Chapter
26
The
first fourteen verses of this chapter tell us that when Paul was
brought before this assembly Agrippa gave him liberty to speak,
which he was not reluctant to do, since he knew that Agrippa was
"expert in all customs and questions which are among the
Jews." He then relates a little of his personal history, how
that he was brought up and lived as one of the strictest of the
Pharisees, and that now he was being judged for the "hope of
the promise made of God unto our fathers." This is the same
promise for which "the twelve tribes," all the whole
nation of
Israel
, were serving God day and night, and to the fulfilling of which
they hoped to come. This hope is, of course, the resurrection of the
dead; so Paul asks Agrippa the question, "Why should it be
thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the
dead?" Since Agrippa was so "expert in all customs and
questions which are among the Jews," there is no reason he
should think it incredible that God should raise the dead. Paul then
continues his personal history leading up to, and including his
experience on the
Damascus
road. Here he tells more of what the Lord said to him at that time
than has been given us before.
(Verses
15 through 18) "And I said, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said, I
am Jesus Whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet:
for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a
minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen,
and those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering
thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send
thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith in Me."
Jesus
not only appeared to Paul, and identified Himself, but He also told
Paul to get up, and stand up on his feet, because He had purposed a
work for him to do. Paul was to be a witness not only of what he had
already seen, but also of things to be shown him later. The Lord
promised to deliver him from "the people," that is, the
people of
Israel
, and also from the Gentiles. It was to the Gentiles that He was
sending Paul; and His purpose in sending him was "to open their
eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith" that is
in our Lord Jesus. Although surely we realize that the power of this
whole operation is in the hands of God, yet to Paul was given, and
to us is given, a great responsibility in this very statement.
No
one should even imagine that to Paul was, or to us is, given the
power to open the eyes, in the sense of giving any one faith to
believe the gospel, which faith is in Jesus alone. He is its source,
and it is anchored in Him, but to us is given the responsibility of
opening their eyes, in the sense of declaring to them the true
gospel, and thus turning them from the darkness of ignorance to the
light of knowledge; and in teaching them the true principles of
godliness, we turn those who believe from the power of Satan unto
God. As we do this, they receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them that are sanctified. Every one who believes
has already had his sins forgiven on the foundation of the precious
blood of Jesus, but he does not in his consciousness receive this
forgiveness until, in the gospel, Jesus is set forth crucified
before him, and he, through faith, believes it. In the same manner
he receives the inheritance, though by the unconditional election of
God, it is already his. Paul expresses it in slightly different
words in Ephesians
1:13
, "In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after ye believed,
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise." A
conversation between our Lord and a man who had been blind might
help toward understanding this. (John 9:35-38) "Jesus heard
that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto
him, ‘Dost thou believe on the Son of God?’ He answered and
said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I might believe?’ And Jesus said
unto him, ‘Thou hast both seen Him, and It is He That talketh with
thee.’ And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And worshipped
him." None would attempt to say that Jesus had not already
healed the man, but the man did not yet know Who it was Who had done
the work. Although, in this instance, Jesus Himself informed the
man, Who He was, since He is now at the right hand of the Father on
high, His ministers are charged with identifying Him through the
gospel to those to whom the Holy Ghost has given faith.
(Verses
19 through 21) "Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not
disobedient unto the heavenly vision: but shewed first unto them of
Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea,
and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do
works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in
the temple, and went about to kill me."
Since
Paul was fully persuaded that this was a heavenly vision, he was not
disobedient to it, but immediately set about doing that for which he
was called, first to the Jews, and then, when, as we have seen
earlier, they made it clear they wanted nothing to do with him or
the gospel he preached, to the Gentiles. The last one third of verse
20 describes for us the apostle's preaching, "that they should
repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance."
Today we may hear someone preaching that people should "repent
and turn to God," but there it usually ends. Are we afraid to
preach that they should do works that befit people who have indeed
repented, lest we step on someone's toes, perhaps even our own? It
was because of these things the Jews sought to kill Paul.
