Acts 25 & 26

STUDY TWENTY-NINE: ACTS 25 & 26

Paul had been in prison in Caesarea for two years when Felix’s term as governor finished. Throughout that time Paul had frequent opportunities to talk with Felix. In 24:25 we read that when Paul talked about ‘righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come’ Felix was afraid. This suggests that the Holy Spirit was working in Felix’s heart and mind, convicting him, just as Jesus said would happen:

‘…when he (the Counsellor) comes (to believers), he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father …and in regard to judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned’ – John 16:8 – 11.

For two years, Felix had opportunity to turn to the Lord in repentance and faith but, as far as we know, he did not do that.

It would seem from 24:27 that Felix, if he had chosen to do so, could have released Paul from prison before his term as governor ended; but, wanting to grant a favour to the Jews, he left him in prison. Again we see the sovereign hand of God working in and with the random actions and moods of men to bring his purpose to pass.

A. TRIAL BEFORE FESTUS AND THE JEWS – ACTS 25:1 – 12

Two years have passed since the Jews in Jerusalem had determined to kill Paul, and they are still intent on that purpose.

Read 25:1 – 12. Answer these questions:
What did the Jews want Festus to do?

Why?

What does verse 7 tell us about the Jews and their charges against Paul?

How does Luke summarize Paul’s defence?

What was Paul’s understanding of his legal rights? – verses 10, 11

After consulting with his council, what did Festus decide?

B. A DILEMMA FOR FESTUS – ACTS 25:13 – 27

Festus was pulled three ways:

His desire, like Felix’s, to please the Jews (24:27; 25:9), (and the Jews were very persistent and demanding).

His is knowledge of the Roman legal system (25:12, 16).

His conviction that Paul had done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment (25:25 – 27).

Notice how carefully Festus dealt with Paul’s case:

Acts 25:3, 4 – he was not swayed by the urgency of the Jews’ request to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem.

Acts 25:5 – he did not assume the Jews’ charges against Paul were true, nor did he dismiss them.

Acts 25:6, 17 – he did not delay hearing Paul’s case.

Acts 25:7, 10 – he recognized the Jews’ charges had not been proved.

Acts 25:12 – he conferred with his council, before ruling that Paul would go to Caesar.

Acts 25:14 – 27 – He discussed the case with King Agrippa, trying to gain some insight.

Acts 25:16 – he followed accepted Roman legal customs.

Acts 25:20 – he realised his own ignorance of Jewish religious laws.

Acts 25:24 – 27 – he acknowledged how perplexed he was about the case, and what to write to Caesar about Paul.

Festus clearly wanted to do the right thing – both by the Roman legal system and by Paul. Unlike Felix, he dealt with Paul’s case promptly.

Also unlike Felix, he did not seem to have any prior understanding of the Christian message:

Acts 24:22 – Luke tells us that Felix ‘was well acquainted with the Way’.

Acts 25:19 – Festus, summing up the Jews’ accusations said ‘they had some points of dispute about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.’ Which was not at all what he had expected.

C. PAUL’S WITNESS TO KING AGRIPPA – ACTS 26

King Agrippa came to Caesarea to pay his respects to Festus, staying there many days. During that time, Festus discussed Paul’s case with him – Acts 25:13 – 27. Along with various high-ranking officers and the leading men of the city, he heard Paul’s defence (25:23). He was interested to listen to what Paul would say (25:22).

Answer these questions about Paul’s defence:
What was Paul’s opinion of Agrippa? 26:2,3

What did Paul say about his childhood and early life? 26:4,5

How did he sum up the reason for being on trial? 26:6

Suggest what promise(s) he meant?

What did he say about the Jews’ hope in this promise? 26:7a

What one concept is at the centre of Paul’s defence in verses 6 and 7?

Which particular part of the gospel did Paul mention in 26:8?

In verses 9 – 11 Paul describes his former attitude to the gospel of Jesus Christ. List the words and phrases he used to communicate the strength of his antagonism.

This is the third time we have read the story of Paul’s confrontation with Jesus on the road to Damascus. (The others were in 9:3 – 9 and 22:6 – 11). List any additional information mentioned in this account.

Suggest what Jesus meant by ‘I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God …’ verse 17b, 18a.

What do these words teach us about the spiritual condition of all people who have not heard and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ? 26:18a.

What is the purpose of preaching the gospel? Verse 18.b.

To whom did Paul preach? Verse 19.

What did he preach? Verse 19.

How did he explain his escape from the Jews’ murderous plots? Verse 21, 22a.

What additional summary did Paul give of the message he preached? Verse 22b, 23.

