We ended chapter 21 in great suspense, as Paul had been beaten by the Jewish worshippers and saved by the Roman military. He surprised the Roman commander with his Greek words, and earned the right to speak to the crowd of Jewish accusers. This chapter begins his speech, which, given in Aramaic, earned the audience’s respect for a time. After he was interrupted the Romans prepared to flog Paul, but he surprised them again by claiming Roman citizenship. Let’s take a look.
1) V1-21 – 1“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied. 9My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of Him who was speaking to me. 10‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. 12A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. 14Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from His mouth. 15You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’ 17When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18and saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ He said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in You. 20And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Paul is not sorry for his behavior, but this lengthy testimony is his apology, which means defense, or formal justification, to the Jews. He recounts his conversion experience, which was first offered by Luke in Acts 9:1-15. And Paul will later have an opportunity to defend himself before Festus and Agrippa in Acts 26:2-23. Take some time to read all three accounts and compare the details in them.
Notice from v18-21 Paul’s eagerness to testify to the Jerusalem Jews. He thought they would listen to him because of his past, his sincere hatred of Christianity. But the Lord refuted him, for both his safety and for the spread of the gospel message, and told him to go to the Gentiles. What doors has God closed in your life? And how has He opened new ones?
2) V22-30 – 22The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” 23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” 26When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” 27The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. 28Then the commander said, “I had to pay a big price for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. 29Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. 30The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
The Jewish crowd listened to Paul until he mentioned the Gentiles. At that point, they undoubtedly considered him to be a traitor to their ethnicity and spiritual heritage; they riotously demanded his death. So the Roman commander, attempting to maintain peace, took him away. Paul was to be imprisoned, flogged, and questioned; but before the flogging, Paul appealed to his Roman citizenship and avoided the painful punishment. Nevertheless, if he had broken Jewish law, he would be subject to the Sanhedrin.
This passage offers a picture of Romans 9-11. The Jews, who should have understood the gospel, hardened their hearts in hostility to Paul and his message. But the Roman commander, who lacked concern for the spiritual significance of the issue at hand and who had intended to flog Paul for the sake of maintaining peace, responded to his claim of being a Roman citizen in humility. Softened, he esteemed Paul and seemed convicted by treating him harshly, perhaps opening the door for the gospel. The Roman commander may not have had much respect for Judaism, or for the Jewish people, but he had respect for Paul after learning he was born a Roman citizen. He may not have grasped the gospel message to this point, but he obviously discerned the spiritual significance of the uprising in Jerusalem. And so we read in Acts 22:30, “The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.”
Read a selection of the following passages and comment on their importance regarding a person’s ability to see spiritual significance: Exodus 4:11; Job 19:27; 42:5; Psalm 27:4; 34:8; 119:18; Proverbs 20:12; Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:10-17; Luke 2:30-32; 24:31; John 9:39-41; Romans 11:7-10; 2 Corinthians 4:18; 5:7; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7.
Footnotes
- 22:20 Or witness
Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.