Spiritually blind and enslaved, we are given light and freedom, the slate wiped clean, and a place in God’s family—all when we trust in Christ.
After a brief introduction (26:2-3), designed to pay deference to “King Agrippa,” whose Jewish ancestry would give him a special sympathy with Paul’s case, the apostle opens up his “defense” in the three main sections of our portion.
The story of his past life (26:4-11). This may be summed up as “sincere, but wrong,” with verse 9 as its epitome. Yet, in a strange way, the Christians were simply announcing in the Messiah’s resurrection (26:8) a special application of a tenet cherished by all good Pharisees (26:6-7).
The crisis of his conversion (26:12-15). His encounter with the living Lord was indeed a crisis—ie a judgment upon his past life and a new beginning, memorably stated in 2 Corinthians 4:6; 5:17 as a new creation. In the darkness of his ignorance and folly, the light of God had shone (26:13); and the real meaning of his persecuting zeal was made known (26:14-15), for in attacking his people, Saul was wounding Christ himself—a fearful possibility which he never forgot (1 Corinthians 8:11-13) and which very probably became the basis of his teaching on the church as Christ’s body (see 1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 5:23,29-30).
The terms of his commission (26:16-18). The account of what was said to him is here given in its fullest detail, and repays close study. The life-work of the future apostle to the Gentiles is admirably sketched, from the initial experience of personal knowledge of Christ (26:16, “in which you have seen me”) to the establishing of Pauline churches (26:18: “those who are sanctified,” 1 Corinthians 1:2, etc.). Notice the effect of gospel ministry, which includes conversion, deliverance, forgiveness and a place in the new society of Christ’s people (26:18). All these benefits recur in Paul’s writings.
Notes 26:2-3: intended to put the speaker en rapport with his hearer, but not the flattery of 24:2ff. 26:4: Paul’s essentially Jewish upbringing and training in Jerusalem is important, as W.C. van Unnik has shown, to dispel the notion that Paul took over a Greek mystery religion and turned it into his version of Christianity! 26:7: “observe that Paul knew nothing of the fiction of the ‘lost’ tribes” (Bruce). 26:10: does this mean that Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin—and therefore at one time a married man? 26:14: note the addition to 9:4 of a proverbial line, reminding us that his zeal masked a disquieted conscience.
Meditation Try to match the parts of 26:18 with the teaching of the epistles (eg Colossians 1:12-14).
