EXCEPT FOR THESE CHAINS
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Festus’ courtroom had been set up for King Agrippa and Bernice, who arrived “with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city” (Acts 25:23). Agrippa was another Herodian king, great-grandson of Herod the Great. Like his predecessors, he was appointed and supported by the Roman authorities because of his loyalty to them. But what he lacked in real power, he made up for with pomp and pretension. Amid all these important people, Paul was brought out as a prisoner in chains but proceeded to hold the attention of the room as he retold the story of Jesus and of his own encounter with Him on the road to Damascus. Festus was looking for advice from Agrippa about how to explain Paul’s case to Caesar. But Paul focused on the king and his knowledge of Jesus and the movement that had grown after His resurrection. Paul said, “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” (Acts 26:26). Despite the apparent power dynamics, Festus and Agrippa broke first; their discomfort led them to ridicule Paul and his assertions.
Agrippa rejected Paul’s appeal to his Jewish understanding, expressing doubt that Paul could persuade him so easily. Belying the important people, pomp, and power surrounding him, Paul shifted the dynamic in the room. He insisted that except for the chains he was required to wear, he would prefer to be the prisoner with a story of Jesus than to be any of the rich and powerful people who did not have such a story.
It was a powerful testimony—one that sent the powerful people scurrying from the room.
