(Part 1 of 2)
“A few days later King Agrippa arrived with his sister, Bernice, to pay their respects to Festus. During their stay of several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. “There is a prisoner here,” he told him, “whose case was left for me by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him. I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves. “When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive.”-Acts 25:13-19
The Apostle Paul is seen here standing in a courtroom in Caesarea before Governor Festus and King Agrippa. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem and was transferred to Caesarea for trial after it was learned that there would be an attempt to ambush and kill him. Paul was transferred and left in prison for two years before we see him get his day in court; plenty of time to think about why he is there and what he believes.
It is during this time that King Agrippa visits Caesarea and Festus invites him to hear the case. Festus sums up the case to King Agrippa in Acts 25:19 like this: “But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive.”
After hearing all the evidence, Festus confesses that the reason Paul is sitting in jail is because he keeps insisting that Jesus is alive! That word insist means to demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal. So the louder his accusers tried to make the case that Jesus was dead, the louder Paul got insisting He was alive.
Even after two years of sitting in prison, Paul still insisted that Jesus was alive. That is really what separates those who are saved from those who are lost; you either believe Jesus is dead or believe that He is alive. Too many people stop at the Cross. Their knowledge of Jesus stops there and for many their faith stops there.
Why did Paul (even after two years in prison) not back off his story and keep insisting that Jesus was alive? He tells King Agrippa in Acts 26:8: “Why is it incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?”
Paul had previously been known for persecuting Christians until he had an encounter with Christ:
“One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will. “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’”-Acts 26:12-18
The reason Paul insisted that Jesus was alive was because he met Him on the road to Damascus. He had a personal experience with Jesus that changed his life forever. There was no convincing Paul that Jesus was dead when he had already experienced Him very much alive!
Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church
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