Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 26:23

"how that the Christ must suffer, [and] how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles." — Acts 26:23 (ASV)

Nevertheless, in fulfillment of Christ’s promise (v.17), God had stood by Paul, protecting him and enabling him to proclaim “to small and great alike” a message thoroughly in accord with Israel’s faith and in harmony with all that the prophets and Moses said would happen: “that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” The proclamation of both a suffering Messiah and the resurrection of Jesus were distinctive teachings in early Christianity. To these foundation tenets of the early faith, Paul, by revelation (cf. Galatians 1:11–12; Ephesians 3:1–6), added the legitimacy of a direct outreach to Gentiles, a development brought about by God himself as the true intent of Israelite religion.