Acts 26:1-11

Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself: “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the
accusations of the Jews, because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews;
therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently. “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

“Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

Want to dig deeper? Additional Scripture Suggestions:

Proverbs 18:13-17

Deuteronomy 17:18

Galatians 1:3

James 1:26-27

Revelation 7:4-8

1 Corinthians 15:12

1 Timothy 1:13

Time for Reflection

In addition to the 4 questions found on the attached bookmark consider the following:

What connections do you hear Paul making between the Christian faith and the Jewish religion?

How do you trust/hope in the promises of God?