Exceedingly Mad

Paul stands before King Agrippa in Acts 26. He tells of his fury against the disciples, which he maintained until the day he met Jesus on the Damascus road.

You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below.

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Acts 26:9-15

The Apostle Paul stands before King Agrippa in our passage of the day
He is facing a series of accusations from the Jews
Agrippa has given him permission to speak for himself
And Paul takes that opportunity to tell his story

We enter the text near the beginning of his defense
And the close of our text comes before the end of his salvation testimony

Today we’ll discuss his encounter with Christ
And his disposition toward Christians before Christ
When he was “Exceedingly Mad”
Which is our theme, from Acts 26:9-15

We chose this specific portion of the account to highlight a few key ideas
First, that we can convince ourselves of all manner of untrue things
Second, that we can act based upon those untrue things in radical and violent ways
Third, that our rebellion against the truth can be growing
When fourth, we have a life-changing encounter with God
And fifth, we become a lover and promoter of the truth, without apology

These seven verses and the context nearby seem to confirm these things
And they are definitely worth a closer look
Once we read the full text…

Acts 26:9-15

9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

We have ended our reading at an inopportune moment
Just as Paul begins to reveal Jesus’ words in more detail
And explain how he was obedient
Even to that very moment and his hearing before the king

He was radically changed
But, if you have read the New Testament, you understand this
If we are familiar with the Apostle at all, we “get it”

I wonder if we have considered some of the details in the lead-up to his testimony of salvation?
It seems they are worth a closer look…

Acts 26:9

9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

This text is phrased another way in the ESV…

“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”

How was Saul (which he was called then) convinced?

Certainly, the crowds of religious people around him played a role
The council and leaders in the synagogue had something to do with it
Wider-society might have had an influence

Many things he heard and observed would have told him
First, Jesus is not the Messiah
Second, those who call Him the Messiah blaspheme
Third, I have a duty to see this blasphemy ends

It is clear, this was widely believed
And Saul bought in – fully

You will have already noted the problem
None of this is true
He believes lies

But, beyond the external influences
Saul convinced himself
He became zealous in his opposition
Violent in his every response

This required significant effort…

Acts 26:10

He sought permission from the chief priests
He rounded up Christians throughout Jerusalem
He personally saw to it they were shut up in prison
And when they were put to death, he testified against them

Remember their crime?
Believing and teaching in the name of Jesus

Jesus, Israel’s Messiah
The rightful King of Israel
The King of all kings and Lord of all lords
The One who died for – not only Saul – but the whole world
The One who rose again from the dead
And who loves us

This, one of the most learned teachers in Israel, rejected Him
When he should have embraced Him

He did more than just this…

Acts 26:11

11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Those fellow Jews, which he found believing in the synagogue, he punished
He displayed a raging fury against them
Far beyond a simple, legal argument against them
He hated them
Wanted to see them eliminated

He tried everything he could to convince them they should reject Christ
Turn on Him
Reject His name in public

He traveled beyond Israel’s borders to chase and harass them
And that chase brought him to Damascus…

Acts 26:12

12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

Saul had no good intentions for his trip to Damascus
His raging fury brought him here
The disciples of Damascus were in danger because of him

But Saul was not in charge
God was in charge of this trip
He had plans for this man

He would soon discover what great things he must suffer for Jesus’s sake

All the things of which Saul was convinced would soon be washed away
His fury would be quenched
His pride would be brought to humility

The falsehood he promoted and that made him take action would be corrected
The truth would win out
He would embrace it
Bending His knee before Jesus, the wonderful Messiah

Here’s where that story begins…

Acts 26:13

13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

The most radiant light he had ever seen didn’t compare to the radiance of Christ
The light of the world
The only light that can open blind eyes

Even the blind eyes of a vicious persecutor

This light – the One behind it – knocked him to the ground…

Acts 26:14

14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

This persecutor could not have been confused about the identity of the One speaking
It could only be Jesus

You persecute me, Jesus said

Saul responded…

Acts 26:15

15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

For the first time, Saul acknowledges the truth about Jesus
He responds in the way he should have responded when he first heard of Him
The way in which every man will respond one day
Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

And Saul calls Him Lord
He will continue to call Him Lord
He testifies of His Lord even in this hearing before Agrippa

He is changed permanently and gloriously by the Savior
His sinful fury forgiven
His past now a testimony to Christ, rather than a condemnation
Saved for eternity
Because he met Jesus

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