Then King Agrippa spoke to Paul,
"You may speak for yourself."
Now, Paul, with a wave of his hand, attempted to defend himself.
"King Agrippa, I wish to respond to those Jews who have accused me. And I would like you to know how blessed I am to speak to you, in particular. I realize that you are personally aware of the traditions and controversies which exist among the Jews today. Please give me your attention and be patient with me.
“My people, the Jews, are familiar with my life, and that I lived in Jerusalem as a young man. They are all too aware of who I am, what I have done, and what I believe, and they could easily provide the necessary information, (if they only would). They could testify that I served as a Pharisee, and was among the most conservative members of Jewish society.
“Today, I am accused due to the expectation which I have invested in the promise that God swore to our ancestor, Abraham. This is a promise which the twelve tribes of Israel has believed, and a promise which inspired them to offer zealous service, until the season of its fulfillment. It is due to this very expectation, your majesty, that I have been charged with these baseless accusations! Why does it seem implausible to you, good king, that God is capable of raising the dead? At one time, I was convinced that it was my responsibility to stand against the blessed Name of Jesus, and I did so with all my strength and cunning.
“I did the following things in Jerusalem, (as well as other cities and provinces). I detained a myriad of believers, shackled them, and cast them into prison, all this on the authority of the Sanhedrin. And as Christian believers were brought before the courts, and some ‘earned’ the ultimate penalty, I not only served as a witness, but cast my vote against them.
“In all the synagogues, I tortured Christians, and I compelled them to deny the Lord Jesus. I vented my anger against those whom I considered heretics, and I followed them to the most far flung cities on earth in order to take them back in chains, and have them incarcerated.
“And then there came a day which I will never forget, your majesty. I was traveling to the City of Damascus, and was involved in this same pursuit. I should tell you that about noon I was bathed with light, light so much brighter than the sun, and which cascaded down upon me, and my traveling partners. We all dropped prostrate to the earth, and a voice said to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you torturing Me, and causing Me such unendurable pain? You should stop violating your own conscience.'
'Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. And the voice spoke again. 'I am Jesus Christ whom you are victimizing. Now, stand up. For I have appeared to you for a specific reason. I have chosen you as a love slave, and a witness to the miracle you have experienced today, and to other visions which you will experience in the coming years.’
‘I will protect you from your fellow Jews, as well as the Gentiles to whom you will minister. I am sending you to bring sight to their eyes, to turn them from abject darkness to overwhelming light, and from Satan’s dominance to God’s love, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and assume their rightful place with all of those, (past and present) who have been made holy, and justified by the faith they have chosen to invest in Me.'
“After this event, King Agrippa, I found myself unable to disobey the Lord. In Damascus and in Jerusalem, throughout the entire district of Judea, and to the far flung Gentile nations, I have preached that men should repent, turn to the living God, renounce their sins, and live out their lives in a manner which proves their hearts have been desperately changed.
“This is why the Jews detained me in the Temple, and attempted to murder me. Even to this very day, God has never failed to help me, and I have been appointed as a witness to rulers and paupers, neither adding nor subtracting anything from what the prophets prophesied, that is, that Christ would be tormented, and be hung on a cross, that He would be the first to experience resurrection from the dead, and proclaim the Gospel message to not only the Jews, but to the Gentiles!"
While Paul was in the process of defending himself, Festus exclaimed,
"You are absolutely insane, Paul! All your education has driven you to distraction!"
Now, Paul responded to his accusation.
"I am not insane, your excellency. I tell you the absolute truth. The king is well aware of these things, and I think I can speak liberally to him. I will never believe the life, ministry, death and resurrection of the Christ has taken you unawares; for none of these things happened in a closet.
“King Agrippa, do you believe the things which the prophets wrote and left behind to inform and benefit us? But I am convinced you have read, and believed them these things.
Agrippa responded to Paul’s defense. "Much more of your monologue, Paul, and I will have little or no choice, but to accept this Christ of yours!”
And Paul replied to the king’s sarcastic statement.
“Whether it is by choice or by force, I wish to God that both you, and everyone else who is listening to my message this day may experience what I have been blessed to experience; but without these chains.”
Now, the king stood up, as did the governor and Bernice, and those seated around them, and when they departed the throne room, they spoke among themselves, and conjectured that,
"This man is guilty of absolutely nothing, and has done nothing to deserve either imprisonment or the ultimate penalty."
And Agrippa added,
"He might actually have been released from his chains, except for his appeal to Caesar."
The McDonald New Testament Paraphrase. Copyright 2018
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