“And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” (Acts 26:24-32)

I love this story! It amazes me that Agrippa seems to be so close to becoming a believer. It’s obvious he has an understanding, but it is so cool how bold Paul gets with him, with Agrippa almost joking about how long it will take for him to come to faith. Then to have Paul’s reply cut straight to the heart like it did – wow! We don’t know how Agrippa ultimately responded, but I like to think that Paul’s genuine love and boldness had a life-altering impact on him. 

Agrippa’s immediate reply was to confirm with Festus that Paul should be set free. Again, had he not appealed to Caesar, Paul would have – but we know that Paul’s goal was to get to Caesar. That’s the plan. Paul was willing to face whatever he must to reach Rome. What amazes me most, though, in all of this, is that in the middle of everything, with all the craziness going on, Paul focuses in on each person he meets with and offers them genuine love and spiritual care. They are not pawns in the way of him getting to Caesar – they are real people with souls and even though some of them are in an antagonistic role with Paul, he still finds deep love and care for them.

Real love to his enemies… where have we heard that before? it is so easy to develop contempt for those we don’t like; so easy to let hatred burn in our hearts. Especially in a political season like this, the insults are flying, “Democrats are murderers and no true believer could be one!” or “Republicans are evil tyrants that want to kill everyone!” Statements like these are absolute rubbish! Don’t look at your enemies (or people that you don’t like or that aren’t like you) with hate – pray for them to have Christ’s love – then let them have that love from you. As Paul prayed for them to be like him (save those chains), we need to be like him as well with those people in our lives.