Paul in Caesarea, Part 2

But then Paul the terrorist, having been commissioned by the chief priest to continue his persecution, became Paul the evangelist when he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. To paraphrase, Paul says to Agrippa, “I saw a light; I heard a voice” (vv. 13-14). The light was brighter than the sun. Everyone fell down at its appearance, so this wasn’t a private experience for Paul; it was a real, external experience (Bock, Acts, 716).

We find this additional comment in this telling of Paul’s testimony: “It is hard for you to kick against the goads,” Jesus said to him (26:14). Goads were sharp sticks used to prod and direct an animal. So Paul was kicking against the Lord’s discipline and direction (Bock, Acts, 716). Paul seems to have been resisting the Spirit’s conviction, especially during Stephen’s speech and martyrdom. Jesus was telling Paul to stop rejecting his call and to end the persecution—essentially saying, “Stop fighting me and submit to me” (cf. 5:39).

“This commission constitutes the center and climax of Paul’s entire speech,” John Polhill notes. “It’s virtually repeated in Paul’s closing words” (cf. vv. 22-23; Acts, 503). Paul’s commission reflects the prophetic tradition. Like Ezekiel, Paul was directed to rise and stand on his feet (v. 16; cf. Ezek 2:1). As in the case of the prophets, the Lord sent Paul (cf. Ezek 2:3) and promised to rescue him from his enemies (v. 17; cf. Jer 1:6-8; Acts 27). Paul was appointed as a “servant” and a “witness” of the things associated with Christ (v. 16). “His whole story in Acts has shown his faithful witness—before Jews and Gentiles, Greeks and Romans, peasants, philosophers, and kings” (ibid.). Every Christian stands in this line of being a servant of Jesus and a witness for him (1:8).

The Lord called Paul to proclaim the comprehensive benefits of the gospel (vv. 18-19) to a comprehensive audience. The latter is referenced in verse 17: “your people” and “the Gentiles”; and in verse 22: “both small and great.” This is a reminder that no one is beyond the reach of or need for God’s saving grace.

The phrase “both small and great” reminds me of a story about the great British preacher, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. After he delivered a sermon at a meeting at Cambridge University, a minister invited some students over to his home to ask Lloyd-Jones questions. One student said to the guest, “I listened to your sermon. And I can see how this sort of message appeals to farmers around here, but I fail to see how it’s relevant to academics like myself and my colleagues.” To this Lloyd-Jones replied, “Well, the last time I checked, Cambridge students were made of the same dull clay as the farm workers in the fields” (quoted in Begg, “Persuasive Preaching”). In other words, the gospel message is the same for both small and great because people from all walks of life share the same need for a Savior.

Regarding the benefits of the gospel, Paul indirectly informs Agrippa and the audience about their own desperate spiritual condition and need for salvation. Paul could have been vague when talking about what the Lord told him to do. Instead, he leaves the king with something he should process personally. He brings up the universal need for the wonderful privileges of the gospel. First, the gospel sets people free from spiritual confusion and ignorance, a fact indicated by the phrases “open their eyes” and turning from “darkness to light” (v. 18; cf. 2 Cor 4:4,6). Second, the gospel sets people free from the oppressive tyranny of their souls (Johnson, Let’s Study Acts, 316). By placing faith in Christ, they go from “the power of Satan to God.” While not a popular concept, this is biblically true nonetheless (Eph 2:1-3; Col 1:13). Third, the gospel sets people free from guilt, condemnation, and eternal punishment when they “receive forgiveness of sins” (v. 18; cf. Rom 4:25–5:1). And finally, the gospel provides disinherited wanderers a “share among those who are sanctified” (v. 18). This concept speaks of a home of “unimaginable comfort and impregnable security” (ibid; Acts 20:32; Col 1:12).

Who is the source of these gospel blessings? Jesus Christ. Only by placing “faith in” the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who suffered and rose from the dead, do we receive new life, new identity, and a living hope.

