The preamble to Wisconsin constitution. Wisconsin Capitol.
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. Acts 26:25
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A more literal translation is, “And he says, ‘I am not maniacizing, most excellent Festus. But I declare words of truth and sanity’” (CG).
In the previous verse, Festus blurted out, “You are maniacizing Paul! Your great letters turn you to mania.” The meaning is that Paul was basically bonkers and that too much studying had driven him nuts. Now, Paul responds accordingly. Luke notes that with the words “And he says, ‘I am not maniacizing.’”
Paul returns the same word to Festus that he had just used, mainomai. It is the verbal form of mania. With that, he adds, “most excellent Festus.”
Instead of a sharp response like he gave to the High Priest in Acts 23:3, he gives the title of honor which Festus bore. He also did this to Felix in Acts 24:3. The word, kratistos, translated as “most excellent,” is also the same as that found in Acts 23:26 in the introduction of the letter from Claudius Lysias to Felix.
It is an adjective coming from kratos, a word signifying might, strength, dominion, power, etc. Thus, it literally means “strongest.” This is its last use in Scripture. After having respectfully disagreed, he next says, “But I declare words of truth and sanity.”
Paul turns the thought around. Instead of being insane, he claims that what he has said is true and sane. The second word, translated as “sanity,” is sóphrosuné. This is the first of three times it will be used in the New Testament. The other two uses are in 1 Timothy 2:9 & 2:15. It is derived from sóphrón, temperate, sober-minded, self-controlled, etc. It specifically means “soundness of mind, i.e. (literally) sanity or (figuratively) self-control — soberness, sobriety” (Strong’s).
While Festus has accused Paul of being bonkers, Paul says that his words are well-minded. Unfortunately, an insane person will normally not know that he is insane. And a person who is deluded will not know his own delusion. This is certainly so in religious matters.
However, Paul’s simple response is also not the response of a lunatic or a deluded person. Instead, a person who is deluded will normally not continue to handle the matter as Paul will in the verses to come.
It is to be noted, however, that a person who is passionate is often mistaken for a lunatic. Paul had an enormous zeal to stamp out Christianity. That was redirected to building up the faith. In the eyes of many, Martin Luther probably seemed to border on insanity, and yet, it was his passion that led him to research the truth. His passion was not misdirected, but properly placed. Paul is the same. In order to demonstrate this, he will next turn his argument to one who can substantiate the claims of Scripture, even if not their fulfillment.
Life application: Someone who had never been to a football game might think that some of the fans were nuts. At times, they might be right. But for the most part, the crazy attitude of the people can be attributed to a passion for the sport, their home team, and the desire to be the winners. That, along with letting go of the stresses of the work week, might lead people to think that the stadium was filled with lunatics.
Understanding that zeal for something does not always indicate being crazy, how do people perceive you and your faith in Jesus? There are people who stand on street corners and annoyingly yell out about Jesus. It is true that their approach may be out of place, but it may be that they just can’t contain themselves and want to express their joy in the Lord in the only way they can think of.
How do you express your faith? Do people even know you have faith in Jesus? If not, why not? If people think you are nuts for believing in an unseen God who supposedly came in the flesh two thousand years ago, how much more nutty are they for believing in a universe that popped itself into existence?
When you discover that faith in Jesus is both rational and reasonable, you should be excited to defend that with others. This is because if it is the truth, then those people who do not yet believe are on their way to eternal separation from God. Without Jesus, they are lost. That should drive you to some extreme or another based on your makeup, but if it doesn’t affect your life towards them, there is probably a problem with you. Maybe you are nuts. Remind yourself daily: “Don’t be nuts. Share Jesus with someone!”
Glorious Lord God, help us to be more and more passionate about Jesus each day that we live. As we learn more, consider Him and His work, and think about what He has done for us personally, may it affect us greatly – changing us from peevish people to bold believers. Give us a renewed passion for Jesus each day. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.