C.1 Significant truths expressed in Paul’s testimony – Acts 26:4 – 23
Paul, addressing King Agrippa, and acknowledging Agrippa’s understanding of Jewish customs and controversies (verse 2, 3), told him that ‘all the Jews’ (including his accusers) knew what his life and his commitment to God were like before he became a Christian. In his defence, Paul links his present position as a Christian to historic Jewish beliefs and hopes. He has not abandoned the faith of the fathers, rather he has embraced the promises that were given to the fathers and that were brought to their fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

[1] God’s promise to the fathers – verse 6
Paul anchored his message in the promise God made to ‘our fathers’. And here we are faced with the question ‘Which particular promise is Paul talking about?’ Or, is he summing up in the one word ‘promise’ all the promises recorded in the Old Testament? How far back do we go to look for his meaning? If we keep going further and further back into the history of Israel, even back beyond the Patriarchs, we find:

The promise to send the Spirit – Joel 2:28, 29; Ezekiel 36:26, 27; 37:14; this was an intrinsic part of a promised ‘new covenant’ – Jeremiah 31:31 – 34; Ezekiel 11:19.

The promise that the Messiah would rise from the dead – Psalm 16:8 – 11.

The promise to send the Messiah, a descendant of David – Isaiah 9:1 – 7; 11:1 – 5; Acts 13:22. (The Davidic covenant.)

The promise to send a ‘prophet’ like Moses, to whom they must listen – Deuteronomy 18:15 – 19.

The promise embedded, but not spoken, in every animal sacrifice and every high priestly action, of an ultimate sacrifice and a permanent, perfect high priest – a promise pulsing through all the descriptions and commands about rituals embedded in the Sinai Covenant – Exodus to Deuteronomy. (This is explained in Hebrews 4:14 – 10:18.)

The promise that through one of Abraham’s descendants the blessing of God would reach people of all nations – Genesis 22:18. Note that Paul understood this ‘blessing’ as the gift of ‘righteousness’ credited to those who believe (see Romans 4; Galatians 3:1 – 14). (The Abrahamic Covenant)

The promise that a descendant of Eve would overcome the evil one – Genesis 3:15.

And beyond all of this, God’s purpose, decided in eternity, decided before our human sin, decided before creation, before the beginning of time – a commitment that God made that he would send his one and only Son to redeem us, to reverse the separation and death that resulted from our sin, and that held us all, both Jew and Gentile, bound in our deep alienation from God – 1Peter 1:20, 21.

[2] The Christian hope – verse 6, 7
Paul sees his ‘hope’ as the reason for the Jews’ accusations. But he also knows that what he now has as his sure possession is the very same thing that the Jews were still hoping to see fulfilled, and were still earnestly serving God with that as yet unfulfilled ‘hope’ in view (verse 7). Paul is saying that he actually has already, in Christ, what they are still longing for. But why would the Jews be accusing him for that?

[3] The resurrection of Jesus Christ – verse 8.
Although Festus didn’t understand much, he had understood the central fact of Paul’s message, and the core reason for the Jews’ accusations – ‘they had some points of dispute … about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive’ – Acts 25:19.

Why was this important? It is important because the resurrection proves that Jesus is indeed the Messiah – the Christ, the Son of God, just as he claimed to be. Without the resurrection, all of the claims that Jesus made about himself, and all that Paul was preaching, fall to the ground, and none of them, and none of Paul’s teaching, is true.

What do these verses say about that?
Acts 2:24

Acts 10:40 – 43

Acts 13:27 – 42

Acts 17:31

Romans 1:4

Romans 4:25

1Corinthians 15:14

1Corinthians 15:17 – 19

While the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, and Paul had used that to attract their support when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:6 – 10), they, like the rest of the Sanhedrin and other Jewish religious leaders, held to the official position that Jesus was still dead – that ‘the disciples came during the night and stole him away’ while the guards were sleeping (Matthew 28:11 – 15). Note Matthew’s comment as he wrote this ‘And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.’

Denial of Jesus’ resurrection was a necessary part of their rejection of the claims of Christ. But, denying his resurrection, meant denying his identity as the Christ, the Son of God, and denying that meant they were still hoping for the Messiah to come. They did not have the present fulfilment of that hope, as Paul did. Paul’s ‘hope’, his sure confidence that Jesus was the Messiah, was grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

So Paul asked Agrippa and the assembled notable people: ‘Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raised the dead?’ – 26:8.

C.2 Paul’s previous position – Acts 26:9 – 11
Paul answers his own question. He knows its answer. He too used to deny the resurrection and the identity of Jesus Christ. He too, like his accusers, ‘was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth’. Without the resurrection, Jesus was no more than a human being who claimed equality with God, and as such, was guilty of blasphemy as the Jews had decided, and worthy of the death penalty, according to the law of Moses.

That had been Paul’s position. That is what he had believed. That was the reason for his obsessive hatred and murderous intent towards the name of Jesus Christ and towards everyone who honoured that Name.

Without the resurrection Jesus simply was not the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. And strenuously and persistently, Paul had put pressure on Christians to agree with that, to deny Christ, which, Paul, having met the resurrected, risen Lord Jesus, now describes as ‘I tried to force them to blaspheme’ – that is, to deny the deity of Jesus – to deny Jesus Christ.

