Become A Christian? (part 1 of 3)

Agrippa said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” – Acts 26:28  (NET)

The setting for this passage is the occasion at which the Apostle Paul is “on trial” in Caesarea.  At this point, he has been there for quite some time.  As Acts informs the reader, Paul had been taken prisoner while in Jerusalem, and later transferred to Caesarea, into the custody of the Roman governor named Felix, with whom Paul seemed to enjoy a cordial relationship.  Felix had been succeeded in his position by a man named Festus. 

Sometime after taking his position, Festus was in Jerusalem.  There, according to Luke’s presentation of the Paul narrative, “the chief priests and most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him…they urged Festus to summon him (Paul) to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way” (25:2b, 3b).  However, “Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself intended to go there shortly.  ‘So,’ he said, ‘let your leaders to down there with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him’.” (25:4-5)  When the accusations and charges were then leveled against Paul in Caesarea, he replied by stating that “I have committed no offense against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar” (25:8).  It should be noted that Paul makes it a point to reference Caesar in relation to the accusations against him.   

While Festus was in Caesarea, “King Agrippa and Bernice arrived…to pay their respects” (25:13b).  This “Agrippa” was “Herod Agrippa,” one of the Idumean, Roman-sanctioned kings of a large region of Palestine.  He was also the final member of the Herodian dynasty.  Undoubtedly finding the situation of Paul to be an interesting one, “Festus explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion” (25:14b).  Upon hearing the story, “Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would also like to hear the man myself’.” (25:22a)   This gives an insight into the mindset and attitude of Agrippa, as it also effectively sets the stage for the events that followed.

Entering upon the scene and taking up a position as a member of the audience of this event, an observer would see that “Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself’.” (26:1a)  Paul, not surprisingly, seized upon this opportunity to preach the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Jesus is Lord of all).  He spoke of the “hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors” (26:6b), and posed the question of “Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead?” (26:8).  This question concerning the raising of the dead makes sense in light of the fact that this hope of resurrection itself was part of the great hope held by the people of Israel.  This is why Paul poses the question in such a way, doing so in relation to his insistence that Jesus was raised from the dead.  Following that, Paul offers testimony concerning his own experience while on his way to Damascus, as he had been on his way to imprison and sentence to death those who were proclaiming this message about Jesus (He was raised from the dead and is Lord of all). 

As one bears in mind that Paul is presenting his case to a king in the Herodian line, at least one of whom (in that line) had proclaimed himself as Israel’s messiah, it is well to remember that Agrippa would have had a more than passing understanding of messianic expectations and their implications.  Therefore, it is easy to understand why Paul says, “so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: that the Christ was going to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (26:22b).  This calling of Jesus “Christ” or “Messiah” was significant, in that Agrippa was well aware what was implied by such a title, especially in relation to the proclamation of a resurrection, as in the minds of many, it pointed to the exaltation of Israel and its messiah above all nations, including Rome and its Caesar.