(Verses
22 and 23) "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue
unto this day, witnessing to small and great, saying none other
things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
That the Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that
should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people,
and unto the Gentiles."
Paul
here said something of himself that we all know about ourselves,
"Having obtained help of God, I continue unto this day."
No man continues of himself or by his own power, nor even indeed did
he come into existence on his own. We are here by the help of God
only. No doubt Paul's emphasis was upon the protection God had
afforded him through all the dangers he had experienced. He then
declared that he was still fulfilling his mission of witnessing to
small and great, avoiding no man; and that which he witnessed is
nothing but what the prophets and Moses had said would come to pass,
the death and resurrection of our Lord the Christ. (The K. J. V.
omits "the" before "Christ" in verse 23, but it
is in the Greek, as it should always be.) Festus was so aroused by
this that he spoke forth very loudly, and declared that Paul had
done so much studying that it had affected his mind, "much
learning hath made thee mad."
(Verses
25 through 27) "But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus;
but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king
knoweth of these things, before whom I speak freely: for I am
persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this
thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the
prophets? I know that thou believest."
Paul
declares that he is not insane, but is speaking soberly, and that
what he says is the truth. Further, he has no inhibitions about
speaking of these things before Agrippa, because the king is already
well informed of them, since they were done openly, and are known
far and wide. They were "not done in a corner," that is,
in some hidden away place. He asks Agrippa if he believes the
prophets; and gives his own answer. Whether his answer was really
factual, or rhetorical, we may never know. The Holy Ghost could have
revealed to Paul that the king did believe the prophets. However, it
could also be that Paul answered his own question for rhetorical
effect, and to make it unnecessary for Agrippa to answer, in the
event that he did not believe, because such an answer would have
made him more unpopular with the Jews than he was already. This
Agrippa was Herod Agrippa II, whose policies were not nearly so well
liked by the Jews as were those of his father Herod Agrippa I, who
was the instigator of the great persecution against the Christians
back in Chapter XII.
(Verses
28 and 29) "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest
me to be a Christian. and Paul said, I would to God, that not only
thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and
altogether such as I am, except these bonds."
Here
we have the most outstanding example ever given anywhere of the
inability of man, of himself, either to persuade men to believe the
gospel, or to believe it himself when it is presented to him.
Certainly, few, if any, today would claim to be more zealous in
preaching the gospel than was Paul, and few could be found of
greater eloquence. Yet, though Paul's most sincere desire before God
was that all who heard him might be "both almost, and
altogether such as" he was, except for his bonds, he could only
almost persuade Agrippa, though no doubt he used all the power of
persuasion at his command. At the same time, it would be foolish to
argue, as do some, that Agrippa just stubbornly resisted the Spirit
of God, and refused to believe. All evidence points to the fact that
he wanted to know more about this "new doctrine"; for it
was he who requested this hearing to begin with. The sobering truth
is that, unless the Holy Spirit of God imparts faith, no man will,
or indeed ever can, come any closer than being "almost
persuaded."
(Verses
30 through 32) "And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up,
and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: and when
they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This
man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa
unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not
appealed unto Caesar."
Here
is a situation that may cause some to wonder. They may think that
Paul made a grave mistake when he so abruptly appealed to Caesar.
Had he not done so, he could now have been set at liberty. Both of
his judges are agreed on this. Not only so, but even now Festus has
no charge to send with Paul to Caesar. However Paul has, as some may
think, foolishly, appealed to Caesar, effectively tying the hands of
Festus in the matter. He must be sent to Caesar. From the human
standpoint this does appear foolish; but it has all been directed of
God, to bring about that which He had purposed. Paul must go to
Rome
, and God is sending him at state expense. Though he will go under
guard. that guard will be his protection.
The
first eight verses of this chapter give the account of a very
uneventful voyage from
Caesarea
to Lasea. Paul, with other prisoners, was placed in the charge of a
centurion of Agustus' band, a man named Julius. Luke and Aristarchus,
a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went along as companions to Paul.
