Paul Appears Before Agrippa

Acts 26 — Paul Appears Before Agrippa

After his return to Jerusalem after his Third Missionary Journey, the resurrection theme begins to develop in Paul's speeches before the Sanhedrin, before the Roman governors, and, in Acts 26, before King Agrippa II. He told the Sanhedrin, "Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” (Acts 23:6). To Felix, he said, "Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day" (Acts 24:21)

Because Agrippa was familiar with Old Testament Scripture and its Jewish context, Paul goes into much in his explanation. He said to Agrippa:


Ironically, the Jewish nation collectively had been looking for the Jewish Messiah who will fulfill the prophesies and promises of God and bring the hope of the resurrection they so desperately sought. Yet, Christ "came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus was vital to Paul's defense because it validates the claims of both the Lord Jesus as well as Paul. It proves that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and Messiah foretold in Jewish Scriptures and why the Apostle Paul is not doing anything against the Jewish nation or its tradition.

As Paul stood before Agrippa, Festus, and the Jewish leadership, we see three different reactions. In disbelief, Festus, with his Greco-Roman bias against the resurrection, accused Paul of being mad. In unbelief, the Jewish leadership, although knew the Lord Jesus did rise from the dead, refused to believe because of their stubbornness. Agrippa, however, is the saddest case of all. Although he seemed to have been convinced of the veracity of Paul's account and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus refused to acknowledge it publicly, mostly likely, for fear of losing his position.