In 26:19 and 20 Paul testified, “Wherefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and also in Jerusalem and all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.” Paul’s use of the word “vision” in verse 19 indicates that Paul was obedient not to doctrine, theory, religious creed, or theology, but to the heavenly vision, in which he saw the divine things concerning the Triune God to be dispensed into His chosen, redeemed, and transformed people. All his preachings in Acts and writings in his fourteen Epistles from Romans through Hebrews are a detailed description of this heavenly vision he saw.
In 26:21 and 22 Paul continued, “Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to slay me. Therefore, having obtained the help which is from God, I have stood unto this day, testifying both to small and great, saying nothing apart from the things which both the prophets and Moses said were about to take place.” The Greek word translated “help” in verse 22 also means “assistance.” The root of this Greek word means alliance. This implies that the apostle was allied with God and realized God’s assistance in this alliance.
In 26:22 Paul did not say, “I have lived unto this day”; rather, he said, “I have stood unto this day.” Paul had stood in front of the Roman commander and in front of Felix and Festus. Now Paul was standing before Agrippa. As Paul stood before Agrippa, he was bold, saying that he testified both to small and great. The great ones to whom Paul testified included Felix, Festus, and Agrippa.
Paul told Agrippa that he did not testify anything apart from the things which both the prophets and Moses said were about to take place, “that the Christ should suffer and that He first, from the resurrection of the dead, should announce light both to the people and to the Gentiles” (v. 23). Literally, the Greek words rendered “should suffer” mean “was to be subject to suffering.” Furthermore, the Greek words translated, “He first, from the resurrection of the dead, should announce” may be rendered, “by the resurrection of the dead He should be the first to announce,” or, “He being the first to rise from the dead should announce.”
In 26:23 Paul says that the Christ announced light both to the people and to the Gentiles. The word “light” here indicates the enlightenment of God, who is light (1 John 1:5), shining in Christ, who is the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5), through the preaching of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). Here Paul spoke of light instead of life because both the religious people and the Roman politicians were in darkness. Because they were in a dark “cell,” Paul said that Christ first, from the resurrection of the dead, announced light both to the people and to the Gentiles.
Acts 26:24 goes on to say, “And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with loud voice, You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” The Greek word for “insane” in verses 24 and 25 also means mad, crazy, beside one’s self. Literally, the Greek word translated “driving” means turning. Festus, who was the host and not the guest like Agrippa, said with a loud voice that Paul’s great learning, his scholarship, was driving him insane. As the host, Festus should not have said anything.
In verses 25 and 26 Paul replied, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus, but I am uttering words of truth and soberness. For the king knows about these things, to whom also I speak freely, for I am persuaded that none of these things has been hidden from him; for this has not been done in a corner.” In these verses Paul first told Festus that instead of being insane, he was very sobered and also sobering, uttering words of truth and soberness. Then Paul said that Agrippa knew about these things. Agrippa, as a Jew by religion, knew the things of the Old Testament and of the resurrection. Paul seemed to be saying, “Agrippa already knows about these things, for he is one of the Jews.”
In verse 27 Paul addressed Agrippa, saying, “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” As a member of the Jewish religion, Agrippa surely believed the prophets.
In verse 28 Agrippa replied to Paul, saying, “By a little talk are you persuading me to become a Christian?” The Greek word translated “talk” may also be rendered “time.” Literally, the Greek word for “become” is “make.” In answer to Agrippa’s question Paul said, “I would to God that both by little and by much, not only you, but also all those who hear me today may become such as even I am, except for these bonds” (v. 29). Paul’s word in this verse is very eloquent.
Acts 26:30-32 say, “And the king rose up, and the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, and when they had withdrawn, they spoke to one another, saying, This man is doing nothing worthy of death or of bonds. And Agrippa said to Festus, This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Here we see that in Agrippa’s opinion Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar. However, without this appeal, the apostle might have been killed by the Jews through Festus’ unjust handling of him (25:9), and thus his life might have not been preserved to that day. If Paul had not appealed to Caesar, he might not have had the opportunity to write the crucial Epistles of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Hebrews.
In the section of Acts from 21:27 to 26:32, a long narration of the Jews’ ultimate persecution of the apostle, the genuine characteristics of all the involved parties were made manifest. First we see the darkness, blindness, hatred, and hypocrisy of the Jewish religion. Second, we see the injustice and corruption of Roman politics. Third, we have the transparency, brightness, faithfulness, and courage of the apostle. Finally, there is the Lord’s encouraging care for His witness and His sovereignty over the entire situation for the carrying out of His divine purpose.