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Acts Chapter Twenty-six

                             

I. Content of the Chapter

 

Paul’s Witness before King Agrippa  

I. King Agrippa permitted Paul to speak for himself (v.1).

II. Paul’s answer:

  A. The polite introduction (v.2-3).

  B. He confessed himself that he was of the strictest sect of the Pharisees (v.4-5).

  C. Today he was judged for the hope of resurrection (v.6-8).

  D. He tried his best to persecute the disciples of Jesus previously (v.9-11).

  E. He was enlightened by the Lord on the journey to Damascus (v.12-15).

  F. He was entrusted by the Lord (v.16-18).

  G. He fulfilled his ministry according to the heavenly vision and was persecuted by the Jews (v.19-23).

III. The result of the witness:

  A. Festus held that Paul was beside himself (v.24).

  B. Paul held that he spoke the words of truth and reason freely (v.25-27).

  C. King Agrippa held that Paul wanted to persuade him to become a Christian (v.28).

  D. Paul answered that he would to God that all who hear him might become both almost and altogether such as he was (v.29).

  E. The King and the governor had gone aside and talked among themselves, saying, that he was innocent (v.30-32).

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Acts. 26:1 “Then Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:

   YLT: “And Agrippa said unto Paul, `It is permitted to thee to speak for thyself;' then Paul having stretched forth the hand, was making a defence:”

   Literal Meaning: You are permitted to speak for yourself” It is a formal hearing and probably Festus the governor let King Agrippa take charge of it and therefore he could make such instruction.

  So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself” “Stretching out his hand” is the gesture of rendering a salute. The following words from v.2 to v.23 were Paul’s third answer (See Acts. 22:3-21; 24:10-21).

 

Acts. 26:2I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,

   YLT: “`Concerning all things of which I am accused by Jews, king Agrippa, I have thought myself happy, being about to make a defence before thee to-day,”

   Literal Meaning: I shall answer for myself before you” In the original “before you” is with the tone of emphasis.

  I think myself happy” Though it was the politeness, it was of the sincere exclamation without any adulation. The reason why Paul made such exclamation may be that Festus the Roman governor was ignorant about the faith of the Jews and Christians and he could not know it thoroughly so that Paul answered for himself just like playing the lute to a cow (See v.24; Acts. 25:19). Please note that the emphasis of Paul’s answer before Festus the governor was his uprightness and innocence in the law (See Acts. 25:8, 10-11). However, before King Agrippa who was familiar with the Jewish customs and questions (See v.3), he stressed on testifying the experience of his being saved and the orthodoxy of the faith (See v.4-23).

 

Acts. 26:3 “especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

   YLT: “especially knowing thee to be acquainted with all things -- both customs and questions -- among Jews; wherefore, I beseech thee, patiently to hear me.”

   Meaning of Words: “especially”: chiefly, most of all; “expert”: knower; “customs”: manner, tradition.

   The Background: you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews” King Agrippa was the famous specialist in the Jewish religious problems. Besides other powers, King Agrippa had the right to appoint the Jewish high priests and was responsible for taking care of the ceremonial dress that the high priest wore in the annual Day of Atonement. And therefore sometimes he was called “the senior officer in the Jewish church”.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Though Christians do not flatter others, we should not neglect the politeness.

2) We should walk in wisdom toward those who are outside and let our speech always be with grace (Col. 4:5-6).

 

Acts. 26:4My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.

   YLT: “`The manner of my life then, indeed, from youth -- which from the beginning was among my nation, in Jerusalem -- know do all the Jews,”       Literal Meaning: the beginning among my own nation” Here “my own nation” probably refer to the Jews in Tarsus of Cilicia where Paul originally dwelled (Acts. 22:3).

My manner of life from my youthall the Jews know” Paul had performed excellently from his youth (Gal. 1:14) and therefore many fellow citizens all knew him.

