God Speaks
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.”
So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: 2 “I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, 3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently!
4 “As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion. 6 Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors. 7 In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope! 8 Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?
9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’
15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.
“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”
24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”
25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”
29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”
30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. 31 As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, “This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”
32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “He could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.”
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Paul politely spoke in his own defense. He summarized how he had lived in the past and his Jewish background and beliefs as Saul of Tarsus. Paul told what he had been doing and why he was going to Damascus. He related how he met Jesus on the road and what Jesus said to him there. He made a clear, concise presentation of the gospel. It seems that the topics of preaching to the Gentiles, resurrection of the dead, and repentance were what drew Agrippa’s and Festus’ attention. Even with this examination, they could find nothing that called for the death penalty or imprisonment. Still, they couldn’t let him go because he had appealed to Caesar. God was working things out to get Paul to testify in Rome, even if it was by a prison ship.
Prayer: Dear gracious God, please teach and empower Your people to testify (in or out of court) how You brought us into an ongoing, interactive relationship with Yourself. Help us to think through our experiences and be prepared to tell others what You have done in our lives. Thank You for calling each believer to yield to Your Holy Spirit, for then He will be able to use us to “open [people’s] 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 [Christ Jesus].” May we, like Paul, exhibit changed lives by working hard in cooperation with the Holy Spirit proclaiming what the prophets taught about the Messiah’s suffering, death, and resurrection. May we boldly proclaim these truths to all people regardless of any kind of social division [either without or despite fear]. May many people be persuaded to become Christians. May we be set free of everything except to fulfill Your purposes in our lives. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will write out my testimony so that I can share it whenever I’m asked.
- I will prepare to clearly define “the gospel of Jesus Christ” in just a couple of sentences.
- I will thank God for the changes He has made and is making in my life.
- I will not let any kind of social divisions keep me from acting in love and sharing the good news of Jesus with someone this week.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.