Act 26 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Acts 26:1-23: 26:1-23 In his eloquent defense before King Agrippa , Paul argued that his preaching was completely consistent with the Jewish faith. The defense begins with a courteous acknowledgement of Agrippa’s competence to hear the evidence (26:2-3 ), outlines the nature of Paul’s background, Jewish training, and membership in the Pharisees (26:4-5 ), and explains that the charges against him are merely for believing the fulfillment of Jewish hopes for the resurrection (26:6-8 ). Paul then tells the story of his conversion from strong opponent of Christianity (26:9-11 ) through a vision on the way to Damascus (26:12-18 ; see 9:1-18 ). His preaching was nothing more than obeying this divine vision (26:19-20 ). Even though he encountered violent opposition from his fellow Jews (26:21 ), God protected him as he taught a message that the Jews should have embraced (26:22-23 ). This defense is a model for Christians put on trial for their faith (see 9:15 ; Luke 21:12-15 ).

Summary for Acts 26:1-23: 26:1-23 ^a In his eloquent defense before King Agrippa, Paul argued that his preaching was completely consistent with the Jewish faith. The defense begins with a courteous acknowledgement of Agrippa’s competence to hear the evidence (26:2-3 ^b), outlines the nature of Paul’s background, Jewish training, and membership in the Pharisees (26:4-5 ^c), and explains that the charges against him are merely for believing the fulfillment of Jewish hopes for the resurrection (26:6-8 ^d). Paul then tells the story of his conversion from strong opponent of Christianity (26:9-11 ^e) through a vision on the way to Damascus (26:12-18 ^f; see 9:1-18 ^g). His preaching was nothing more than obeying this divine vision (26:19-20 ^h). Even though he encountered violent opposition from his fellow Jews (26:21 ⁱ), God protected him as he taught a message that the Jews should have embraced (26:22-23 ^j). This defense is a model for Christians put on trial for their faith (see 9:15 ^k; Luke 21:12-15 ^l).
Summary for Acts 26:12-18: 26:12-18 ^m See 9:1-18 ⁿ.
Summary for Acts 26:17-18: 26:17-18 ^o Throughout his defense in this trial for his life, Paul also clearly set out the conditions for receiving new life in Christ (also in 26:20 ^p, 23 ^q; see Matt 10:19-20 ^r).
Summary for Acts 26:22-23: 26:22-23 ^s Paul stressed God’s protection as he carried out his witness (cp. 3:18 ^t; 10:43 ^u; Luke 24:25-27 ^v, 44-47 ^w). Paul then called on his hearers to believe his message, that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills the promises of the Old Testament (see Luke 24:27 ^x, 44 ^y).
26:24 ^z Paul, you are insane: Festus, a Roman, thought all this talk about the prophets and resurrection was crazy (cp. 17:18 ^aa, 32 ^ab), and he concluded that Paul must have driven himself mad with too much study.
26:26 ^ac they were not done in a corner: The major events of the Christian faith were historical matters of public record that witnesses could attest as factually true. Agrippa could not invalidate Paul’s statements of fact.
Summary for Acts 26:27-28: 26:27-28 ^ad Paul’s question put Agrippa in a bind: If he said he believed the prophets, he knew Paul would press home the Christian message; if not, he would offend the devout Jews in his audience. Agrippa knew that Paul wasn’t crazy and that Paul’s testimony about Jesus was historically sound (26:26 ^ae). So Agrippa evaded Paul’s question and refused to face the claims of Christ, alleging that the statement given by Paul was too brief for him to arrive at a responsible decision.
26:28 ^af “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”: This enigmatic remark might have been ironic, incredulous, scoffing, or brushing off Paul’s challenge. It also might have been a direct statement of Paul’s persuasiveness, or a direct statement about or genuine question of Paul’s intention. It seems best to take Agrippa’s reply as deliberately evasive: He didn’t want to admit that he believed the prophets (26:27 ^ag), for Paul had just made a strong case, and the next step would be to believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah to whom the prophets pointed. Agrippa didn’t want to take that step. On the other hand, he didn’t want to say that he didn’t believe the prophets, for that would alienate the Jewish subjects to whose loyalties he wanted to appeal. His non-committal response underlines his discomfort with Paul’s testimony.
26:29 ^ah Paul’s bold answer shows his quickness in repartee. He challenges Agrippa and his whole audience about the value of knowing Christ and making a personal commitment to him.
26:31 ^ai The consensus of these rulers was that Paul had not done anything to deserve death or imprisonment; this verdict was given repeatedly by the Roman authorities that considered Paul’s case (25:25 ^aj; see Luke 23:4 ^ak, 15 ^al, 22 ^am).
26:32 ^an He could have been set free: The legal verdict was clear (26:31 ^ao). But as a practical matter, if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar, Paul might not have been alive (25:1-11 ^ap). As it was, he was fulfilling God’s purposes for him (23:11 ^aq).