Beginning in verse 19 Paul shows how he carried out the commission Christ gave him. He preached in Damascus, in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, and to the Gentiles (v. 20). With a message of repentance reminiscent of John the Baptist’s (Luke 3:8), Paul urges everyone to bear fruit in a way that reflects their new life in Christ. While good works aren’t the basis of salvation, they are the fruit of salvation (cf. 2 Cor 13:5-7; Gal 5:22-23; Eph 2:8-10; Titus 2:14; 3:8).

Paul then describes that he preaches the Christ of Scripture to everyone through “help from God” (vv. 22-23). God provides the power, and God provides the message, which centers on a person, Jesus Christ.

Paul’s statement about the prophets and Moses reminds us of Jesus’s teaching on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:44-47). Paul notes that he’s simply a preacher of the Jewish promise and hope. His preaching, then, in a sense, isn’t new; it’s rooted in the old Hebrew Scriptures (Bock, Acts, 721). Paul didn’t make up this message. He’s simply preaching the fulfillment of this great hope, which culminates in the risen Messiah (cf. Job 19:25-27; Pss 16:9-11; 49:15; 73:24; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2). Paul adds that Jesus is the light shining in the darkness (cf. Isa 42:6; 49:6; 60:3; Luke 1:78-79), which is proclaimed to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 26:23). As a servant to the Servant, fulfilling his role as a witness of Christ, Paul was accomplishing Jesus’s purpose of being light to the nations (Polhill, Acts, 506).

Festus can’t contain himself after hearing Paul’s message (cf. 25:19) and thus interrupts Paul’s speech. He says Paul is insane for believing such things (v. 24; cf. 2 Cor 5:13). A belief in the resurrection was, in fact, a crazy idea to Romans. Festus’s outburst serves as a reminder that the gospel really is “foolishness” to some (1 Cor 1:23; cf. Acts 17:18,32). Nonetheless, Paul defends himself respectfully and candidly, assuring Festus that he’s speaking “true and rational words” (v. 25 ESV).

Paul then pivots his attention back to King Agrippa. He disarms the king, nudging him and wooing him over to his side. Paul here assumes that Agrippa is familiar with the ministry of Jesus because it didn’t take place “in a corner” (v. 26). Christianity isn’t a secret cult. Further, the message about the Messiah is actually rooted in the teachings of the Old Testament prophets, whom Paul assumes Agrippa trusts (v. 27). In other words, Agrippa should be able to understand and appreciate what Paul is saying (Bock, Acts, 723).

Agrippa, however, dodges the question. He can’t say he denies the prophets, but he also doesn’t want to say yes and have Paul press him further (Polhill, Acts, 5–8). Kenneth Gangel summarizes his response:

This king had been in politics for over ten years. He wasn’t about to change his religious viewpoints on the basis of one sermon in a Roman hall. (Acts, 436).

At this point Paul, growing bolder still, makes a direct evangelistic appeal (v. 29). Paul wanted everyone to believe the good news about Jesus—regardless of how long it took. He wanted them to have what he enjoyed in Christ. In this captivating scene the people listening are actually the ones in chains, in spiritual bondage. Paul, on the other hand, can still soar in joyful praise even while physically chained. He wants freedom and joy for his audience.

Paul’s evangelistic desire is conveyed here as he makes a prayerful wish: “I wish before God,” or “I pray to God” (NIV). Paul’s statement reflects the heart of one interceding for the lost audience. The man had been beaten and persecuted by Jews and ridiculed by the Romans, but he still wanted people to know the Savior! Once again Paul gives us a model for witnessing to unbelievers—not only in words but also in heart.

Finally, Agrippa rises to his feet (v. 30). The speech is over. Agrippa, Bernice, and other prominent people meet together and privately affirm Paul’s innocence (v. 31; 25:19-20,25). As in the case of Jesus, Paul is so thoroughly innocent that he isn’t even worthy of imprisonment (Bock, Acts, 724). Agrippa thus concludes that Paul could go free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar (v. 32). But since nothing can short-circuit such an appeal, it’s time to honor Caesar by asking him to render a decision in Paul’s case (ibid.).

