Tuesday, May 26th

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Tuesday, May 26

Acts 26:1-7
So Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: "I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

"My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!

I have often heard people describe the difficulty of sharing the message of the gospel with the people they grew up with; and especially with family. While this is certainly not always the case, many find their old friends and/or family members to be very resistant to conversations about faith.

Sometimes the response is skepticism: “Hey, you can’t fool me; I remember the things we used to do!”

Sometimes it’s resentment: “So now you think you’re better than me because you got a little religion?”

Paul is speaking before at least one man, King Agrippa, who was himself a Jew and knew all the traditions in which Paul had been raised. So that’s where Paul chooses to start:

"My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers... And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!

Paul wants to be clear about two things. First, he wants to make it clear that he was, and is, a Jew who loves and respects his nation as well as the teachings of the scriptures. Secondly, he wants to make it clear that he stands accused of nothing more than his hope in the promises of God; namely, the promise of the Messiah who would come to save his people from their sins.

Paul believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah of God; the very son of God who allowed himself to be put to death as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He believed the law and the prophets all pointed to Jesus, and that salvation was to be found in Jesus alone. For this hope and for this hope alone, he says, he has been beaten and is now on trial.

I think Paul takes this stance because he knows that both Festus (the Roman Procurator) and King Agrippa are political creatures. He knows they value two things; their own position and to keep the peace so that the Emperor is satisfied. Paul wants them to know that he has committed no crime; rather, he is accused of believing Jesus is the Messiah. He knew that neither Festus or Agrippa cared much for religious debate, so he shrewdly paints them into a corner where they have either send him to Rome as a “religious revolutionary,” which would not please the Emperor, or, they have to admit that he is not a criminal.

Paul was not afraid to die, but neither was he shy about using the great intellect God had given him to challenge to powers of this world for the purposes of the gospel.

As Paul would write to his young protege, Timothy:

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7

Where and how may you have been timid in your faith? Ask the Holy Spirit to embolden you with his power, love and self-discipline!


Pastor Brian Coffey