Why Did Festus Think Paul Was Mad?

Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment and we’re in Acts 26 and we are going to pick up with verse 24: “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou are beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.25) But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.”

Dave:

Well he has been giving his testimony—he’s been explaining how he came to believe that Jesus had resurrected and how he put his faith in Him as his Savior, the one who died for his sins— [Festus says] Paul you’re crazy, you can’t believe this kind of stuff—

Tom:

Well, that a light appeared to him and voice spoke to him—it could press it a little bit, as far as Festus was concerned.It was not something that had happened to him.

Dave:

Yeah, but look at the riot you’ve caused, all the uprising and—Paul, calm down a little bit—much learning has made you mad that you could even believe these things—

Tom:

Well Dave, I find it interesting when I find the words madness.There are times when with insanity, people are, (what the Bible would say,) out of their “right” mind.In other words, they are not thinking clearly and sometimes it is pushed to an extreme.We have the example of Nebuchadnezzar.Nebuchadnezzar would be an example of “going mad” because of his pride.

Dave:

Umhm, yeah he ate grass like an animal.His hair grew quite long, it must have been quite a while Tom, we don’t know, it doesn’t say how long.Well, you’re mad he says, and Paul replies: “I am not mad, most noble Festus, (verse 25) but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.”

Tom:

That’s an interesting phrase Dave,—truth and soberness.We keep saying over and over again and repeating the words of Jesus: “Sanctify them by thy truth…—Thy Word is truth.”

Dave:

I am glad you pointed that out Tom, because some people say well truth, what you call truth, I mean this is just emotionalism or —it goes back to the Emerging church.This is not emotionalism.This is not visualizing or quieting, or getting some—

Tom:

Yeah, mystery or mysticism…

Dave:

Right.This is truth and soberness.It’s facts.I’ve been listening to some debates, Tom, as you know, because I’ve got some debates coming up.I was listening to a debate between Richard Dawkins, Oxford professor, probably the leading atheist leading the crusade against God—

Tom:

Militant atheist, by the way.

Dave:

Absolutely, and John Lennox also an Oxford professor, Christian and I thought John Lennox out did Dawkins.But Dawkins begins by saying, I think even in the preface of his book The God Delusion— I have a chapter in my book that I am writing Cosmos, Creator and Human Destiny and I call it The God Delusion delusion.…a little take off on him.But he begins by saying, (and he said it in the debate), but he says in his book and he says it continually:The thing I have against religion is it teaches children that they don’t have to have any evidence, no reason for what they believe. You just believe it because God says it, or some preacher says it.Religion teaches that you just believe and its even against evidence.Well, of course that’s not true.

Tom:

But Billy Graham has said as much hasn’t he Dave?

Dave:

I am sorry that he has, yes, unfortunately, and he says it in his autobiography as well Just As I Am.But Tom in my debates I will not be debating to debate religion.I was a little disappointed in John Lennox; he shouldn’t let that go by.Christianity is not a religion.I think the word religion or religious occurs what is it three or four times in the Bible?It is not a religious book.It is about a relationship with Jesus Christ.But this is the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches in Isaiah:1:18Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
See All..., God says “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord…”Or if we look back in Acts where we have been—go back to Acts 17, 18 and earlier chapters in Acts, Paul went into the synagogue, he reasoned with them out of the scriptures.He is in the marketplace and he is reasoning with them.On Mars Hill at the end of Acts 17 he reasons with them.“I see all these idols here—the God that made the heaven and the earth, he doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands neither is he worshiped with men’s hands as though he had needed anything seeing he giveth to all life and breath, etc. (That was his sermon.)So the Bible is about a reasonable faith.

Tom:

Dave, I have a question for you along that line.You have had somebody pose this to you and I have as well—they say now wait a minute, if God is infinite and we are finite, (this is what the mystics say, this is the way the Emerging church is going)—they say if God is infinite—He’s is beyond our comprehension. And if He’s beyond our comprehension then we can’t use our intellects; we can’t come to really know Him, but we can experience Him.We can have these—whether they be altered states of consciousness or going through these rituals and so on, we can get a feeling about God, an intuition, all of these kinds of things.

Dave:

Right.Well, this is not what the Bible teaches—it never teaches this.For example, John:17:3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
See All..., you know it well, Tom as [do] probably many people out there that are listening—This is Jesus speaking, this is his prayer and I think we have mentioned it recently: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”Now what do we mean by “know”?Well, we go back to Jeremiah:9:23Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
See All..., 24:“…Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the might man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.”God wants us to understand!Or if we went to one of your favorite verses I think, Tom, Proverbs:4:7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
See All...: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”Now you are not going to get understanding by going into a mystical state of mind and trying to visualize Jesus or whatever.So—

Tom:

Dave, I guess I am just a simple minded guy, but if God is infinite, the Creator of the universe, and He creates us, you would think (just logically) that He would be able to communicate to us in such a way that we as finite fallen individuals, could—well, that His promises to us could be fulfilled—that we could understand Him, that we could know Him, but you see God is going to design all of that and I don’t know why these guys, the mystics and so on are jumping off and saying well that can’t ever happen.Wait a minute…an infinite God can make this happen—he can present the information in such a way that we can comprehend it; that we can understand it—at least up to a point.

Dave:

But He’s going to do it, not with visual images, not with feelings, but He’s going to do it with words.“In the beginning was the Word—the Word—Jesus was called the Word over and over.If we went to I Peter 1:23, 24, 25—it says—we are born again by the Word of God—men need to be born-again, they need to believe the gospel by the Word of God that liveth and abideth forever and this is the Word by which the gospel is preached unto you…this is what we have to have, but we must have an understanding and this is what he [Paul] talks about.

Tom:

And this of course is where Paul is taking Festus.He says:26) “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; (no esoteric beliefs, here) for this things was not done in a corner.

Dave:

See he’s talking about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.Facts, Christianity is based upon facts.It’s based upon historic events; it’s not a mystical religion.Paul goes on, and he says: King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?I know that thou believest.”The whole thing is founded upon the prophets and the fulfillment of that gives us the New Testament—it gives us the gospel; it gives us everything and we’ll have to come back and talk about that.That’s the number one proof that God gives of His existence and that the Bible is His Word.Prophecy that He utters and it is fulfilled.