1.
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
2.
I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
3.
Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
4.
My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
5.
Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6.
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:
7.
Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
8.
Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?
9.
I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10.
Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11.
And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12.
Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13.
At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14.
And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16.
But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
16. “.....For unto this I have appeared unto thee, to make thee a minister and a martyr of the things which you see, and of which I shall appear unto thee”; i. e., Jesus continued to reveal His wonderful truth to Paul, inspiring him to write more of the same than any other man.
17.
Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
17. “Delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom now I send the,
18.
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
18. “To open their eyes.” The devil knocked the eyes out of humanity in the Fall. Hence all alike, good and bad, walk in the devil’s rayless midnight till the resurrection power gives sight to the blind to open their eyes. “To turn them from darkness into light.” We are not only in blackest darkness, but we ourselves are darkness throughout so long as we remain in the black regions of Satan’s rayless kingdom. Regeneration takes us out of darkness into the light of God’s kingdom. Then sanctification takes all the darkness out of us, so filling us with light as to make us light itself throughout, having no darkness. “From the dominion of Satan to God.” Regardless of all our moral goodness and church loyalty, we are in the devil’s merciless grip till the Omnipotent Jesus delivers us. “That they may receive remission of sins.” This is our first great deliverance. When the light comes, conviction interpenetrates, and we cry importunately to God for deliverance; in utter desperation fully recognizing our meetness only for hell fire, we cast ourselves on the mercy of God in Christ. Then for Christ’s sake alone He cancels all our sins from heaven’s chancery, removing our guilt, counting us righteous in Christ’s stead. “And inheritance among them who have been sanctified by faith, which is in me, and have it yet better than ever.” We have here the perfect tense of hagiadzoo, “sanctify,” which in Greek has more than double the force of the English, i. e., meaning that we have been sanctified in past time and have it yet better than ever. Oh, the riches of redeeming grace and sanctifying power! And how do we get it? “Not by works” (Ephesians 2:8); not by growth, death, nor purgatory, but as we see here so clearly and unmistakably revealed in Paul’s commission, it is by faith, and nothing but faith, having reached believing ground by radical and complete consecration. Here Paul becomes wonderfully impetuous, preaching to two kings and queens, as well as a great audience.
19.
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
20.
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
21.
For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
22.
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
22. “Therefore having received help from God, I stand unto this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing else than those things which the prophets and Moses said would come to pass,
23.
That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
23. “If Christ should suffer, if he should first rise from the dead, he is about to proclaim light to the people,” i. e., the Jews and the Gentiles. Paul sweeps away all defalcation from King Agrippa as a member of the Jewish Church, because he proves everything appertaining to Christ by Moses and the prophets, meanwhile his application to the Gentiles, i. e., not only Festus, but all the Roman world, is equally sweeping and conclusive. At this moment Festus breaks down, unable longer to restrain his impulses and hold his peace,
24.
And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
24. But shouts uproariously, “Paul, thou art beside thyself; many writings have turned thee into insanity,” seeing that Paul is a man of greatest learning, a real expert not only in the rabbinical lore of all bygone ages, but thoroughly posted in all the learning of the Gentiles. Such is the power of his oratory, the irresistible logic of his arguments and the irrefutable force of his burning pathos, that Festus leaps to the conclusion that immense study has overwrought his brain and turned him into insanity, thus finding a nigh way to account for all the troubles in the case.
25.
But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
25. “But,” says he, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and soberness.” Well could Paul address him “most noble Festus.” His deportment in the Pauline trial, appeal and transportation is irreproachable. Though heathen, he was certainly a man having sterling qualities of head and heart. Paul now addresses King Agrippa in person, as he is his brother in the Jewish church; he is sanguinely hopeful, by proving to him clearly by Moses and the prophets that Jesus is the Christ, of converting him to Christianity.
26.
For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
27.
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
27. “O King Agrippa, dost thou believe the prophets? I know that thou believest them.” Paul has cornered Agrippa, having a double grip on him because he is a Jew. Having proved so conclusively and irresistibly the Christhood of Jesus by all of the prophets, he thus precipitates the confession of Agrippa, constraining the king to break silence and put a quietus to the over-mastering vehemence and foregone conclusion of Paul, that because he does believe Moses and the prophets, by whom Paul has so powerfully and unanswerably proven the Christhood of Jesus, therefore he is constrained to confess the great salient facts of the gospel.
28.
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
28. Agrippa said to Paul, “You persuade yourself with little persuasion that you make me a Christian.” The E. V. misses this translation. See R. V.
Agrippa stoutly resisted the preaching of Paul, grieving the Holy Spirit, rejecting the unanswerable Scriptural arguments of Paul, and showing no evidence of conviction. To his cheerless and hopeless negative answer, Paul simply responds in an ejaculatory prayer.
29.
And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
29. “I would to God that not only you but all those who hear me this day, both with little and much persuasion, were such as I am except these bonds.” He prayed for their greatest possible good, that they might have the great salvation which he enjoyed, with none of his temporal afflictions.
This verse is Paul’s benediction on the adjourning multitude, as King Agrippa had wound up the meeting by his positive negative answer to Paul’s mighty appeals to accept Jesus as the Christ.
30.
And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
31.
And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
32.
Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.