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Acts 26:1–8
“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! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?” (vv. 6–8).
Festus, after hearing from Paul and his Jewish accusers, found that the Apostle had not violated any Roman law. So he did not know what charge to send to Caesar with Paul for the sake of Paul’s appeal to the emperor. Despite lacking expertise in the Jewish law, Festus saw that Paul and his accusers were really arguing over religious matters. The Jews’ original charge that Paul had stirred up Jews to riot across the Roman Empire was a false pretense for their real complaint: Paul’s view that Jesus is the Messiah. So Festus called on Herod Agrippa II, a local Jewish ruler, for help. Festus hoped that Agrippa II could sort out the religious issues and assist him in communicating Paul’s appeal to the emperor (Acts 25; see 24:1–8).
Today we begin our look at Paul’s defense before Agrippa II. The Apostle started with a respectful thanks to the king for hearing his case. Paul’s greeting in Acts 26:1–3 was a standard part of such defense speeches made before rulers in the Roman Empire, but he was not giving empty words of flattery. The Jews of the day recognized Herod Agrippa II as a pious man, so he would indeed be quite “familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews” (v. 3).
After the introduction, Paul addressed the two fundamental issues that his Jewish opponents had with him. First, they believed him to be violating several Jewish customs, traditions, and laws (see 21:28; 23:3–4; 24:6). Paul responded to this accusation indirectly by stressing his piety and faithfulness to the Judaism of his forefathers. From his youth, he had been a part of the “strictest party” of Judaism, the Pharisees, who were well known for their scrupulous attention to the Mosaic law and the Jewish traditions (26:4–6; see Matt. 23:1–2). By this statement, Paul conveyed that he was the last person who would ever act against Judaism. We see this confirmed in Acts 26:6–8, where Paul says that he was on trial for the common hope that he shared with his fellow Jews—“the promise made by God to our fathers”—namely, the resurrection of the dead.
That brings us to the second disagreement between Paul and his Jewish accusers, which was the nature and timing of this resurrection. The Jews, including Paul, believed that the resurrection of the dead would not happen until the day of judgment. Paul, however, was teaching that the day of judgment had begun to dawn in the resurrection of Jesus and that He was the firstfruits of the final resurrection of the dead (see 1 Cor. 15).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The real dispute between Paul and the other Jews was not over the concept of the resurrection, though some Jews such as the Sadducees rejected the doctrine. Instead, the Jews did not believe that the resurrection of the dead had begun with Christ. Today that truth remains a primary stumbling block for Jews who reject the Messiah. Our duty is to hold fast to the truth that Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection and to defend it against all objectors.
For further study
- Romans 6:5
- 1 Peter 1:3
The bible in a year
- Ezekiel 29–31
- James 5
- Ezekiel 32–34
- 1 Peter 1–2