 

Acts. 26:5 “They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

   YLT: “knowing me before from the first, (if they may be willing to testify,) that after the most exact sect of our worship, I lived a Pharisee;”

   Meaning of Words: “religion”: ceremonial observance, piety, worshipping; “sect”: party, disunion, heresy.

   Literal Meaning: that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee” “Our religion” refers to Judaism; “the Pharisees” was a party with the pure faith in the Judaic sects and they strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. 

 

Acts. 26:6 “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

   YLT: “and now for the hope of the promise made to the fathers by God, I have stood judged,”

   Literal Meaning: the promise made by God to our fathers” refers to what God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that in his seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. This promise was fulfilled upon our Lord Jesus Christ. 

    To the Jews, what God had promised is that the Messiah would come to save them. To Paul, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus shows that He is the Messiah whom he hoped and he declared that he had resurrected. The zealous ones in Judaism could not bear these two things and therefore Paul was accused by his fellow citizens.

 

Acts. 26:7 “To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

   YLT: “to which our twelve tribes, intently night and day serving, do hope to come, concerning which hope I am accused, king Agrippa, by the Jews;”

   Literal Meaning: our twelve tribes” refers to all the Jews.

  “Earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain Anna the prophetess was a good example (Luke. 2:37).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The leaders in Judaism and Paul all hoped in what God had promised to their fathers, however, they understood the promise differently and therefore they accused Paul. Today in Christianity, many so-called Bible scholars knew the Bible according to letters and were sufficient in the spirit of the Bible, however, they were stubborn and criticized and attacked others’ opinions wantonly.

2) The Lord’s servants should not only be “faithful” in “earnestly serving God night and day” but also “be wise” (Matt. 24:45) so that they would not misunderstand the Lord and “begin to smite his fellow servants” (Matt. 24:49).

3) The world has no hope, and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12), however, we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of those that believe (1Tim. 4:10). Since we have such hope, we should be diligent and earnestly serve God night and day.

 

Acts. 26:8 “Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?

   YLT: “why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth raise the dead?”

   Literal Meaning: God raises the dead” It indicates that God raises Jesus from the dead (Rom. 4:24).

  Why should it be thought incredible by you” The word “you” should refer to all the people who heard it, including King Agrippa, Festus the governor, Bernice, the chief captains, and principal men of the city (Acts.25:23).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty (1Cor. 15:13-14, 16-17).

2) Believing that Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead is the foundation stone of the faith of Christianity and the word of the beginning of Christ (See v.23; Heb. 6:1-2).

3) Christians are the witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection (Acts. 3:15) and therefore we should have the assured vision and faith towards the Lord’s resurrection and then we are able to bear witness well.

4) Since we have the same spirit of faith, we know that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with all the Saints (1Cor. 4:13-14).

 

Acts. 26:9Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

   YLT: “`I, indeed, therefore, thought with myself, that against the name of Jesus of Nazareth it behoved [me] many things to do,”

   Literal Meaning: I myself thought I must” It refers to the time before Paul was saved. “I myself thought” shows that he did not believe that God raised the Lord Jesus (See v.8) and therefore he had such attitude.

  “Do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” It means that: 1) blaspheming and defiling the Lord Jesus and saying that He was the cheater who pretended to be the Son of God; 2) rejecting and opposing Christians’ opinions concerning the Lord Jesus; 3) compelling Christians to blaspheme (See v.11).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) All those who serve the Lord according to the way that “I myself thought I must” contrarily make the name of the Lord suffer loss.

2) Those who walk only according to the letters of the Bible instead of the spirit of the Bible always become the Lord’s enemies (“do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth”) because “the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2Cor. 3:6).

3) The one who truly repents will never cover up the wrongness that he had done and he will confess that he was a sinner and had received the grace of the Lord.

