Greetings! It’s good to have you with us today.Law Themes— Last week, in our study of Acts, we came to Paul’s being seized by an angry mob shortly after he had come to Jerusalem. And he is preparing to make his defense before the crowd. But as I was pouring over this text, I tried to keep in mind the context. Paul (in the context of Pentecost, during which remember the Jews who have gathered here in Jerusalem are celebrating the giving of the Mosaic Law) is being accused of being anti-J...
Greetings! It’s good to have you with us today.
Law Themes— Last week, in our study of Acts, we came to Paul’s being seized by an angry mob shortly after he had come to Jerusalem. And he is preparing to make his defense before the crowd. But as I was pouring over this text, I tried to keep in mind the context. Paul (in the context of Pentecost, during which remember the Jews who have gathered here in Jerusalem are celebrating the giving of the Mosaic Law) is being accused of being anti-Jewish/anti-Law. And so he’s not just making a case for Christianity; he’s showing that (despite what his accusers are saying) he and the message of Christianity are not anti-Jewish or anti-Law. No, Christianity is the fulfillment of Judaism and the Jewish hopes of a Messiah. As Jesus Himself said in…
Matthew 5:17 (ESV)— 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Judaisms— Now keeping that context in mind helped me to see some things in this passage I had not noticed before; because interwoven throughout Paul’s testimony are language and phrases that would be significant to a Jewish audience and would signify that he was not against them or the Law in any way. And the first, as I’ve said before, is the fact that he speaks to them in their own language. But as we move through his defense, we’ll see other ways Paul hooks his audience; with Hebrew language, phrases, and in the details he chooses to emphasize. And his very first line is just full of them. Look with me at verse 3 and following, where he says…
Acts 22:3 (NKJV)— 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city {(Jerusalem)} at the feet of Gamaliel {(a great Jewish rabbi who was the most revered Jewish teacher of that era)}, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law {(the literal translation here is “ancestral law”)}, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
Pentecost— Now what festival was it? Pentecost, a festival focused on the Law. And here is where Paul is about to start sharing his testimony, like he had back in chapter 9. But we are going to see some different details emphasized that compliment the earlier account but at the same time are more directly relevant to these people in this context. Now listen as he begins to bridge into his testimony. He says…
Acts 22:4-6 (NKJV)— 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me.
A Great Light— Now keep in mind that light in the Old Testament is almost always connected with the presence of God. And so in his testimony (more so than in chapter 9) Paul emphasizes the light, saying that it was a great light and that it came at noon, which further emphasizes its brightness. Furthermore he says…
Acts 22:7-13 (NKJV)— 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ {Note that Saul is Paul’s Jewish name.} 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. 10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him.
"a devout man according to the law"— Now note how Paul does not mention Ananias’ conversation with God, when God commanded him to go to Saul. He skips that and instead adds a detail that would be significant to this audience; that Ananias was “a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there”.
Acts 22:14-16 (NKJV)— 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers {(there it is again)} has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. {(This detail of Paul’s being Jesus’ witness to all men is new.)} 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized {(another new detail)}, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Ananias’ Importance— Now we know from Paul’s defense before Herod Agrippa that God also gave this commission of reaching all men directly to Paul (26:17), but it was important for this Jewish audience to hear that a respected Jew had shared with him this vision he had had of Paul’s future ministry. Paul continues…
Acts 22:17-21 (NKJV)— 17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 19 So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. 20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
The Vision of Paul While Praying— Now this whole description of Paul’s having a vision while praying in the temple and God’s telling him to leave Jerusalem is also new. [Luke’s earlier description of the circumstances surrounding Paul’ departure from Jerusalem is from a different perspective. The brothers heard about a plot against Paul and escorted him to Caesarea, from where he was sent off to Tarsus (9:29-30).] But, as F.F. Bruce points out, “this is not the only place our narrative where divine direction and human action coincide.” Now the Jews seem somewhat receptive until the last phrase where Paul says Jesus told him “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.” It says…
Acts 22:22-24 (NKJV)— 22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” 23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air {(which were both expressions of horror at blasphemy)}, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging {(in other words, torture)}, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.
Almost Scourged— This [planned flogging was probably the Roman brutal scourging with a whip that had thongs weighted with rough pieces of bone or metal. It could cause great harm and even leave people crippled for life.] Now I love how Paul never just spills all the details of who he is. He waits for the opportune moment when sharing those details will have the greatest impact and work to his advantage the most. He keeps his Roman citizenship a secret until this precise moment, where it says…
Acts 22:25 (NKJV)— 25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
Serious Trouble— And of course it wasn’t. Romans citizens could be scourged for crimes, but never as a method of inquiry before they had even had a trial. And so the centurion immediately recognizes they could be in serious trouble, having already going beyond what they were allowed to do to an uncondemned Roman citizen. And so it says…
Acts 22:26-29 (NKJV)— 26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” {In other words, he had paid a bribe to acquire Roman citizenship. However, Paul’s was much more legitimate, as it says…}
And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
A Different Approach— Now what really jumped out at me about this passage was how different Paul’s approach to sharing his faith was from what I might have gravitated towards, especially if I was some highly-educated theological and philosophical mastermind, as he was. I would have tried to present a logical, systematic case for the truth of Christianity. But it’s interesting that Paul doesn’t do that. What does he do? He simply tells them his personal testimony; what God did in his life to bring him to faith in Christ; the dramatic change in who he was that could be explained in no other way than that he had encountered the One he was proclaiming.
A Higher Degree— You know, over 12 years ago I graduated from Wesley Biblical Seminary. And I remember I walked down the aisle of that school and was presented with a shiny new laminated and bound certificate. And you know what it says? “Master of Divinity.” That’s a pretty cool title. But I have to be honest with you; never once in all my years of ministry did I ever feel like a master of divinity. If seminary taught me anything, it was how much I don’t know and still have yet to grasp about the divinity of God. But there is something that is within my grasp (and yours as well); take that same title and let’s make a very slight modification. How about “Mastered by Divinity”? Now that’s something I can have and know I have; to know that God has met me on the Damascus road of my life and mastered me to where all of who I am (my core identity, like Paul’s was) is completely changed. That is the degree that people might throw their robes off and fling dust in the air about, but one they cannot refute or argue with.
Your Testimony— Have you ever written out your personal testimony and/or do you have it ready to share at a drop of a hat? If not, that is your assignment this week. Take time to prepare your testimony, memorize it, and be ready to share it. That will be one of the greatest tools you ever use in your witnessing.
The Greatest Chapter— And if you do not yet know Jesus Christ, I invite you to simply ask Him to come into your life today; to forgive you of all your sins and to make you a child of God. And He will. And you also will have a story to share; the greatest chapter in your life; the moment you said yes to Jesus. May every one of us come experience that initial and then a daily encounter with Jesus Christ. May He so transform us that our lives will be the greatest evidence we can give of the validity of the Gospel message. Amen.
