Cornered. Acts 26.

Paul's defense of his actions depends on the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection. We can't lose sight of that. He doesn't resort to any other defense, even if he does employ certain tactics in the process. Paul's proclamation is simply that the same fervor for the law and hope in the promise of the prophets, the fervor that led him to persecute Christians, is still at the heart of his actions now. The difference is that he now knows that Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope.

Paul reminds King Agrippa, who had to be aware of who Jesus was, what He said, and how He died, in verse 26: "For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely to him, because I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner." It was all done in public, not in some secret, hidden corner.

And then... he corners the king. "Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” The king is equal to the task, and and steps out of the corner rhetorically. He responds, "In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?" Even today, we don't know if Agrippa's answer was an ironic rebuttal, or an admission that he was almost persuaded. But what I want to emphasize is that the question of Jesus always comes down to a decision to make. Is Jesus the end-point of God's revelation introduced through the people of Abraham? Or isn't He? Agrippa may have avoided answering Paul's question, but in so doing he also made a decision about Jesus. And true to his evangelical heart Paul replied back to the king, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”