After his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul spent time in prison where various officials repeatedly drug him in for questioning. No one could figure out what to do with this former Pharisee turned wild man preacher.

As Paul related his story of meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, he shared I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and the Gentiles.

This proved too much for Festus, one of the local rulers who shouted back, You are out of your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you mad!

Paul’s schooling didn’t make him crazy—Jesus did. And this message about a risen from the dead Messiah drove Festus and his buddy Agrippa and his wife Bernice crazy as well. The story seemed preposterous, yet it rang of truth and spread through the country. Society, and its rulers, trembled under the weight.

The message of Jesus still sounds insane. But his craziness is worth catching.

Acts 26 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Alfons Morales