The Book of Acts
Paul Before Agrippa, Part 1
Acts 25:13–26:3
As is true with much of the book of Acts and the ministry of Paul, the story that is being told takes some time to tell, and that presents a challenge from a preaching perspective because in addition to just telling the story, I want to give you some things you can hang on to and benefit from.
But in these brief moments we have on Wednesday night, it is difficult to cover the story line in its entirety, plus give some clarification to what we read and add some lessons. So, as is often the case, we'll start and see how far we get and do what we can with what we have to do with
The appearance of Paul before King Agrippa is what happens next in the narrative and that story begins in chapter 25, verse 13 and continues through verse 32 of chapter 26, and nearly 50 verses. And in fariness, it needs to be seen in its entirety because that's how it's presented.
But we can't do that all at one time, so we'll stretch it out and I'll depend on you to retain some of what we learn from week to week, and I'll provide a little review each time, and we'll make it work.
Once again, we find Paul being examined for an accusation made against His Jewishness. This is the third time he will have been tried on the same charges, once before Festus, once before Felix, and now before the King.
There are two primary things that immediately come to mind about Paul as you study this section. One is his boldness in the Lord, and the other is the intensity of His evangelism. He is the epitome of a man who knew no fear, and he knew why God had him on the earth and in the specific place he was.
We've seen that pattern already in his life. For example, he boldly stands his ground as a Roman citizen and asks to appear before Caesar. And we know he was very vocal about his faith because of the response will hear from King Agrippa about almost being persuaded to become a Christian.
Paul was a man on a mission and he fully intended to use every opportunity he was given to fulfill his calling. A lesser man would have been griping and complaining about not being released, but since he is being held prisoner, he just uses the opportunity to talk about Jesus.
Now when we last checked in, Paul had appealed his case to Rome. And Festus grants that request. I think it safe to assume that the only hope Paul had of getting out of this mess was to make his appeal to the Roman Court, at Rome.
Now, that was a bold move because, Nero was nuts, and submitting himself to the judgment of Nero wasn't necessarily a good way out. But Paul did it, because it's the only hope he had, plus he knew the Lord had promised that we would make it to Rome.
So as far as Paul is concerned, his next stop is Rome. But in the timing and providence of God, a man named Agrippa arrives on the scene, making a courtesy call on this new governor.
Remember, Festus is new in the position of governor of Caesarea, having recently replaced Felix. The neighboring king was a man named Herod Agrippa and he was the a perfect guy to help Festus out of this problem of trying to figure out an accusation against Paul.
Festus felt that the reason he couldn't really figure this thing out was because it was a Jewish thing. And when Agrippa, the Jewish King, arrived, he figured this was a perfect solution! And that's where the story picks up. As far as an outline is concerned, let's call point #1,
1. The Consultation
Agrippa and Festus have a little brainstorming session to determine what they're going to do with Paul. Festus needs to come up with some accusation, and he is seeking the help of Agrippa.
verse 13
Now understand, this is a courtesy call. Festus was actually superior to Herod. Even though Herod was the King, it was really mostly a ceremonial position, much like what Queen Elizabeth is to England.
The Roman government was the authority in charge of all the land, and they allowed the Jews to retain a "king" to kind of pacify the raw emotions of being under Roman authority.
In fact, even though he was a Jew, Agrippa lived for most of his life in Rome. After his father died, he ruled in Israel for a short time.
But he spent the last days of life in Rome, and died there, and he was really a Roman. But as king of Israel, he was in charge of the appointment of Priests and the operation of the ceremonies of Jewish worship, so, he was very familiar with Jewish life and worship.
Now, just to make you better acquainted, I'll give you a little background on him. There are several "Herods" that are mentioned in the New Testament, and he is one of them. The Herodian family was the family of kings that sort of dominate the office in the age of the New Testament.
The first one is Herod the Great and they extend to Agrippa II who we have here in Acts 25, and he was the last of the Herods.
Now, Herod Agrippa II was the brother of Bernice who you see mentioned there in verse 1, and they lived in incest. By the way, Bernice was also the sister of Drusilla, who was the wife of Felix, who was Governor before Festus.
So, the whole thing was kind of a messed up, dysfunctional family package deal. Herod Agrippa II was the son Herod Agrippa I. They weren't too original with the names! And Herod Agrippa I was a terrible character as well. He is the King who had James, the half-brother of Jesus beheaded. He had imprisoned Peter.
He is the guy, who in chapter 12 of Acts, decided it would be Agrippa Day in Caesarea and invited everybody to come, and he got up and made a proclamation and everyone said, "It's the voice of God!" And he fed off of that!
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the Bible says an Angel of God killed him and he was eaten by worms and died. So that's how the father of the Agrippa that is here in our text died.
Then there was Herod Agrippa's uncle who had John the Baptist beheaded, and had all the babies in Bethlehem killed. So all in all, it was really quite a family. And now, Agrippa the 2nd is on the throne.
And according to verse 1, he and his sister/lover Bernice come to visit. Then, notice
verse 23
Acts 26: 30
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Bernice is involved in everything that's going on. Why? Why is Bernice is always around when the important stuff is going on? And more importantly, why does the Holy Spirit make sure to include that detail? In a spiritual way, Bernice represents the sin in Agrippa's life. She is the physical symbol of the life and debauchery of Agrippa and how it always seems to be hanging around. And it's a very vivid illustration, "and Bernice".