 

Acts. 26:10 “This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

   YLT: “which also I did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I in prison did shut up, from the chief priests having received the authority; they also being put to death, I gave my vote against them,”

   Literal Meaning: I cast my vote against them” “Casting my vote against them” in the original means “throwing the stone”. The ancient Greek used it to vote and they threw the black stone to the guilty and the white stone to the guiltless (See Rev. 2:17). Some Bible exegetes held that he was a member of the Jewish council according to Paul’s words. However, some people held that Paul may not be the member of the council and probably he was specially assigned to persecute Christians (See v.12) and therefore he cast his vote against them.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Christians should never be afraid to confess who we were in the past. Confessing our past evil would contrarily let others see the great power of Christ’s life upon us.

2) Men’s “votes” are always wrong and therefore we believers should never care about how others judge us and should beware of how to give an account for ourselves before God in future because His judge is just and upright (Ps. 51:4).

 

Acts. 26:11 “And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

   YLT: “and in every synagogue, often punishing them, I was constraining [them] to speak evil, being also exceedingly mad against them, I was also persecuting [them] even unto strange cities.”

   Meaning of Words: “foreign”: outside.

   Literal Meaning: and compelled them to blaspheme” There were two possibilities: 1) compelling them to curse Jesus; 2) compelling them to confess that Jesus was the Son of God and condemning them that they committed the sin of blaspheming God and convicting them of the capital crime.

    The original shows that he only tried to compel the Jewish Christians to give up their faith and the results were not mentioned.

 

Acts. 26:12While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

   YLT: “`In which things, also, going on to Damascus -- with authority and commission from the chief priests --”

   Literal Meaning: with authority and commission from the chief priests” “authority and commission from the chief priests” is actually the “letters” (Acts. 9:2; 22:5). The holder of the letters got the authorization from the high priest to arrest prisoners and ask the councils in various places for help. However, the letters did not have the legal sanction without the borders of Palestine.

I journeyed to Damascus” “Damascus” is the capital town of Syria today. It was about two hundred and fifty kilometers away from Jerusalem and there were many Jews dwelling there. At that time the power of the council was only within the borders of Palestine. Probably men in these synagogues also respected the position of the high priest in Jerusalem and therefore they also received the announcement of letters.

 

Acts. 26:13 “at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.

   YLT: “at mid-day, I saw in the way, O king, out of heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me a light -- and those going on with me;”

   Literal Meaning: “at midday”: it is the moment that the light was the strongest.

  I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun” It shows that the heavenly “light” was stronger than the direct light.

  “Shining around me” The light shone “around” men and therefore it should not be the light of the sun but the heavenly and spiritual light.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The way of the world is to run after error. However, thank the Lord, we are enlightened by the Lord and our way is corrected before we reach the destination.

2) When reading the Bible or praying, sometimes there is a light that shines in our heart (2Pet. 1:19) and gives us spiritual understanding and guidance and this is “the reception of enlightenment”.

3) Many people only have the one-sided understanding concerning the will of God so that there are always in extreme conditions. We should pray the Lord that He might shine “around” us so that we will have the comprehensive and balanced understanding.

 

Acts. 26:14 “And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”

   YLT: “and we all having fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why me dost thou persecute? hard for thee against pricks to kick!”

   Literal Meaning: and saying in the Hebrew language” “The Hebrew language” is the Aramaic that was in common use in the land of Palestine. The Lord Jesus said the Aramaic when He was in the world (See Matt. 27:46).

  “Why are you persecuting Me?” “Persecute” originally means to search out with enmity. The Lord here did not say that, “why are you persecuting those who believe in Me?” but “why are you persecuting Me?” Here the Lord shows Saul that He identifies Himself with those who believe in Him and He and those who believe in Him are one. This is the oneness of the head and the body. Who Saul persecuted is the church, however, the word of the Lord shows us that persecuting the church is persecuting Christ because the church is the body of Christ (1Cor. 12:27; Eph. 1:22-23).