Julius treated him very courteously, giving him liberty at
Sidon
to go and visit with friends. The winds were contrary all the way
from
Sidon
to a place called "Fair Havens," not far from Lasea. Since
the contrary winds had slowed down their sailing, it took longer
than usual to make this much of the trip, and the season had arrived
that was very dangerous for sailing.
(Verses
9 and 10) "Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was
now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul
admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this
voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading of
the ship, but also of life."
Although
Julius had been very kind to Paul, to him Paul was only a prisoner,
and certainly not so knowledgeable of the sea and the seasons, as
were the shipmaster and the owner of the ship. So he listened to
them instead of Paul. They did not think Fair Havens a suitable
place to winter, but preferred to go to Phenice, if at all possible.
So this they attempted to do. Shortly there arose a gentle breeze
from the south; and they, thinking that this would be just what they
wanted, set sail. However this breeze only lasted long enough for
them to pass
Crete
. Soon thereafter there arose a great wind, called "Euroclydon,"
which literally means "a wind that raises mighty waves,"
or "a wind that raises broad waves." From Luke's
description of this storm, both meanings will apply. Since his
description of the storm is clear enough to need no explanation, we
shall pass over verses 15 through 20.
(Verses
21 through 26) "But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in
the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me,
and not have loosed from
Crete
, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be
of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among
you, but of this ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of
God, Whose I am, and Whom I serve, saying, Fear not Paul; thou must
be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that
sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe
God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be
cast upon a certain island."
We
do not know how long Paul had been silent about this matter since
they had sailed from
Crete
, but Luke said earlier, "_ _ _neither sun nor stars in many
days appeared," signifying that it had been quite a long
lasting storm. Now Paul stood up before the whole company, and told
them the message he had received from God by the angel. How calm and
peaceful must have been his heart as he declared, "for I
believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me!" The
storm was not over, and this apparently, was not even a lull in it;
but Paul's mind was anchored to God's word, and his evidence was
faith, not material things or appearances. We too have the word of
God, which is just as sure as was this message to Paul, for it is of
the same God. When we are given faith that we can stand forth, and
calmly declare with him, "I believe God, that it shall be even
as it was told me," all fear is gone, though the storm is
howling more fiercely than ever. Paul knew that they were still to
have some suffering, and that even the ship itself would be
destroyed, but through it all God had promised protection, and that
was sure.
Luke's
saying, "But when the fourteenth night was come," could
mean another fourteen days passed after Paul's declaration to the
people, but in view of other things he says, he seems to be counting
from the time when the storm became so violent that everyone began
fasting. At
midnight
on the fourteenth night the sailors began to take soundings, because
they thought they must be nearing some land, though they had no idea
where they were. When this proved to be the case, they cast four
anchors out from the stern of the vessel, and hoping this would
prevent their being blown aground on a rocky shore, they waited for
daylight. At this point, the sailors, under pretense of putting out
more anchors from the foreship, were actually trying to lower the
lifeboats in an attempt to escape.
(Verses
31 and 32) "Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Except
these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut
off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off."
The
angel had told Paul that God had given him not only his own life,
but also the lives of all those who sailed with him; but this was
only with all remaining on board until the ship itself was
destroyed. At this point it seems that Julius and his soldiers had
become convinced that Paul spoke only the truth. They immediately
took steps to insure that the sailors did not jump ship.
(Verses
33 through 36) "And while the day was coming on, Paul besought
them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that
ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for there shall not an hair
fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he
took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all: and
when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good
cheer, and they also took some meat."
They
may have had "meat" as we commonly consider the word, or
they may not, at this particular time, but the word here actually
means "food," which, in this instance, may have been
limited to bread. This does not at all affect the message and
example Paul presented to them. They probably would have disregarded
his message, had he not also set them the example, but when he did
this, they all became more cheerful, and followed the example. From
this we should all learn to "practice what we preach."
