“Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors. In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope!” – Paul, Acts 26:6-7

I may say this (write this) a lot, but it is always one hundred percent true when I do: “The scripture we looked at today in Men’s Bible Study may be one of the most pivotal in the New Testament.”

The setting is Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast. The date is circa 60 AD. The main players are Paul the Apostle, Festus the Roman Governor and Agrippa the “King” of Judea.

Herod Agrippa was, like his father, essentially a puppet of Rome. His job was to prevent the locals from getting too rowdy and to keep revenue steered toward the hub of the empire (Agrippa eventually lost his grip in 66 AD after the Romans looted the Temple Treasury, sewing the seeds of rebellion that culminated in the destruction of the Temple and sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD).

In Acts 26 Agrippa shows up to listen when the new guy, Governor Festus, asks Paul to answer trumped up charges brought against him by the Temple authorities in Jerusalem.

This is an amazing chapter, where Paul offers one of his clearest explanations to date of what he is laying his life on the line for, and why.

Essentially, Paul says, the Temple Authorities want to kill him because he dares to suggest that the hope they all share is fulfilled in Jesus.

Paul dares to suggest that the hope they all share is fulfilled in Jesus

Imagine being so immersed in your own disappointment that you are unwilling to see its end.

Think about that for a moment. I doubt there is a single human alive who is not motivated by the idea that their deepest hopes and dreams will one day be satisfied. Yet (and for various reasons) so many turn away from Jesus when he says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

This hope is the heart and soul of Jesus, and the foundation of the message Paul offers. He travels on three missionary journeys and then returns to Jerusalem to encourage the leaders of the church there. But he has one more ambition. He feels God urging him to tell the story of the good news about Jesus in Rome.

Jerusalem, and maybe in his heart he knows this, is not going to last much longer as ground zero for the gospel. Within a decade the city, the temple and the nation will all be completely destroyed. Paul wants to take the story of Jesus to the beating heart of the Empire.

It’s a little bit like Luke Skywalker saying, “I’ve got a great idea. I’m going to the Death Star.” No, Luke, go the other way! Go as far as you can in the other direction!

But Paul has this confidence; and more than that he has this hope. With hope like this Paul can go to Rome without fear, because – as he has already written to the church that is beginning to take hold in Rome, “This hope does not disappoint.”

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. – Romans 5:5

I am so thankful that (2012) I had the opportunity to share the good news about Jesus in the amphitheater in Caesarea.

Standing in the ancient space to speak, with the deep blue of the Mediterranean behind me and the towering clouds billowing, the scene struck me as surreal. I could feel the gravitational pull of history, the insistency of Paul’s commitment to the Good News, and my own constant search for the right words at the right time tugging at my spirit.

God has given us the Holy Spirit and fills our hearts with the love of Jesus – DEREK