Acts 26:19-23 ¹⁹Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but declared first to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, to repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. ²¹Because of these things, the Jews seized me while I was in the temple and tried to violently kill me. ²²So, getting help that is from God until this day, I stand testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: ²³that the Christ must suffer, rising first from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”

Paul next gave his response to the heavenly vision. Put in a positive way, he was obedient to Jesus’ commission and did not waste any time but immediately began preaching in Damascus (9:20–25). The total change in him was obvious, from persecutor to proclaimer. His experience was no daydream but a genuine encounter with the risen Jesus, which in itself should have spoken loudly to Paul’s audience, especially King Agrippa. Motivated by his compelling vision, Paul continued his ministry first to the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea and then continued on to faraway Gentiles. No one was outside of his mission.

His message was the same to both groups: repent (metanoien). This significant New Testament word refers to changing one’s thinking by recognizing the danger of one’s sins, turning away from them by refraining from them, and turning to God. The sincerity of the repentance is proven by doing works (ergo) or actions that are consistent with God’s will. Jews were no better than Gentiles, as Paul argued in detail in Romans 1-3. Everyone needs the same forgiveness (Romans 3:23-24). Paul had just proclaimed the gospel once again to the king, governor, and everyone present, both Jew and Gentile. He would not miss an opportunity like this.

The irony of Paul’s experience is that the Jews criticized and persecuted him for his message. These things can refer to all that Paul had just said, but what got the Jews particularly riled up was his ministry to the Gentiles. They falsely accused him of desecrating the temple by bringing a Gentile into it. They did not know their own Scriptures, as Paul implied in verses 22–23. He was not alone, but God was with him in his obedience. Paul could have recounted any of his travels and the trials he went through to prove his point. The reader of Acts knows about those challenges and can recall them when reading verse 22. Even to the point of his speech, Paul had God’s presence with him. Help (epikourias) means to have someone as an ally. God was on Paul’s side, which was a significant boast in front of powerful people.

Paul gave Scripture as further proof that he was following the way of truth and reason why he was obedient. The Law (Moses) and the Prophets (together representing the authoratitive Hebrew Bible) prophesied about the coming Messiah. Jesus’ death and resurrection were the fulfillement of many Old Testament prophecies. Luke recorded many similar speeches in Acts, where the Old Testament is cited, beginning with Peter’s Pentecost sermon in 2:24-26, Stephen in chapter 7, Paul in 13:32-39, and others. Jesus sent his followers out to the whole world (1:8). Everything focused around Jesus as the risen Christ/Messiah. Christ showed his light through Paul, who was only being obedient to the light he saw on the road to Damascus. The bottom line for all those listening to him on that day is the same for people who read his and others’ stories in the book of Acts: we must make a decision whether or not to believe the testimonies of those who saw Jesus.