Slices
Prepare
We’re about to read Paul’s third account of his Damascene encounter with Jesus. As with yesterday’s psalm, don’t allow familiarity to obscure important truth.
Bible passage
26 Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defence: 2 ‘King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defence against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4 ‘The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
9 ‘I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.
12 ‘On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
15 ‘Then I asked, “Who are you, Lord?”
‘“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the Lord replied. 16 “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
Explore
As a communicator, it’s important to consider one’s audience. Here, Paul is not just addressing a resurrection‑sceptic royal, but a plethora of other dignitaries scattered across the belief spectrum. When we are sharing our own faith with others, whether for the first or umpteenth time, we do well to take into account their backstory and prejudices.
Paul does exactly this in acknowledging Agrippa’s knowledge of Jewish custom, establishing a rapport through common ground (vs 2,3). He skilfully weaves in his own background as a Jew and Pharisee (seeking to build further ‘in‑group’ belonging), pivoting to present resurrection as a rational possibility given the commonly accepted teachings of the Torah (vs 4–11).
He reprises his conversion testimony, citing Jesus’ specific instructions to him in greater detail than in previous accounts (vs 16–18). Presenting himself as divinely appointed ‘servant and witness’ contrasts with the prevailing view that he was a rabble-rouser. Paul’s supernatural rescue from his ‘own people and from the Gentiles’ would resonate strongly, and his darkness-to-light, Satan-to-God commission is solidified by Jesus’ conclusion that both Gentile and Jew ‘may receive forgiveness of sins’ (v 18).
As we share our faith with those we care about, what stories do we recount?
Respond
Jot your faith milestones on a timeline. How can you describe your encounters with God to different audiences? Pray over it; practise and polish when you can.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 29,30; Ephesians 6
Pray for Scripture Union
Next weekend, the SU team in Wales will be at Spree, the biggest Christian youth festival in Wales, running a camping village for Faith Guide groups and also running the leaders’ lounge. Pray that they will encourage existing Faith Guides and connect with new ones.
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