I am not out of my mind

Acts 26 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

² “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; ³ especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; ⁵ since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. ⁶ And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; ⁷ the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. ⁸ Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?

⁹ “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

¹² “While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, ¹³ at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴ And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ ¹⁵ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; ¹⁷ rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸ to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

¹⁹ “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰ but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. ²¹ For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. ²² So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; ²³ that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” ²⁵ But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. ²⁶ For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.” ²⁸ Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.” ²⁹ And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”

³⁰ The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, ³¹ and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

1 Corinthians 1:17-25 says:  Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”  Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.        In today’s text it says:  “In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today;  especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently… While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.”  But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.  For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.  King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.”  Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”  And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”   

In the circumstances and responses of these men, Agrippa and Festus, we see two of the circumstances and responses common to people today regarding the gospel. Festus, saying Paul was out of his mind, is like those described in the 1 Corinthians passage, to whom the word of the cross is foolishness. With no basis for understanding or a desire to change, Festus, like many today, thought/ that think those who preach the gospel, those who share the testimony of Christ are out of their mind. They rely on human wisdom. Whatever does not fit into their idea of truth, they consider foolishness. King Agrippa, on the other hand, was well versed in scripture. He had  knowledge of God. Paul said of him, “you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews…   the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.  King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.”     Still knowledge about the Messiah does not lead to salvation. It is not believing about Christ, which leads to eternal life. It is believing in Him. It is not knowing about Him, it is knowing Him.   Agrippa said:   “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”   We cannot really persuade people with facts about Jesus. The Corinthians passage says:    Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.    When we present the gospel as to win a debate, it is possible that we might win the debate yet still have lost souls. In John 4:24 Jesus says:  “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”    An intellectual ascent to the knowledge of who Jesus and God are does not lead to salvation. Salvation requires a spiritual ascent, believing in the heart and the mind. Jesus says:  “When He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me;of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11)  Our debates, our trying to convince people with facts will if anything cause people to resist the gospel, as Agrippa did. Only the Holy Spirit can convict the world, people of sin.

Paul says:  “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”   That should be our desire also; that others too would be such as we are, not as we are in this physical realm, but as we are in the Spirit. The text ends saying:  “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.”  And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”   What neither Agrippa nor Festus could understand, in their human understanding, is that Paul was already free. His freedom was in Christ, not in his physical condition.    “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit I thank You that though I may seem foolish to the world, You have revealed Your wisdom to me. May I, through the power of the Holy Spirit, live and speak Your truth. May I not rely on my own ability or persuasive words, but may I demonstrate the power and the love that comes only through the Spirit.   Amen.