Paul Before Agrippa And Bernice
PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA AND BERNICE
ACTS 25:13-27
Do we always take the opportunities God gives us to speak about our beliefs?
Verses 13-22: Agrippa visits Festus. Herod Agrippa II was a political figure, important as a tetrarch of some districts in north Palestine, and also as the secular head of the Jewish church who appointed the high priesthood. He was a character of some influence, therefore.
A state visit of Herod, along with his sister Bernice, gave Festus a chance to mention Paul’s case (25:13-14). This was not to re-try him (which was now beyond his power, since Paul had appealed directly to the emperor), but simply to get Herod’s views and thereby to have information for the dossier to be sent to the imperial court. One cardinal Christian truth had penetrated into his mind (25:19), which proves that the general debate over the resurrection of the dead (24:15,21) turned upon the case of one particular resurrection—viz. that of the Messiah. This special application of a principle was more than the Pharisees could allow or believe but at least the pagan Roman had the wit to see what Paul was continually talking about.
25:23-27. Luke was evidently in close touch with these proceedings, as his detailed descriptions show (25:23).
Notes 25:13: Herod Agrippa and Bernice were related, but rumor darkly hinted at their immoral ways. 25:19: “superstition”: the Greek word may carry a neutral sense, “religion,” as well as a derogatory one, as RSV gives. Festus, perhaps unwittingly, goes to the heart of the matter. The tenses of the verbs he uses are interesting: one Jesus who has been dead (for some time), whom Paul was repeatedly saying to be alive. 25:26: “examined”—ie by this inquiry. This would provide information to send off to “my Lord” = the emperor, concerning the prisoner.
Exercise Look back over the previous chapters, and notice the fundamental importance of the resurrection of Jesus both as a central affirmation of faith and a living experience in the early Christians’ fellowship and service.