Acts 26 - Can God Make a Rock He Can't Lift?

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Paul begins his speech to King Agrippa very deferentially. He considers himself fortunate to be able to defend himself against the charges the Jews are bringing against him. He also mentions that King Agrippa would be familiar with the controversies between the Jews. 

Paul then recounts his history as a Jew, including being a Pharisee, the strictest sect within Judaism. The reality is that Paul was on trial for something that the Hebrew scriptures looked forward to, which was the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. These are the same promises the Jewish people are still looking forward to today. In conclusion, Paul asks Agrippa why should anybody be on trial for preaching that God could raise someone from the dead. 

If God could not raise someone from the dead, he would not be God. Or, at least an all powerful God.  It reminds me of the question the 8th grader asked in Confirmation class. "Could God make a rock he could not lift?" 

Paul stood before the man whose great-grandfather had tried to kill Jesus as a baby; his grandfather had John the Baptist beheaded; his father had martyred the first apostle, James. Agrippa’s family history made him unlikely to receive Paul warmly. - Guzik

Paul was born in Tarsus, several hundred miles from Jerusalem. Yet at a relatively young age he came to live at Jerusalem. - Guzik

Paul then admits that before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was one of the most formidable persecutors of Christians. He not only rounded them up and sent them to prison, but also cast votes to have them executed. Paul was so obsessed that he even went to foreign cities to find these apostate Christians. 

Then, Paul recounts how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, in Syria. Paul saw a bright light and then a voice from heaven which said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  Jesus then commissioned Paul to be witness for him to both to his fellow Jews and also to the Gentiles. As he preached the gospel to them, their eyes would be opened, and they would turn from darkness to light. From the power of Satan to the power of God! 

"Paul was also called to be a witness of those things. The commission of the Christian is not to create experience or create the message, but to witness it and experience it." - Guzik

Paul obeyed the vision as he preached in Damascus, Jerusalem in Judea, and to the cities of the Gentiles. Paul preached repentance from sin and turning back to God. Again Paul reiterated that he was not preaching anything against what Moses and the prophets had not preached. He was not disregarding the Law of Moses but teaching the fulfilment of the Law through Jesus Christ. This was the same message the prophets gave to the rebellious Israelites. 

For instance, the prophet Ezekiel says this about the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit would change people's hearts. 

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Note the only way we can possibly measure up the Law and keep it is through the Holy Spirit. This is the same Spirit Jesus would send to his disciples, 50 days after he rose from the dead. In essence this was the message Paul was preaching, 

"The Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:23

"Paul plainly states the truth of the case. It was only because he sought to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles that the Jews seized him and tried to kill him. It wasn’t because he was a political revolutionary or because he offended the sanctity of the temple." - Guzik

At this Festus got back involved and accused Paul of being insane because of his learning. But when you look at it Paul's message is very logical and also is a summary of the Old Testament's prophecy about the Messiah's life, death, and resurrection. 

Paul’s message was characterized by truth and reason, because it was based on historical events (such as the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus), things which were not done in a corner, but open to examination. The historical foundation of Paul’s message made it true. As for reason, it simply isn’t reasonable to ignore or deny things that actually happen. Who Jesus is and what He did must be accounted for.

The Christian faith is not a "pipe dream" or fairy tale. It is based on real historical events. The "linchpin" of the Christian faith is the literal and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many arguments which prove that the resurrection of Jesus is plausible. Actually the most logical conclusion, when you look at all of the circumstances of his resurrection, and all of the events that ensued with the explosive growth of the early church, is Jesus really rose from the dead. 

The most compelling evidence for the resurrection is the disciples themselves. They went from ordinary fishermen and tax collectors, who cowered away in fear in the garden when Jesus was arrested, to preaching and witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus fearlessly. Most importantly, they were willing to die for their the message they preached which centered on the resurrection of Christ. We read in Acts, thousands of people came to faith with their preaching and they also did many "signs and wonders". 

So Festus' accusation of Paul is really due to the Holy Spirit convicting him of his own need for a Savior. Paul also addresses the Jewish king, Agrippa,

“What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” 

King Agrippa and Festus go to end the meeting saying that if Paul had not appealed to Caesar, they could have let him go and be done with all of this. Yet, that would not be an option because of God's sovereign plan to continue to use Paul to preach the gospel in Rome!