Paul Before Herod Agrippa II (Acts 26:1-32)

 Sermon for Milledgeville & Centenary UMC...

[Slide] Paul Before Herod Agrippa II (Acts 26:1-32)

 

Well, golly Bill, Marshall!
IYKYK - Gunsmoke

How many of you are familiar with the HBO series Game of Thrones? [Slide] It’s a series filled with political intrigue, murder and war. Houses of wealth and power compete for the control of the seven kingdoms. It’s part King Arthur and Lord of the Rings. There is magic and dragons, evil ghouls from the wintery north and, of course, teachery. It’s great fun!

 

[Slide] Paul finds himself in a game of thrones of his day. He stands trial before Governor Felix, then Festus, then King Agrippa and Queen Bernice, and finally to Rome to stand before Caesar.

 

[Slide] Felix was a duplicitous and cruel governor. He often sought bribes for political favors. Crime increased in Judea under his rule. He consistently put the needs of the Greek population ahead of the Jews. This caused angry disturbances among the Jews, which Felix put down with severity.

 

Felix had the high priest Jonathan assassinated because of his criticism of Felix’s rule. Felix was a severe man.

 

Felix was the brother of Pallas, the secretary of the treasury under Caesar Claudius. [Slide] Felix married Drusilla, younger sister of King Agrippa II. Rome and the Herods were literally in bed with one another. As I mentioned, a game of thrones.

 

Drusilla and Agrippa were both descendants of Mariamne I, a descendant of the Hasmonean dynasty, the Maccabees who liberated Israel from the Greeks. Governor Felix’s marriage to Drusilla gave him some political clout among Jews.

 

[Slide] Felix held an official hearing, with members of the Sanhedrin present to accuse Paul. They called Paul a troublemaker. They said he desecrated the sanctity of the temple. Felix ended the hearing.

He kept Paul under guard for another 2 years. He often would call for Paul to speak with him, hoping for a bribe.

 

Felix was replaced as governor of Judea by Porcius Festus. [Slide]  (Oops, wrong Festus! “Well, Golly Bill, Marshall!) The Sanhedrin asked Festus to let them have Paul in Jerusalem [Slide] Festus held a hearing in Caesarea. During the hearing, Festus asked Paul if he would be willing to stand trial in Jerusalem. Paul, knowing the Jews planned to kill him in transit, appealed to stand trial before Caesar, a right of every Roman citizen.

 

[Slide] Festus replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!” (Acts 25:12)

 

This leads us to today’s reading. Festus didn’t understand why the Jews wanted Paul dead. He knew it had something to do with their religion, Jesus, and resurrection, but he needed help in preparing documentation for Caesar before sending Paul to Rome. [Slide] Herod Agrippa II and his sister, Queen Bernice, paid a visit to the new Roman governor.

 

[Slide] Herod Agrippa II is the son of Agrippa I, and great grandson of Herod the Great. His great grandmother was Mariamne I, of the Hasmoneans. His relationship with Bernice was rumored to be incestuous. Bernice would later have an affair with Titus, conqueror of Jerusalem, and the future emperor. His forces sacked the city in 70 AD and tore down the temple. Paul’s hearing before Festus and Agrippa was merely 10 years before the temple was destroyed.

 

[Slide] Agrippa II was tetrarch over his great uncle Philip’s former territory, Iturea and Tranchonitis. Agrippa II never married. He had no heirs. He is the very last ruler from the House of Herod. All the rest of Israel was under direct Roman rule. Agrippa asked to hear Paul speak.

 

[Slide] Paul recounted his background as a zealous Pharisee who persecuted the followers of Jesus the Nazarene. Paul told King Agrippa,

 

[Slide] I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors… Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? (Acts 26:6, 8)

 

[Slide] Paul told of his blinding heavenly vision of Jesus that he experienced on the road to Damascus. Paul adds more details than any previous testimony of the event. He is finding more meaningful ways to express what happened to him.