  It is hard for you to kick against the goads” It is a common saying. “The goad” is a way for the farmers to train the cattle to plow at that time. When the farmer asked it to drag, sometimes the cattle would kick the plough or the car because it was unwilling to drag and it kicked it by its feet. And the farmer set the border or the stick with goads in the places where it would kick so that the cattle would feel pain and stop kicking when it kicked and consequently it would obey its host. And therefore it meant that you persecuted this way and it would only bring you more trouble.

   Spiritual Meaning: And when we all had fallen to the ground” It symbolizes that all his past religious concepts, understanding and views, including the explanation of the Old Testament and the Law were poured out to the ground and emptied.

  It is hard for you to kick against the goads” Concerning the meaning of “kicking against the goads”, the Bible exegetes all through the ages had the following three statements: 1) the goad refers to “the will of God” and it shows that men could not resist the arrangement of God (e.g. R.B. Rackham); 2) the goad refers to “conscience” and it shows that men cannot disobey their conscience to resist God (e.g. Philo, F. F. Bruce); 3) the goad refers to “fate” and it shows that men cannot overcome fate (e.g. I.H. Marshall).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Only those who have met the strong and full heavenly light (See v.13) shall fall to the ground and cannot stand in the light. Those who consider themselves in the right prove that they have never met such light.

2) He whoever meets the Lord must fell to the ground. Only those who have been shocked down by the light from heaven could be considered that they begin to have a little knowledge of the Lord.

3) “Why are you persecuting Me?” We should never think that sinning against brother is not sinning against Christ. Please remember that touching a little member of the body is indeed touching the head. When a member is hurt, the head feels it.

4) Inasmuch as one does it to one of the least of brothers, he does it to the Lord; inasmuch as one doesn’t do it to one of the least of brothers, he does not do it to the Lord (Matt. 25:40, 45).

5) Persecuting believers is “persecuting Me”. What great comfort it is to believers who are persecuted and are suffering tribulation------the Lord “identifies” with us.

6) “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” Mantis cannot scotch and men cannot resist the will of God.

7) No matter how obstinate, rebellious and disobedient we are, we cannot get away from the hands of God. And therefore we had better obey Him as early as possible and then we will avoid much suffering of goads.

 

Acts. 26:15 “So I said, Who are You, Lord?' And He said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

   YLT: “`And I said, Who art thou, Lord? and he said, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute;”

   Literal Meaning: “Who are You, Lord?” The appellation “Lord” shows that he knows that the one who spoke to him is not an ordinary figure but “the Lord” with higher power.

  I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” “Jesus” is Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified, died and was risen and taken up into heaven. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, Saul had never persecuted Him directly. Here the Lord showed Saul that when he persecuted the disciples of Jesus, he indeed persecuted Jesus.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Men persecute the Lord because they do not know Him. If we Christians do not know the Lord deeply, we may also do something that offends Him unconsciously.

2) All those who believe in the Lord are united to the Lord, i.e. the oneness of the head and the body. Any sin that sins against the body is the sin that sins against the head.

 

Acts. 26:16 “But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

   YLT: “but rise, and stand upon thy feet, for for this I appeared to thee, to appoint thee an officer and a witness both of the things thou didst see, and of the things [in which] I will appear to thee,”

   Meaning of Words: “appear” (is the same word with “reveal” in the original); “see”: watch, be aware, know; “reveal”: appear, look.

   Literal Meaning: to make you a minister and a witness” “A minister” is to carry out the ministry that the Lord had instructed which is especially related to the service; “A witness” is to manifest the Lord’s life of resurrection which is mainly related to behavior.

  “Both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you” This sentence is connected with “a minister and a witness” and it means that “through the work and witness” the following two things shall be conveyed and bore witness to men: 1) the things which he has seen at present; 2) the things which the Lord shall reveal to him.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) There is no witness without vision; Christians’ witnesses are from their personal vision and experience.

2) The Lord’s vision is not once for all but continual. And therefore we should not be satisfied when we have received the Lord’s revelation for one time.

3) Christians’ service should be according to the “revelation” from the Lord instead of “men’s favor” or “pleasure”.