Paul thus knows exactly where his Jewish accusers are coming from.

C. 3 Confrontation by the risen Lord – Acts 26:12 – 18
Paul explains how his position about Jesus had been totally reversed. The Jesus, whom he had believed was dead, confronted him outside Damascus. But not in his human form, rather in the same way that God, the Lord Almighty, had appeared on several occasions in the Old Testament – in a vision of brilliant glory – verse 13. [We have looked at that in this study on Acts 9 .] Although only Paul heard the words, everyone in his company saw the radiant glory shining from heaven, blazing around them – ‘we all fell to the ground’ – verse 14.

When the voice of this brilliant, glorious Lord said ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me’, Paul knew immediately that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed everything that he had claimed to be – the Christ, the Son of the living God, one with God the Father. He is not dead. He is risen. He is exalted. He is God.

Matthew Henry comments:

‘And he said, “I am Jesus; he whom thou hast despised, and hated, and vilified; I bear that name which thou hast made so odious, and the naming of it criminal.” Paul thought Jesus was buried in the earth, and, though stolen out of his own sepulchre, yet laid in some other. All the Jews were taught to say so, and therefore he is amazed to hear him speak from heaven, to see him surrounded with all this glory whom he had loaded with all possible ignominy. This convinced him that the doctrine of Jesus was divine and heavenly, and not only not to be opposed, but to be cordially embraced: That Jesus is the Messiah, for he has not only risen from the dead, but he has received from God the Father honour and glory; and this is enough to make him a Christian immediately, to quit the society of the persecutors, whom the Lord from heaven thus appears against, and to join himself with the society of the persecuted, whom the Lord from heaven thus appears for.’ Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Public Domain, 1708 – 1714.

And Jesus knew the agony that then pierced Paul’s heart – ‘It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

It was hard for Paul to acknowledge that he had been so wrong.

It was hard for Paul to realize that he, not the Christians, was the blasphemer.

It was hard for Paul to bear the agony of guilt he felt for all that he had done to those who upheld the name of Christ, and for all that he had done to erase the name of Christ.

It was hard for him to realize that he had been persecuting the Messiah.

It was hard for him to repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Hard. Incredibly painful. But he must. And he did. Immediately. Having seen the risen, exalted Lord, there was really no other choice.

And the Lord Jesus knew that he did.

Without any further rebuke, Jesus immediately gave Paul his commission – to be his servant and his witness to both Jews and Gentiles.

Paul’s report of Jesus’ commission gives us more insight into Paul’s understanding:

[1] That both Jew and Gentile need to be told about Jesus Christ.

[2] That both Jew and Gentile are spiritually blind and in spiritual darkness – both need to know Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

[3] That both Jew and Gentile are under ‘the power of Satan’, and need to be turned to God.

[4] That only when the above happen can both Jew and Gentile receive forgiveness of sins.

[5] That only when the above happen are either Jew or Gentile given a place in God’s holy people.

[6] That having a place in God’s holy people (‘those who are sanctified’) is ‘by faith in’ Jesus Christ.
If we study this commission that Jesus Christ gave to Paul, we can understand more fully both Paul’s commitment to his commission and also the content of his preaching and teaching, including the teaching contained in his letters. All of that content is included here in the words of this commission.

C.4 Paul’s response to the vision of Christ – 26:19 – 23

Read Acts 26:19 – 23.
How did Paul respond to the vision?

Where, and to whom, did he preach?

How does he summarize his message?

Why did the Jews seize him and try to kill him. (Read Acts 21:27 – 31; 22:21, 22)

How did he escape from all the attempts the Jews had made to get rid of him over many years?

How did he summarize what the prophets had foretold about Jesus?

What is a one-word summary of the message of Christ in verse 23?

D. THE REACTION OF PAUL’S AUDIENCE – 26:24 – 32

Some interesting comments followed:

[1] Festus to Paul – verse 24. Festus simply didn’t understand. He said: You are out of your mind … your great learning is driving you insane.

[2] Paul to Festus – verse 25, 26. Paul denied the charge of insanity, affirming all that he had said was ‘true and reasonable’, and added that the king was familiar with these things.

[3] Paul to King Agrippa – verse 27. ‘…do you believe the prophets? I know you do’ –

[4] Agrippa to Paul – verse 28. ‘Do you think that …you can persuade me to be a Christian?’ [If Agrippa admitted to believing the prophets that would be a good step towards believing in Christ, if Paul could show him how Christ fulfilled the prophets.]

[5] Paul to Agrippa – verse 29. Paul prayed that Agrippa would sometime become a believer in Christ, as Paul was.

And, having left the conference room:
[6] Festus and Agrippa to each other: ‘This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.’

[7] Agrippa to Festus: ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’