 

[Slide] For instance, Jesus told Paul, “It’s hard to kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14)

 

A goad was a long, pointed stick used to motivate oxen. Sometimes a stubborn animal would kick back at their herdsman for poking them. This did not improve their situation. The euphemism means that it is useless to resist authority. In this case, Paul was helpless before the authority of Christ Jesus. God had called Paul to witness for Jesus. Like Jonah tried running from God’s call to preach at Ninevah and ended up in the belly of a great fish, Paul could no longer deny what God was doing in Jesus Christ.

 

[Slide] Christ sent Paul to witness to the Gentiles,

                                                                                                    

“to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18)

 

Do you hear Jesus’ concern for Gentiles? He died for us non-Jews, too! Christ calls all those who live in darkness, who dwell in ignorance, into His marvelous light! (1^st Peter 2:9) Jesus wants all people to be saved.

 

Paul claims divine protection in the face of all the threats to his life.

 

 

 

 

[Slide] “I have experienced help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: [Slide] that the Christ was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:22-23)

 

At this, Festus calls Paul crazy. “You’ve lost your mind!” (Acts 26:24)

 

Claiming that he has said nothing other than what the scriptures foretell about the suffering, death and resurrection of the messiah, [Slide] Paul turns to Agrippa and goads the king to admit he believes the words of the prophets, as if Agrippa might come to Paul’s aid. King Agrippa just scoffs. “In such a short time, do you think to make me a Christian?” (Acts 26:28)

 

Paul doesn’t miss a beat.

 

Short or long, I pray that you and all listening would become what I am, without the chains of course. (Acts 26:29)

 

As Paul is escorted out of the court, King Agrippa said to the Governor Festus. [Slide] “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.” (Acts 26:32)

 

What I find most moving about this story isn’t what Paul said in his defense. We’ve heard most of it before. No, it’s what isn’t being said.

 

Jesus told His disciples,

 

[Slide] “You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles.” (Matthew 10:18)

 

That is exactly what is happening! Paul is arrested, jailed, and interrogated by Roman governors Felix and Festus, and King Herod Agrippa II. Soon he will sail to Rome to stand before Caesar, the emperor of the Roman empire. It would seem from the outside that Paul is a doomed man. That could not be farther from the truth. Paul is a blessed man, suffering the hostility of a world that is ignorant of God, choosing its own way. [Slide] Paul is right where Jesus needs him to be.

 

Now let that sink in. I have struggled a lot at times in my life. And in those times, I have cried, yelled, ranted, and despaired. I remember once, early in ministry, praying at an altar railing, “I do not want to be here!” Weak and wanting to run, I never considered that I was exactly where Jesus needed me to be. I just knew I hurt. I was in over my head. All I could think about was my own pain.

 

[Slide] Paul teaches me to have a kingdom mindset. Paul doesn’t care about anything but accomplishing what Jesus set for him to do. Paul chose not to have a family, so that he might be free to serve King Jesus. He does not care about himself. He cares about Christ’s mission. He only wants to serve the Lord. Paul said to the Ephesians,

 

[Slide] “I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)

 

When you are kingdom minded, you are less worried about yourself and more concerned with the mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to save every human soul from the power of darkness [Slide] and bring us all into His marvelous light!

 

The next time you’re upset about your situation, stop and remind yourself, “Jesus has me right where He needs me.” Certainly, disease and tragedy strike us, seemingly, without a higher purpose. But every trial is an opportunity for God to grow us. With a kingdom attitude, all suffering can be redemptive.

 

[Slide] Paul wrote,

 

We… rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

 

The love of God is poured into our hearts through our hope in the God who faithfully walks with us through every trial, giving us His strength and perfecting us in His grace. God gives a persevering spirit. Each time we reach out and hold onto God, He shapes us with godly character.

 

[Slide] Paul is on his way to Rome, the center of the western world. He will be a witness for Christ in Caesar’s own household. Paul is going right where Jesus needs him.

 

Take joy in knowing you are right where Jesus needs you. Even if it’s hard, even if it’s scary, even if your heart is broken, Jesus walks with you, growing you in His strength. Jesus is redeeming your life story.

 

May The Lord grant us grace, peace, and faith to trust that we are right where He needs us.