 

Acts. 26:17 “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,

   YLT: “delivering thee from the people, and the nations, to whom now I send thee,”

   Literal Meaning: “the Jewish people” refer to the Jews; “the Gentiles” refer to all the non-Jewish persons.

  This verse implies that Paul must suffer men’s opposition and persecution in his life of service, however, the Lord shall be his protection.

 

Acts. 26:18 “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’”

   YLT: “to open their eyes, to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the authority of the Adversary unto God, for their receiving forgiveness of sins, and a lot among those having been sanctified, by faith that [is] toward me.”

   Meaning of Words: “turn to”: covert, turn about.

   Literal Meaning: to open their eyes” “Eyes” refer to men’s minds. The god of the world has blinded the minds of the world (2Cor. 4:4) so that: 1) they do not know that they are sinners; 2) they do not know that what they have done are all sins and evilness; 3) they do not know the meaning of life and the ending in future; 4) they do not know the vanity of the things in the world; 5) they do not know the tricks and terror of Satan; 6) they do not know the gospel, Christ and the true God.

If men are willing to receive the gospel and experience Christ’s salvation, the first step is that their eyes are opened to see their poor conditions under the light of Christ’s gospel and therefore they turn to the Savior.

  “Turn them from darkness to light” “Darkness” is the symbol of sin and death; “light” is the mark of righteousness and life (John. 1:4; 8:12).

  “That they may receive forgiveness of sins” “Sins” refer to the actions of sin; “Receiving forgiveness of sins” is the foundation to enjoy all the blessings of the New Testament.

  “And an inheritance among those who are sanctified” “Being sanctified” includes the status and the nature of sanctification: 1) the status of sanctification indicates that believers are separated by God from the world (John. 17:16-17) and from now on they specially belong to God and are for His use (Rom. 6:13, 19); 2) the nature of sanctification indicates that believers are partakers of God’s life and nature (2Pet. 1:4) and our original nature is renewed gradually and finally we are fully like the Lord (Tit. 3:5; Rom. 12:2; 2Cor. 3:18; 1John. 3:2).

“Inheritance” refers to the spiritual inheritance. Today the inheritance that we believers receive in Christ (Col. 1:12) is the indwelling Spirit that is the foretaste, earnest and evidence of the inheritance that we will receive in future (Eph. 1:14; 2Cor. 1:22; 5:5) and in the coming and eternal age, we will fully enjoy the inheritance (1Pet. 1:4).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not; the light of Christ’s gospel has shone our minds (2Cor. 4:4).

2) The opening of minds is the first step of the spiritual change. A blind one cannot differentiate the darkness and the bright and what is being under the power of Satan and what is turning to God.

3) We believers’ minds have been opened, however, if we would rather stay in the darkness and are unwilling to walk in the light (Eph. 5:8), we cannot enjoy the complete salvation.

4) Giving thanks unto God, which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints (Col. 1:12). Whatever we do in the Lord shall make us receive the reward of the inheritance from the Lord (Col. 3:24).

 

Acts. 26:19Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,

   YLT: “`Whereupon, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,”

   Meaning of Words: “disobedient”: rebellious, contumacious; “vision”: appearance, apparition.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Paul’s words in this verse show us that his service and work throughout his life are from the vision. If we want to serve God effectively, we have to see the heavenly vision.

2) A good servant must know the will of the Lord first and works according to the Lord’s commandments. The most terrible thing in the work of the Lord is that those who serve the Lord do not seek the will of the Lord and work according to what they thing is good. And consequently they won’t please the Lord.

3) Seeing the vision and obeying the vision are different. Many Christians could say that they have seen the vision, however, they are unable to say that they are not disobedient to the vision.

4) Paul firstly knew that “it is hard to kick against the goads” (v.14) and then he did not dare to “be disobedient to the heavenly vision”. May we obey the will of God to the end for the vision that we have seen and disregard all difficulties.

 

Acts. 26:20 “but 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.

