The new Governor Festus summons the Jews to hear their accusations against Paul. To thwart the Jews’ renewed plot to assassinate him, Paul calls upon his right as a Roman citizen to appeal directly to Caesar. A few days later, Paul presents his defense to Festus and King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice. He relates his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, and how, as a changed man, he then “declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance... to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles… Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:20, 22, 28 NKJV).
We see how Paul used King Agrippa II’s and Bernice’s history to frame his defense – King Agrippa II knew the Scriptures and as always, Paul emphasizes the resurrection as proof that Jesus fulfilled those same Scriptures. Unwilling to risk his temporary earthly status and power, however, prideful King Agrippa refuses to turn to Jesus to gain eternal life. With Paul as our example, may we continue to proclaim the gospel while there is still time, warning our unsaved friends and family that God will one day, “destroy the wisdom of the wise [proud], and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent [proud]” (1 Corinthians 1:19 NKJV).
Maranatha!
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