(Verses
37 through 41) "And we were all in the ship two hundred
threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they
lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. And when it
was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek
with a shore, into which they were minded, if possible, to thrust
the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed
themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up
the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. And falling into a
place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the
forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part
was broken with the violence of the waves."
As
will be remembered, it had been at least two weeks since those on
this ship had seen either sun or stars, the very things by which
they navigated. And all this time they had been driven by the storm,
without their being able to keep up with either the direction, or
the speed of their sailing, so they were at a total loss as to where
they were, and the land they saw had no familiar landmarks. The
sailors did see a creek "with a shore". Apparently the
remainder of the area was either rocky or had steep banks along the
edge. They hoped to be able to run the ship into this creek.
Accordingly they weighed anchor, loosed the rudder, and hoisted the
mainsail, and depended upon the force of the sea and the storm to
drive them as far into the creek as possible. However, instead of
gaining their goal, they ran aground on a shoal, and the ship was
broken by the waves.
(Verses
42 through 44) "And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the
prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the
centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and
commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first
into the sea, and get to land: and the rest, some on boards, and
some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they
escaped all safe to land."
The
soldiers, who considered that the prisoners, at best, would only be
an unwanted responsibility while they were trying to save
themselves, and at worst, would comprise a threat to them, wanted to
kill them. But Julius the centurion had apparently been very
favorably impressed with Paul, and since he could not permit the
killing of any prisoners without killing all, in order to save him,
he would not agree with the soldiers. As Luke tells us, his plan for
all to get ashore was successful. Thus did God fulfill His word to
Paul, that all would be spared.
(Verses
1 and 2) "And when they were escaped, then they knew that the
island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no
little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one,
because of the present rain, and because of the cold."
The
island unto which they had been brought by the storm was Melita, or,
as it is now called,
Malta
. The tempest had brought them all the way from Crete to
Malta
without their being able to do any thing about it, or even to know
where they were. One must understand that when Luke says, "the
barbarous people," this does not mean that they were backward,
or uncivilized, or any of the other meanings we usually associate
with the word. "Barbaroi," the Greek word here translated
"barbarous people" simply means "foreigners" or
"people whose language is hard to understand." And these
people were very kind to the shipwreck victims. Luke says,
"(They) received us every one." They received the
prisoners as well as the free men, building up a fire by which they
could dry out, and get warm, and showing them consideration in every
way.
(Verses
3 through 6) "And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks,
and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and
fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast
hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a
murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance
suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and
felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or
fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while,
and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that
he was a god."
We
would think this description of the incident plain enough without
further explanation, were it not for a very strange argument some
have raised concerning it. So let us take a closer look at it.
Luke's language here, of course, could mean that Paul gathered his
sticks one by one until he had a bundle of them to put on the fire,
but the overall incident seems to indicate that before he picked
them up they were, more or less, in a bundle, and that this viper, a
very poisonous snake, had taken refuge in this bundle because of the
cold. Being a cold-blooded reptile, he was so sluggish that he did
not move until warmed by the heat of the fire. Perhaps everyone
would agree thus far, but at this point some have raised a very
strange argument. Since Luke did not specifically say, "The
viper bit Paul's hand," but instead, "It fastened on his
hand," their argument is that the viper did not bite him, but
only came out of the heat and coiled around his hand. There are two
very strong witnesses against such an argument. First, the nature of
a viper is such that he would not come to a man, and coil around his
hand, but when his sensors detect the presence of a man, or any warm
blooded creature, his nature is to strike it with his fangs. Second,
had this snake come out and coiled himself around the hand of Paul
without biting him, the natives, who were well acquainted with this
kind of snake, would never have thought of Paul as a murderer or any
other kind of evildoer. But they would have considered him a god
from the beginning. When they saw the viper strike Paul's hand, and
hang to it with his fangs until Paul shook him off into the fire,
they, believing firmly in the ancient doctrine of retribution, were
fully assured that Paul was a murderer who had escaped the sea, but
could not escape vengeance. They waited for what they thought was
the inevitable; and when it did not happen is when their minds
changed, and they thought him a god.
