, Paul and Barnabas returned on the following Sabbath. Paul’s preaching the good news a week earlier had caused a stir that nearly every Jew and Gentile in the city came to hear Paul preach again .Seeing such a massive crowd of people, the Jewish leaders had a mixture of jealousy and fear. They resented the Apostles’ ability to draw far more people than ever came to hear them, and they feared that if the new teaching was widely accepted, they would lose control of the Synagogue. Leadership would slip away from them. Accusing them of blasphemy, Paul and Barnabas stood boldly and rebuked the leaders. They stated that it was their duty to preach the gospel to them first. But seeing that they denied the words of God and have judged themselves unworthy of receiving ever lasting life they will now go to the Gentiles. Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6, which prophesied that Christ would provide salvation not for the Jews only but for the whole world.

The Gentiles were delighted at this turn of events, that they glorified the word of the Lord. Many more Gentiles believed the message of salvation and were saved. The new believers were so excited about the gospel that they quickly spread the message to the whole surrounding region. Meanwhile in Antioch, the Jews hostile to the Apostles were busy trying to stop them. They enlisted on their side a number of prominent people, both men and women. The women were devout Jews, very attached to their religious traditions. The leaders and the prominent women had enough power to make Paul and Barnabas leave the city. Paul and Barnabas were not defeated. They merely shook the dust of Antioch off their shoes and went on to another city (Iconium) where they continued preaching the gospel.

Questions/Answers
What does it means “to shake the dust off your feet”?
Often Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile town on the way back to their home. This symbolized cleansing themselves from contamination of those who did not worship the God of Israel. For Paul and Barnabas to do this to Jews implies that Jews who rejected the gospel were no better than pagans. Jesus had told His disciples to shake the dust off their feet of any village that would not accept or listen to them (Mark 6:11). The disciples were not to blame if the message was rejected as long as they had faithfully presented it.

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