Christ – Light to the People and Ethnos

A LIGHT FOR REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,

And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

Gospel of Luke 2:32 LSB

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death,
a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:2 BSB

Paul Convicted by the Light of Christ

I had thought to skip past this story of Paul's too-familiar retelling of the Apostle's conversion by Christ (since Luke has already repeated it with frequency in Acts). 

But just as Paul now witnesses with intensensity to a new audience, so shall I point to the Light of Christ JESUS that changed his life. 

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Who are you, Lord?

ănî yᵊhôšûaʿ

egō eimi iēsous

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Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and perform deeds worthy of their repentance.

Acts of the Apostles 26:19-20 RSV

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The Apostle witnesses the Gospel in his own defence before Agrippa the King and his Herodian sister, as well as the Roman Governor Porcius Festus for a second time.

šā’ûl apangellō [kept declaring]

the heavenly vision,

• to those at Damascus,
• then at Jerusalem
• and throughout Judea,
• and also to the Gentiles

For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

To this day I have had the help that comes from God,

and so I stand here testifying both to small and great,

saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:

Acts 26:22 RSV

Paul then quotes Scripture - the Old Testment Scriptures

that the Christ must suffer

the first to rise from the dead,

Light to the People (of God – the Jews)

The Greeks have no Messiah — nor the Romans — nor did the Persians, the Babylonians or the Egyptians.

ONLY the JEWS. — Only the Jews are the PEOPLE of YHWH — the chosen PEOPLE of God.

When Paul points to the ‘people,’ the Apostle means the Jewish people, like Agrippa, Bernice and many other Herodian guests and officials hearing his argument.

The Christian Standard Version makes this point clearly:

“that the Messiah [christos] would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead,

he would proclaim light to our people

and to the Gentiles [ethnos].”

Acts 26:23

JESUS is the MESSIAH or Christ of the JEWS!

Yet the Apostle to the ethnos, Saul (from the Hebrew) or Paul makes clear what the risen CHRIST has done ALSO for the gentiles.

and to the Gentiles.”

To THIS the Gentile Governor reacts!

Now remember that in addition to what the Governor knows from his predecessor Felix, Festus had already heard Paul's witness at length. 

Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice,

“Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

“I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.

Now Paul's appeal is to Herod Agrippa, Bernice and the Jews in his hearing.

For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things;

for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.

Acts 24:26

The Jewish King responds

The Apostle defending the appearance of the risen Messiah of the Jews most certainly turns his own focus to the Herodian king claiming leadership of God’s chosen people.

“King Agrippa,

do you believe the prophets?

I know that you do believe.”

Again, certainly Paul turns to Herod Agrippa II while the entire room also looks to the Jewish king for his answer. 

The NIV perhaps catches the tone of Agrippa's meaning more clearly than the NKJV

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

Acts 26:28 NIV

Herod Agrippa is on the spot. Some of the Jews hearing Paul may be convinced that Jesus appeared to the Apostle. But most of Agrippa’s subjects will not have ears to hear even the Prophets.

The Light of Christ

Why has Luke recorded this third trial of Paul in Caesarea reiterating the Apostle’s same witness of the risen Christ Jesus?

This is Paul’s last appeal to the Jews.

The Apostle witnesses not only his own conversion and the evidence of the risen Messiah Jesus, but supports his new Gospel with the evidence of Scripture.

and God divided the light from the darkness.

the Prophesy of Isaiah [NKJV]

Prophet to Judah 740-681 BC   

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;

Isaiah 5:20a

The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.

Isaiah 9:2

“I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,

Isaiah 42:6

Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

Isaiah 49:6

And Paul said,
“I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

Acts of the Apostles 26:29 NKJV

Agrippa’s hearing of Paul adjourned.

When he had said these things, the king stood up,

as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them;

and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves saying,

“This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.”

Then Agrippa said to Festus,

“This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Luke records: 

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.

Acts of the Apostles 27:1

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