Luke
then tells of their stay on Melita for about three months, where
they were very well treated by the people. The father of Publius,
the chief man of the island, was sick, and Paul prayed, laid hands
upon him, and healed him. After this he healed many others. Finally
after three months, they found a ship that had wintered in the
island's harbor, and booked passage on it for the remainder of their
journey. They passed through
Syracuse
, making a three day stop there, then they went on by Rhegium to
Puteoli. They stayed seven days in Puteoli, where they found and
visited with some Christians. From there they went overland toward
Rome
. Apparently Paul had begun to be a little depressed, as Luke tells
us.
(Verses
15 and 16) "And from thence, when the brethren heard of us,
they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns:
whom, when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. And when we
came to
Rome
, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard:
but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept
him."
The
sight of the brethren who came to meet them raised Paul's spirits,
so he thanked God, and cheered up somewhat. Then when they reached
Rome
, Paul was not treated as a common prisoner, but was again placed
under house arrest, much as he had been at
Caesarea
.
(Verses
17 through 20) "And it came to pass, that after three days Paul
called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come
together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have
committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet
was I delivered prisoner from
Jerusalem
into the hands of the Romans. Who, when they had examined me, would
have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when
the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar;
not that I had aught to accuse my nation of. For this cause
therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you:
because that for the hope of
Israel
I am bound with this chain."
Just
as had been Paul's manner heretofore, he called first on the Jews in
Rome
. To them he explained his situation, and the cause of his
imprisonment, at the same time declaring that he had nothing of
which to accuse his nation. One can only marvel at the love he had
for
Israel
, even after the treatment he had consistently received at the hands
of the Jews.
(Verses
21 through 24) "And they said unto him, We neither received
letters out of
Judaea
concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or
spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou
thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is
spoken against. And when they had appointed him a day, there came
many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the
kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the
law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed
not."
We
do not know whether the Jews at
Jerusalem
thought that Paul's being sent to
Rome
would effectively stop his preaching, or whether they may not yet
have had time since Paul left Caesarea to get word concerning him to
the Jews at
Rome
. Nevertheless, for one reason or another, the Jews at
Rome
had received no information concerning him; and apparently, they
knew nothing about Christians, except that this sect was spoken
against everywhere. So they wanted to hear Paul's opinion on the
subject. They appointed a day, and came to Paul's house to hear him
expound the matter, which he was not reluctant to do. He preached
all day ("from morning till evening") proving from the
writings of both Moses and the prophets that Jesus is the Christ,
the Messiah; but, as usual, some believed, and some did not.
(Verses
25 through 28) "And when they agreed not among themselves, they
departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy
Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this
people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and not understand; and
seeing ye shall see, and not perceive. For the heart of this people
is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes
have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you,
that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will
hear it."
This
is the third time in Paul's career that it is recorded that, he
warned them that the gospel which they rejected, was to be sent to
the Gentiles. Here he brings forth a quotation from the prophet
Isaiah to show them that this is exactly according to what God said
long ago. They are just fulfilling Isaiah's description. Now he
says, "Be it known unto you, that the salvation of God is sent
unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it." Not only was it to
be sent to the Gentiles, but they would give heed to it; and indeed
they did.
As
one might expect, after this declaration, the Jews left Paul, but
they were so divided among themselves over the matter that they had
a great dispute about what they had heard.
(Verses
30 and 31) "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired
house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the
kingdom
of
God
, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding him."
Although
Paul was a prisoner, he was permitted to rent a house to his own
liking; and there receive any visitors who might come to see him.
There, for the whole two years of his stay, though he could not go
to the disciples, they could, and did come to him, and he taught
them the things, which concern the Lord Jesus the Christ, "no
man forbidding him."
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