EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Acts 26:1-32

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

Chapter 26 Paul speaks to King Agrippa, 26:1-11

v1 Agrippa told Paul, ‘You may now speak for yourself.’ Paul waved his hand. He said, v2 ‘King Agrippa, I am glad about this chance to speak to you today. I can speak about all these *charges that the *Jews bring against me. v3 That is because you know a lot about all the *Jewish customs. You also know about the beliefs that we do not agree about. So, I ask you to listen to me patiently. v4 All the *Jews have known me since my childhood. They know the way that I have lived, in my own country, then in *Jerusalem. v5 They have known me for a long time. If they were willing, they could tell you this. They could tell you that I was a *Pharisee. *Pharisees are the strictest *Jewish group. v6 Now I am having this *trial because I believe God’s promise to our *ancestors. v7 Our 12 tribes (very large families) have *worshipped God every day and every night. God had promised something to them. And they were waiting for that thing to happen. King Agrippa, this is why the *Jewish leaders accuse me. It is because of that hope. That is why they make *charges against me. v8 You people here should not doubt that God raises dead people to life. v9 Before, I thought that I must oppose Jesus from *Nazareth. I thought that I should do everything against his name. v10 First, I did this in *Jerusalem. I had authority from the chief priests. So, I put many of God’s people in prison. I even voted for people to kill them. v11 Often, I went round to many different *synagogues. At each *synagogue, I ordered people to punish God’s people. I wanted God’s people to give up their *faith. So, I tried to force them to do that. I was very angry with them. I even went to foreign cities in order to *persecute them.’

Verse 1 At the time when Paul lived, a person waved his or her hand to show honour. Agrippa asked Paul to speak. Before Paul began to speak, he showed honour to Agrippa.

Verses 2-3 It was the custom to praise the ruler (see note on Acts 24:2-4). Again, Paul told the truth when he said good things about Agrippa. Agrippa knew a lot about the *Jews and about their religion.

Verses 4-8 Then, Paul told the story about what had happened in his life. The *Jews knew that he was a *Pharisee. Probably, many of them had seen him with his famous teacher, Gamaliel (see Acts 22:3). The *Pharisees studied Moses’ *Law every day. They obeyed all the rules of *Judaism. They also believed in God’s promise. God had promised to send his *Messiah to them. They were still waiting for that to happen. But it had happened already. Jesus is God’s *Messiah. His *resurrection proved that. His *resurrection means that God will raise us to life, too. Paul knew that God had raised Jesus to life. The *Pharisees believed in the *resurrection of dead people. So the *Pharisees should be able to believe that fact about Jesus.

Verses 9-11 Next, Paul told the people at the meeting how he had *persecuted *Christians. He, too, did not believe in Jesus at that time. He put *believers in prison. He voted that they must die as a punishment. He wanted them to give up their beliefs. He even followed them to foreign cities. Here, Paul is showing that he was a true *Pharisee. He also opposed *Christians at first. He was very angry with them. So, he understood how the *Jews felt. But everything changed for Paul!

Paul tells how he met the *Lord Jesus, 26:12-23

v12 ‘For this reason, I went to Damascus. I had orders from the chief priests and I had their authority. v13 King Agrippa, at about noon, I saw a light. It was brighter than the sun. It came from heaven and it flashed on me. It flashed on everyone who was with me. v14 We all fell down on the ground. I heard a voice. It spoke in the *Aramaic language. It said, “Saul, Saul, why do you *persecute me? It is foolish to fight against me. You are hurting yourself. You are like a cow that kicks against its owner’s stick!” v15 “Who are you, *Lord?” I asked. The *Lord answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are *persecuting. v16 Now stand up. I have appeared in front of you because I have chosen you. You will be my servant. You will tell other people what you have learnt about me today. I will show more to you later. You will tell people about that also. v17 I will protect you from the *Jews. I will protect you from the *Gentiles. I am sending you to the *Gentiles. v18 You must open their eyes. They must turn away from the darkness and they must come into the light. They must *reject *Satan’s power and they must ask God for help. Then God will forgive their *sins. They will become part of God’s *holy people. That will happen by means of *faith in me.” v19 King Agrippa, I obeyed that *vision from heaven. v20 First, I went to the people in Damascus. Then, I went to *Jerusalem. I went all over *Judea. I went to the *Gentiles also. I *preached to them all. I told them that they must *repent. I told them to ask God for help. I said that they must prove that they had *repented. They must do the things that showed this. v21 That is why some *Jews seized me in the *Temple. They tried to kill me. v22 But God has always helped me. So, I stand and I speak to both small and great people here. I have told the *Jews the same things as Moses and the *prophets said. v23 I have told the *Jews that the *Messiah must suffer. He would be the first person that would rise from death. He would bring light both to his own people and to the *Gentiles.’

