Acts 26:1
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
Agrippa gives Paul leave to speak in his own defense before the king and the assembled leaders at Caesarea. On receiving it Paul lifts his chained hand and answers with calm courage and complete self-control. He is glad for the hearing because Agrippa knows Jewish customs and questions, and he asks for a patient listening. He then uses the permission to set out the grounds of his faith by telling of his conversion and witnessing to Jesus, so that an imprisoned apostle carries the gospel to princes and nobles. His answer is marked by dignity, persuasive power, and a courtesy that springs from true kindness of heart, making it a pattern for others.
Permission and Setting
Agrippa grants Paul permission to speak for himself in his own defense before the king and the assembled officials and leading men of Caesarea. This hearing before Agrippa is made possible by the delay in finding a ship to take Paul to Rome. On being given leave, Paul stretches out his manacled hand and answers for himself.
Though surrounded by wealth, rank, and military display, and standing under accusation, he answers with composure, courage, self-control, and serene undauntedness. Neither the display of rank and power before him nor the charges against him shake that calm. When he is given the opportunity, the assembled crowd listens with eager interest.
He is glad to answer the accusations before Agrippa because the king is familiar with Jewish customs and questions. Knowing this, he asks Agrippa to listen to him patiently.
Testimony to Rulers
The permission to speak for himself opens Paul's opportunity before King Agrippa and the other leading men of Caesarea to present the reasons for his faith by recounting his conversion and testifying about Jesus. His trials before kings and governors are thus turned into Spirit-empowered opportunities to testify. Through that preaching some hearers are convinced that Jesus is the Son of God, while others delay deciding and lose the opportunity.
The verse belongs to the account of the gospel presented through an imprisoned apostle before rulers, showing how the message of Christ could reach princes and nobles. It provides a precedent for rulers hearing God's truth with wonder even when preaching it publicly has been forbidden. In this it parallels the Reformation, when the gospel was likewise proclaimed in a palace before the rulers of the empire.
Model of Courtesy
When permission was given to speak for himself, Paul answered with dignity and courtesy. His address to Agrippa, extending through the whole account of his defense, illustrates true courtesy joined with persuasive eloquence. It is an example of Christian courtesy in contact with others, showing what true refinement looks like before rulers.
That speech stands as a model of courteous, persuasive speech for others to follow. The courtesy it displays springs from genuine kindness of heart, not from empty formality or mere formal politeness.