So back to the story line of Acts. Agrippa and Bernice show up at the most opportune time, just as Festus is trying to decide what to do, and needs someone who knows about Judaism, they show up.
verses 14-19
So just to make sure we have the background set in our mind, Festus basically says, "Agrippa, I inherited this guy from Felix. The Jews really want him dead. In fact, they wanted to kill him without a trial."
But I told them they couldn't do that because Roman law requires a trial. So we did that, but there wasn't any accusation that stood up. The only thing that seems to have any validity to it is found in an argument about their differences in religion. There's a dead man by the name of Jesus, that Paul keeps saying is alive. And I don't know anything about the religious stuff they're arguing about and that's why I agreed to send him on to Caesar.
verse 22
So, the consultation regarding Paul's testimony leads us to the next day, and the hearing begins and there, we hear the
2. The Circumstances (regarding Paul's case)
What we have in the meeting of Paul and Agrippa is probably one of the most dramatic scenes in all of the New Testament. It's one of those scenes that we wish they had had a video camera available! We just have to use our imagination!
verse 23
It's hard to under-describe what that must have been like! It's all reduced down to the word "pomp", but you can imagine the kind in his royal purple robes and Bernice in all her finery and everyone is bowing and curtseying and trumpets are blowing and the soldiers are at attention and the auditorium is packed.
dressed nattily attired, of the soldiers, standing at attention. And there would be those people, you know, with the big things that go like, this, you
I mean anybody who was anybody in Caesarea was there. This was a really big deal!
And at the command of Festus, verse 23 tells us Paul was brought in. Now, if we can believe tradition, Paul was not very imposing, physically. So in very stark contrast to all the fanfare and glamour, in walks this little bald-headed Jewish guy, who most likely can't see too well! He has an old worn out tunic draped over his aged shoulders. He's shackled between two imposing Roman soldiers.
And you can imagine people saying, "We came here for this? Surely this isn't him!"
But what's amazing about Paul is, no matter what was going on around him, he always managed to dominate the scene and become the center of attention!
And those watching what happened that day had no way of knowing that Paul was the important one in the room and everyone else was a bit player. They may be putting on the show and pretending to be the VIPs, but what was really important was taking place in and through the life of Paul.
verses 24-27
Now basically, . Festus says, "As far as I can tell, Paul is an honest man. I can't find anything with which to charge him. He's appealed his case to Caesar, and I've agreed to that, but I'm going to look rather ridiculous before Nero if I send him to Rome with any accusations. So I've brought him before you, hoping you could help."
Now, to his credit, Festus is very straightforward and honest about the situation. But instead of doing the right thing and releasing Paul, he shifts responsibility to Agrippa.
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beginning in chapter 26, Agrippa is in control of the meeting,, and right off the bat, he gives Paul the opportunity to speak.
verse 1
That is a great verse! I like the fact that there is no hesitation. Paul immediately seizes the opportunity that is given him and jumps right in. Again, Agrippa thought he was in charge, but that's not true!
Paul is anxious and ready to share the message of Christ. That is a great insight into effective evangelism. Those who are used by God to share the gospel are always looking for an opportunity to talk about Jesus!
And when you're looking, it's amazing how many chances you'll have! In the flow of conversation, in chance encounters, in the daily flow of life, as you are walking in the Spirit and sensitive to His leadership, let the Spirit move your heart and be bold enough to speak.
That's exactly what Paul does! He's been waiting for two years to say something, and now he's going to say it!
Some of you are familiar with Martin Niemoller. He was a German Christian who was captured by the Nazis and spent nine years in prison. He endured terrible, horrible atrocities.
After his release at the end of World War 2, he came to America and traveled around speaking of his nine years in a a Nazi prison. A reporter who followed that tour said with disgust, "Imagine, nine years in a Nazi prison and all he can talk about is Jesus Christ."
Isn't that a great testimony? That's Paul's testimony! Here's Paul, two years, in a Roman prison, and all he can talk about is all he ever talked about and that is Jesus Christ. You would think he would gripe about the living conditions or the great injustices he's suffered. But his testimony contains none of that. It's just about Jesus and how his life was changed through Christ.
Two years in a cell hadn't altered his determination to preach Christ and Him crucified! And I believe he stood there before Agrippa and his heart grieved. Everyone knew about Agrippa and his family and their blatant rebellion.
And with the love of Christ, Paul wanted him to hear the gospel and experience what he himself had experienced.
And what he shares is one of the great testimonies and defenses of the faith! And we'll get into the meat of it next time, but notice how he begins:
verses 2-3
It is a fantastic scene that unfolds. Here are two men in confrontation, one sits as a king and the other stands as a prisoner. But in reality, it is the king who is enslaved and the prisoner that is free!
I'm not sure about the goal of the King, but the objective of the prisoner is to convert this king to Christianity. In fact, that's the question the king acts when Paul is finished speaking: "Are you trying to convert me?" Paul says, "That's exactly what I was trying to do, and not only you, but everybody else here also!"
That's always our purpose. And we make no apology as Christians. We're trying to convert everybody we can get our hands on. We're after the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Christian Science, and the Buddhists and everybody else!
We want them all to come to Jesus Christ. And Paul thought, "Maybe King Agrippa has a heart that is open to the gospel." Was he right? We'll have to come back next week to find out.
Let's pray.