Verses 12-14 This is the third time that Luke records this story. (See also Acts 9:1-18; Acts 22:4-16.) In Acts 22:4-16, the people in Paul’s audience were almost all *Jews. So there, Paul showed that he was a good *Jew. He emphasised parts of the story that were important to *Jews. But here, the people in his audience were almost all *Gentiles. So, Paul emphasised different parts of the story. He did not say that he became blind. He did not mention Ananias. Instead, he emphasised what Jesus said to him. And he gave extra information.

When Paul *persecuted *Christians, he *persecuted Jesus. Jesus told Paul that he (Paul) was also hurting himself! Jesus said a popular proverb (a wise thing that people said). Paul was like a *stubborn cow. When the farmer first tied the cow to the plough, the cow hated this. It tried to escape and it kicked. The farmer had a stick with a sharp point. The farmer held this stick close to the cow’s legs. When the cow kicked, it hurt its legs on the stick! So, the cow learned to obey the farmer. Otherwise, it hurt itself. Paul, too, was *stubborn and he was learning the hard way!

Verses 15-16 Jesus answered Paul’s question. Then he told him to stand up. This was so that he would be ready. Jesus had chosen Paul to serve him in a special way. Paul must tell people about what he had seen. Paul had seen Jesus! Jesus had gone up to heaven. And he was in *glory with his Father, God. But he had appeared in front of Paul. Jesus also said that he would show more to Paul later. This refers to Paul’s other *visions of Jesus. (See, for example, Acts 22:17-21.)

Verse 17 Jesus promised to protect Paul. This did not mean that Paul would not suffer. But Paul would be able to complete God’s work.

Verse 18 God wanted Paul to open the *Gentiles’ eyes. They were not blind in a physical way. They were blind in a *spiritual way. They could not see that the *gospel is true. Paul had to persuade the *Gentiles to turn away from *spiritual darkness. Then they could come into God’s light. *Satan was ruling over them. In that way, they were in *spiritual darkness. *Satan rules over everyone who does not accept Jesus as their *Lord and *Saviour. People may not realise this but it is true. Jesus called *Satan ‘the prince of this world’ (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11). But when you become a *Christian, *Satan does not rule over you any longer. Then God forgives your *sins. The *Holy Spirit comes to live in you. Jesus is your king. In that way, you come into God’s light.

Paul had to bring the *Gentiles into God’s family. This was God’s work for Paul to do.

Verses 19-20 Here, Paul gives a short account of the message that he *preached everywhere.

1. He told people to stop their *sin. They must not do wrong things any longer. The way that they live must change.

2. He told people to ask God for help. When they stop their *sin, they must start to obey God. God must become more important to them than anyone or anything else is.

3. He told people to prove that they had *repented. It is easy for people to say that they *repent. But they must prove it by what they do. God will give to them the power that they need to live good lives.

Verse 21 Paul had shown that *Gentiles are important to God. They can belong to God’s family, too. When God forgives them, they receive his *salvation. That made some *Jews very angry with Paul. That was the real reason why they seized him in the *Temple. Paul did not even mention the *charges against him.

Verses 22-23 God had always helped Paul, as Jesus had promised. ‘Both small and great people here’ referred to Paul’s audience. Probably it referred to their rank. Or perhaps it referred to their ages and so it meant ‘from the young to the old’.

Paul emphasised that he did not *preach any bad things about the *Jews. He *preached the same message as Moses and the *prophets had given. They had *prophesied that certain things would happen. And those things had happened in Jesus’ life. They had happened in his death and his *resurrection. Paul did not want to oppose the *Jews. His message came from the *scriptures. So the *Jews should not oppose what he taught.

