Acts 26:1-32
True and Reasonable
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense 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.’
19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that 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.”
24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “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.”
30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Paul Says Five Hundred People Have Seen Jesus After His Death
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
Some think that having faith is a blind leap...It is not backed by facts and truths...Some say it is not based on evidence...Some believe that faith is believing in things not reasonable and not true...And that we can come to faith with a reasonable conclusions...
How people view faith has not changed much over the past two thousand years, as we read about Paul talking to King Agrippa and Governor Festus, and as we hear Agrippa's and Festus' views (and counterpoints of Paul's) about Jesus...Paul believes in Jesus and has faith in Him, and Agrippa and Festus seem not so much...After his arrest, Paul was trying to convince Agrippa and Festus that Jesus was the suffering Messiah the One that would rise from the dead...He was the One that was written about in the Old Testament (especially by the Prophets)...Paul told this story to them... “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth...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...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...“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests...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...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.’...“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’...“ ‘I AM Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the LORD replied...‘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...I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles... I AM sending you to them 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.’...“So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven...First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds...That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me...But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike...I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that 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.”...At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted...“Your great learning is driving you insane.”...“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied.“...What I am saying is true and reasonable...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...King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?...I know you do.”...Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”...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.”...
When Festus was asked Paul if he was insane for believing all these things about Jesus and having faith in Him, Paul simply said, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,"What I am saying is true and reasonable."...What Paul told Festus was that he had seen Jesus after His death, in fact, five hundred people had seen Jesus after His death...And this story of Jesus that Paul was telling Agrippa and Festus was a true and most reasonable story...Paul even says that Agrippa and Festus know the story...The story of Jesus was not so long ago current event that they had heard about...Jesus did His teachings and miracles in the public...Among the things He did when He was living was once feeding five thousand men in public, not including women and children...At another time He fed four thousand of men, not including women and children...These are very large crowds...Many people say His miracles, and heard His teachings...What Paul was saying was true and reasonable...And the king had to be familiar with this most unusual story of Jesus...Jesus was a most Unique Man...Jesus was such a Man that people gravitated to Him, and He had crowds regularly around Him...He would not go unnoticed or unheard of by them...He probably was even watched by Agrippa and Festus, because of His popularity among so many people...And He was killed in the Roman convincing way of crucifixion...Paul was convinced that none of what Jesus had done had escaped the notice of Festus or Agrippa, because Jesus did His teachings not in a corner, but where everyone could learn from Him...Much of what Jesus did was publicly done...He came to help His people and He could not do these things sneaking around and doing them...He came from God and was the Messiah, and the Messiah, so why would He hide...The Prophets spoke of this Man named Jesus and the educated King Agrippa, probably knew or read their writings and maybe even believed in the prophets...As probably would Festus...
Paul had assessed the evidence about Jesus and said His story and His teachings and what he had learned were true and reasonable...Paul was basing his faith on what he knew, what he had heard from the disciples and the other followers, and even got information and data from his friend Luke the Physician...Luke would be the one to write this particular story about Paul in his book, the Acts of the Apostles...Luke also wrote the Gospel According to Luke...While Paul wrote thirteen books of the New Testament (fourteen if you include the Book of Hebrews, which some believe Paul wrote...And St. Paul, once a non-believer in Jesus, wrote these New Testament Books from the evidence he had discovered about Jesus...