   YLT: “but to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusale m, to all the region also of Judea, and to the nations, I was preaching to reform, and to turn back unto God, doing works worthy of reformation;”

   Literal Meaning: and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea” According to the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s account in the epistles, it seemed that he had not preached “throughout all the region of Judea”. And therefore some people held that this sentence was added by the later generations in the handwritten copies.

  “That they should repent, turn to God” “Repent” in the original means “the change of mind”. Please note that the true repentance is not turning from evilness to goodness. It means that one turns to God and lets his mind be controlled by God from being without and disobeying God in his heart.

  “And do works befitting repentance” It means to show that their repentance is sincere through their works (See Matt. 3:8; Luke. 3:8).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Repentance does not stress on mending one’s behavior or departing from something but lies in changing one’s mind to God.

2) If our minds are still towards persons or things besides God, our works will not befit the name of Christian because our works are controlled by our minds.

3) Paul turned from persecuting the church to expanding the church and from arresting Christians to persuading others to be Christians. His turning point was that he met Christ of resurrection. The reason why we are able repent (the change of mind) lies in meeting the Lord.

4) The example of Paul shows that the one who has truly repented does works befitting repentance. Only those who truly repent are able to persuade others to repent truly.

 

Acts. 26:21 “For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

   YLT: “because of these things the Jews -- having caught me in the temple -- were endeavouring to kill [me].”

   Literal Meaning: it generally retells the condition in Acts. 21:27-31.

 

Acts. 26:22 “Therefore, having obtained help from God, 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--

   YLT: “`Having obtained, therefore, help from God, till this day, I have stood witnessing both to small and to great, saying nothing besides the things that both the prophets and Moses spake of as about to come,”

   Literal Meaning: Therefore, having obtained help from God” The original root of “help” means ally and union and therefore the whole sentence implies that Paul the apostle was united to God and realized that God kept him in the union.

  “Saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come--” “The prophets and Moses” refers to the Old Testament (See Luke. 24:27, 44).

 

Acts. 26:23 “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.’”

   YLT: “that the Christ is to suffer, whether first by a rising from the dead, he is about to proclaim light to the people and to the nations.'”

   Literal Meaning: that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead” This sentence is the essential content of the gospel (1Cor. 15:3-4).

  “And would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles” God is light (1John. 1:5) and He shines upon the world by incarnation (John. 1:5, 9). Only when men believe in and follow Jesus Christ will they have “the light of life” (John. 8:12).

  This verse shows that the resurrection of Christ fulfills the prophecies in the prophets------the days of the suffering servant of righteousness have been prolonged (Is. 53:10) and he became a light of the nations (Is. 42:6; 49:6; 60:3).

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Col. 1:19).

2) The gospel is the same to all races and the Jews and the Gentiles need it in the same way.

 

Acts. 26:24 “Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!’”

   YLT: “And, he thus making a defence, Festus with a loud voice said, `Thou art mad, Paul; much learning doth turn thee mad;'”

   Meaning of Words: “beside yourself”: roar, crazy; “mad”: insanity.

   Literal Meaning: Much learning is driving you mad!” “Learning” here refers to men’s knowledge to the Old Testament. Festus perceived that Paul had the brilliant understanding in the Law and the prophets from his words, however, he cannot comprehend the vision, resurrection and etc that he talked about. And therefore he thought that he was mad.

 

Acts. 26:25 “But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.

   YLT: “and he saith, `I am not mad, most noble Festus, but of truth and soberness the sayings I speak forth;”

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) The content and nature of the gospel that we preach are uneasy to be comprehended by the common world, however, we must try our best to “speak the words of truth and reason” so that others may understand and receive it.

2) Whom Christians serve is the true and living God, what we bear witness to is the true Lord of resurrection and the gospel that we believe is the true reason.

 

Acts. 26:26 “For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.