‘Paul, you are mad!’ 26:24-32

v24 Then Festus interrupted Paul’s speech. He shouted, ‘Paul, you are mad! You have become mad because you have learned too much!’

v25 Paul replied, ‘I am not mad, most excellent Festus! I am telling the truth. I am saying sensible things. v26 King Agrippa knows about these things. I can speak boldly to him. I am sure that he has noticed everything. Nothing that I mentioned has happened in secret. v27 King Agrippa, do you believe what the *prophets said? I know that you do.’

v28 Agrippa said, ‘Do you think that you can persuade me so quickly to be a *Christian?’

v29 Paul replied, ‘I wish that you would become like me. I mean not only you. I mean everyone who is listening to me today! I wish that you could become like me. That is, except for these chains of course!’

v30 The king stood up. The *governor, Bernice and those who were sitting with them stood up. v31 They all left the room. After they had left, they talked to each other. They said, ‘This man has not done anything that deserves death. He should not go to prison.’

v32 Agrippa told Festus, ‘Paul could have been free if he had not *appealed to the *Emperor.’

Verse 24 Probably, Festus had seen Paul when he (Paul) was studying in his room. Festus knew that Paul was a very clever man. But Festus thought that Paul was mad. Festus had called Jesus ‘a dead man’ (Acts 25:19). But Paul was saying that Jesus was alive! Paul was also saying that this Jesus brought ‘light’ to all people (Acts 26:23).

Verses 25-27 Paul replied that he was not mad. He was not saying mad things either. The events of Jesus’ life, death and *resurrection had happened in public. Many people had seen those events. Paul asked whether Agrippa believed the *prophets’ message about the *Messiah. Paul was being very bold when he talked to the king like that. Everyone was probably very surprised.

Verses 28-29 But Agrippa did not answer Paul. Instead, he asked another question. We do not know whether Agrippa was angry or whether he was sincere. Perhaps he was insulting Paul. However, Paul’s answer was sincere. He was a prisoner of those leaders there. But he did not hate them. He wanted them to have *everlasting life. *Everlasting life is a gift. It is better than all other gifts. People receive it by means of Jesus. Paul wanted everyone to have the same *faith in Jesus that he had.

Verses 30-32 The king stood up in order to end the discussion. What Paul said was true. Perhaps the king realised that. Perhaps he knew that he should accept Jesus as his *Lord and *Saviour. But perhaps he was too proud.

Later, Festus, Agrippa and the other guests agreed that Paul was not guilty. But he had *appealed to the *Emperor. So, Paul had to go to Rome.

charges ~ when people accuse someone of crimes; these crimes are called charges.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Pharisee ~ a member in a certain group of Jews. These Jews thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So, they became very proud.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
trial ~ a legal examination in which a person answers questions. Then the judge decides whether the person is guilty of a crime.
ancestors ~ a person’s relatives that lived a long time ago.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Nazareth ~ the town where Jesus lived when he was young.
synagogue ~ a building where Jews gathered for prayer. They went there to study the scriptures. And they went there to attend other public meetings.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
scripture ~ the Bible, the book that contains God’s holy messages; the Old Testament.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
faith ~ when someone believes in someone or something; when someone is really sure about God and Jesus his Son; ‘the faith’ means the things that Christians say are true about Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
persecute ~ to attack people because they believe in *Christ; and to hurt them for that reason.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Messiah ~ in the Old Testament, the anointed king; in the New Testament, Jesus. It means the same as *Christ.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil. This shows that God has chosen him or her.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
Aramaic ~ a local Jewish language. Jesus spoke Aramaic.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Gentile ~ not Jewish; a person that is not a Jew; a person who does not know God. ‘Gentiles’ can mean people from all countries (but it does not include Jews).
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
reject ~ not to accept.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
vision ~ a dream; sometimes a dream that comes to a person when he or she is awake.
Judea ~ a region in the country where the Jews lived.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
preach ~ to tell the good news about Jesus to a person or people; and to explain it to them.
repent ~ to stop doing sin and then to obey God; to change from past evil behaviour; to let one’s mind change, so that one stops doing wrong things.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
stubborn ~ when people do not want to change their ideas, even when they are wrong.
glory ~ great love and praise and honour; the beautiful light round God; God’s power and his great importance.
spiritual ~ when something belongs to the spirit; when something belongs to the spirit rather than to physical things; a word that people use to refer to holy things.
spirit ~ a person’s spirit is the part in them that will always be alive. It will be alive even after his or her body is dead. There are good spirits. Those include God’s Spirit and his angels. There are also evil spirits. These include Satan and his angels.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
angel ~ a servant of God. He brings messages from God to people that live on earth.
Satan ~ the name for the worst spirit among the evil spirits, who are against God. He has another name, which is the Devil. He is God’s enemy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Gospel ~ a book at the beginning of the New Testament. There are 4 Gospels. They are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
gospel ~ the good news about Jesus; the message that Jesus came to save us.

'everlasting life ~ life that continues always.'everlasting life ~ life that continues always.

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