Paul faithfully delivered the gospel. Agrippa tragically rejected Israel’s Messiah. It was time for Paul to continue testifying to the gospel of grace in Rome.

26:1-32

We could draw a seemingly endless number of application points from this text with regard to being faithful witnesses in the modern world. I’ll focus on nine.

Paul’s generous and courteous comment to Agrippa reflects the spirit of Peter’s words to Christians living in a hostile culture:

In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. (1 Pet 3:15-16; emphasis added)

What we say is more important than how we say it, but our delivery methods and tone matter to God and to those we’re addressing. Therefore, we should seek to blend truthfulness with tenderness and courage with compassion.

Paul’s recounting of his former way of life before his conversion illustrates this approach. Sometimes it helps people understand the gospel when we explain our perspectives and practices prior to our acceptance of Christ. In sympathizing with our audiences in this way, we may gain better hearings. To be clear, our personal stories are not the gospel, but our ability to identify with our listeners is important.

Think about ways you once “kick[ed] against the goads” (v. 14) and be prepared to summarize your experiences. Doing so can ready you to connect with hearers when you tell the good news. Plan to lovingly explain your former assumptions, misconceptions, and even sins from which the Lord delivered you. Not everyone has a story as dramatic as Paul’s, but choosing personal transparency can go a long way in helping you connect with audiences of all sizes.

Paul’s Damascus road story is ultimately a story about Jesus, not one about Paul. The apostle always took care to keep Jesus the hero of his testimony, and this is a great reminder that Jesus should always be the clear hero of the personal stories we tell too. It sounds too obvious to mention, but when speaking to unbelievers, we should speak a lot about Jesus. Like Paul, we must keep talking about him again and again. Even when we begin a spiritual conversation by talking about our own lives, we need to use threads of those stories to point hearers to the Savior.

The evangelists in Acts kept speaking about the Lord’s grace in opening eyes, in transferring people into the kingdom of light, in transferring them into the power of God from out of the grip of Satan, and in granting them an inheritance. So, like Paul, we must speak to all people groups, “both small and great,” about their need for the gospel and about the amazing benefits of embracing the gospel. We must speak honestly about the sinful condition of humans and about the amazing grace of Jesus toward sinners.

If you ever have any doubt about what to say when bearing witness, head for the cross, to an account of the resurrection, and then give a clear call for repentance. From the first chapter of Acts onward, Luke continues to emphasize the Messiah who suffered, died, and rose from the dead. Present in the preaching of the apostles was the promised Messiah of the Scriptures. And also present was the call to repent and believe. Until we see Christ, let’s not get tired of talking about the heart of the gospel.

Paul’s comment in verse 22 reminds us that our help comes from God. To be faithful servants and witnesses of Jesus, we need to rely on Jesus for power and grace.

The gospel demands a response, and we should be ready to pose some probing questions to our unbelieving neighbors. We must give them clear chances to accept or reject Christ. Paul certainly did so with Agrippa. Be respectful but not cowardly.

Festus called Paul insane, and we may expect similar comments to be aimed at us when we follow Paul’s example. We’re simply called to deliver the message about humanity’s need for Jesus. Only God converts. We can thus trust him with the results of our efforts, and we can rest in his presence when attacked.

Paul’s words to the crowd, “I wish before God,” remind us of what kind of hearts we as modern evangelists need. Paul prayerfully desires everyone in the assembly to know Jesus. This suggests that he has a heart of compassion toward his hearers. We shouldn’t see unbelievers as projects, then, but as people made in God’s image who, because of sin, are in need of God’s salvation. We should desire that they come to know the same saving grace that we have experienced through the Savior (cf. Rom 10:1; 1 Tim 2:1-4).

May God grant us help to make his grace known to a broken world in loving ways. That same grace that changed Paul has changed us. We must proclaim it.