   YLT: “for the king doth know concerning these things, before whom also I speak boldly, for none of these things, I am persuaded, are hidden from him; for this thing hath not been done in a corner;”

   Meaning of Words: “in a corner”: the corner of the building, the hidden nook.

   Literal Meaning: since this thing was not done in a corner” It is a proverb. The early Christians teachers always insisted that the historical basis of the gospel that they preached was according to the well-known facts (See Acts. 2:22).

   Enlightenment in the Word: the reason why Paul could “speak freely” is that “none of these (things) escaped his attention”. And therefore the strong witness lies in the behavior of light. All the collusion, schemes, tricks in the secret harm our witness.

 

Acts. 26:27 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.’”

   YLT: “thou dost believe, king Agrippa, the prophets? I have known that thou dost believe!'”

   Literal Meaning: do you believe the prophets?” means that “do you receive the writings of the prophets?”

  I know that you do believe” It means that anyone who knows and receives the writings of the prophets shall agree on Paul’s conclusion.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Christians’ faith bases on the promises of the Old Testament and therefore all those who truly believe and receive the words of the prophets shall believe and receive the gospel.

2) Christians need to read both the New Testament and the Old Testament. We should understand both the New Testament and the Old Testament.

 

Acts. 26:28 “Then Agrippa said to Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’”

   YLT: “And Agrippa said unto Paul, `In a little thou dost persuade me to become a Christian!'”

   Literal Meaning: You almost persuade almost” has two meanings that: 1) it refers to the “shortness” in the effort; 2) in refers to the “shortness” in the time.

  “To become a Christian” Concerning the correct meaning of this sentence, the Bible exegetes had different explanations: 1) it is with the disdainful attitude and it could be translated into: “What? Do you want me to become a Christian?” It means that he would not be convinced because of such a short paragraph of words; 2) it is the sincere words from his heart and it could be translated into: “you almost make me become a Christian”.

   Enlightenment in the Word: today many friends have the same attitude with King Agrippa and they are afraid of being persuaded to become Christians because of face. The others are moved in their hearts and feel that it is good to become Christians, however, they are hesitant.

 

Acts. 26:29 “And Paul said, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.’”

   YLT: “and Paul said, `I would have wished to God, both in a little, and in much, not only thee, but also all those hearing me to-day, to become such as I also am -- except these bonds.'”

   Literal Meaning: It means that he would persuade men to believe in the Lord no matter how much effort and time he would spend.

  “Except for these chains” Probably Paul was bound by the guards at that time. Paul hoped that all his listeners could believe in the Lord Jesus and he was unwilling to let them be bound because of faith.

   Enlightenment in the Word:

1) Those who serve God always bear in mind the interest of others and they would rather suffer pain themselves and let others enjoy the heavenly blessings.

2) The one who preaches the gospel must have the will of benefiting others by sacrificing himself: death is working in himself, but others receive life (2Cor. 4:12).

 

Acts. 26:30 “When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them;

   YLT: “And, he having spoken these things, the king rose up, and the governor, Bernice also, and those sitting with them,”

 

Acts. 26:31 “and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.’”

   YLT: “and having withdrawn, they were speaking unto one another, saying -- `This man doth nothing worthy of death or of bonds;'”

 

Acts. 26:32 “Then Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’”

   YLT: “and Agrippa said to Festus, `This man might have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.'”

   Literal Meaning: This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” It means that since Paul had expressed that he would appeal to Caesar, they had to obey the procedure of the law and could not set him free because he was guiltless. Apparently, if Paul the Apostle did not appeal to Caesar, he should be set free at that moment and therefore his appeal was unnecessary. However, if he did not appeal to Caesar, he would be delivered to Jerusalem and killed and probably he would not have the chance to bear witness before King Agrippa.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

The Descriptions Concerning Paul’s “Differences”

I.  God’s promise:

A. Previously he had the same hope with the Jews (v.6-7).

  B. Now he was accused by the Jews because he had the different understanding of the hope (v.6-7).

II. Resurrection:

A. Previously he attacked the name of Jesus because he thought His resurrection was incredible (v.8-9).

  B. Now he preached that Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead (v.23).

III. The attitude to the Lord Jesus:

A. Previously he persecuted Jesus (v.9, 14-15).

  B. Now he testified Jesus (v.16, 22).

IV. The relation with others:

  A. Previously he persecuted and harmed others (v.10-12).

  B. Now he was persecuted by others and they wanted to kill him (v.17, 21).

V. The two conditions of the Lord’s revelation:

  A. He was shone by the light and fell to the ground (v.13-14a).

  B. He was convinced by the voice (v.14b-15).

VI. The moment he met the Lord and the time after that:

  A. He fell to the ground first (v.14a).

  B. He stood on his feet later (v.16a).

VII. The Lord’s instruction (v.16b):

  A. Being a minister.

  B. Being a witness.

VIII. The Lord’s appearance (v.16c):

  A. Now the Lord specially appeared to him to let him see something.

  B. Later the Lord shall appear to him continually to reveal something to him.

IX. The two missions to the world (v.18):

  A. Turning------from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

  B. Receiving-----forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified.

X. The comprehension of words:

  A. He was misunderstood that he was mad (v.24).

  B. He thought that he spoke the words of truth and reason (v.25).

XI. The two expectations to the world (v.29):

  A. All those who hear the gospel would become such as “he was”------become Christians.

  B. Except for these chains------have freedom.

 

A True Preacher

I. His change:

  A. Because the Lord appeared to him by Himself (v.13).

  B. Because the Lord spoke to him by Himself (v.14-15).

II. His being instructed:  

  A. The Lord made him a minister and a witness (v.16).

  B. The Lord instructed him to preach the gospel (v.17-18).

III. His response:

  A. He was not disobedient to the heavenly vision (v.19).

  B. He preached the message of the gospel everywhere (v.20).

IV. His persistence:

  A. He bore men’s persecution (v.21).

  B. Because he obtained help from God (v.22-23).

 

The Heavenly Vision

I. Light:

  A. A light from heaven, brighter than the sun (v.13a)------the heavenly light.

  B. Shining around (v.13b)------balanced.

  C. He fell to the ground (v.14a)------make men be convinced.

II. Voice:

  A. I heard a voice (v.14b)------the real voice instead of the idea in the heart.

  B. In the Hebrew language (v.14b)------it could be understood clearly.

  C. Speaking to me and saying , “Saul, Saul…” (v.14b)------it is individual.

  D. Why are you persecuting Me? (v.14b)------it is the condemnation to his past behavior.

  E. It is hard for you to kick against the goads (v.14c)------knowing His sovereignty.

III. Revelation:

  A. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (v.15)------He reveals His relation with the church.

  B. Rise and stand on your feet (v.16a)------He reveals that His words are men’s strength.

  C. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you (v.16b)------He reveals that He is the Lord.

  D. A minister and a witness (v.16b)------He reveals the equal stress of work and revelation.

  E. A witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you (v.16c)------He reveals the origin and content of the work.

  F. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles (v.17)------He reveals that he would suffer difficulties and the way to handle them in work. 

IV. The dispatch:

  A. Make you a minister and a witness (v.16b)------He appointed the minister.

  B. To whom I now send you (v.18a)------He appointed the workshop.

V. The mission (v.18 please see “what Christ did for men”).

 

What Christ Did for Men (v.18)

I. To open their eyes------see the spiritual things.

II. To turn them from darkness to light------walk on the bright way.

III. To turn them from the power of Satan to God------obey the will of God.

IV. That they may receive forgiveness of sins by faith in Him------receive the forgiveness of the past sins.

V. Receive an inheritance among those who are sanctified------have the glorious hope in future.

 

The Complete Meaning of Repentance (v.20)

I. Repentance------the change of mind.

II. Turning to God------regard God as their center of life.

III. Doing works befitting repentance------walk under the restraint of God.

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Sharon Ren