Written ~ 07-02-2024
Read Acts Chapter Twenty Two
Acts 22
So let’s back up for just a moment and reread Acts 21:37-40, then we will dive into chapter 22. It’s so good!
Acts 21:37-40…
37“As Paul was about to be taken inside, he said to the commander, “May I have a word with you?”
“Do you know Greek?” the commander asked, surprised. 38“Aren’t you the Egyptian who led a rebellion some time ago and took 4,000 members of the Assassins out into the desert?”
39“No,” Paul replied, “I am a Jew and a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, which is an important city. Please, let me talk to these people.” 40The commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic (Hebrew).”
Paul had been rushed up some stairs out of the way of a mob who wanted him killed. But before the commander could get him inside, out of harm’s way, Paul asked to speak to the people. Verses 1-21 of chapter 22 has Paul standing before a riotous crowd as he tells his entire testimony from before he encountered Jesus to everything that had happened since coming to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I won’t write out every verse here, but please do take the time to read the entire chapter all the way through… it’s really awesome to read the full account of everything that Paul experienced when he met Jesus. Paul starts off by saying, “Brothers and esteemed fathers, listen to me as I offer my defense.” When they heard him speaking in their own language (Hebrew), the silence was even greater.” (Acts 22:1-2)
What I want to do is highlight some main points in Paul’s testimony from verses 22:3-21:
- Paul was a Jew, brought up and educated in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, carefully trained in Jewish laws and customs.
- Paul became quite zealous and began persecuting the followers of the Way (Jesus), hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.
- Paul was also authorized in Damascus to bring the followers of the Way to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
- Approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down all around Paul.
- From the light the voice of the Lord asked Paul (Saul) why he was persecuting Him.
- When Paul arose after falling to the ground from the light, he was blind and had to led by hand the rest of the way to Damascus.
- While Paul was in Damascus a man named Ananias came, laid hands on Paul to regain his sight, baptized him in water and confirmed that Paul was saved and now a follower of Jesus Christ.
- Paul was sent, by God, to preach to the Gentiles.
All of us have a testimony. Before you knew the Lord, your heart was not inline with the Holy Spirit, but as soon as you gave your life to Jesus you were transformed. So all of us who have made that decision to follow Jesus have a testimony to tell. We may not have a light shine down on us from heaven like Paul did, but we can sense the Lord reaching out, and we will respond to that presence when we are seeking the Lord wholeheartedly. It is at that moment of response our testimony begins.
Some of us, like myself, we asked Jesus into our hearts at a very young age, so we may not have known the transformative nature of the Holy Spirit when we were born again, but maybe later in life we have an encounter with the Lord that changes how we were walking with Him. It may not be until that time that our testimony blossoms, then you can, like Paul did, share it with others to show the change that happened in your life once Jesus became your everything.
Paul was telling his story to an angry mob set out to kill him. He wanted them to know how he was changed and why he was going to the Gentiles to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even though his testimony did not go over very well to those in that crowd, he was unashamed to talk about where he had come from and the change that had taken place in his life once he invited Jesus to be his Lord and Savior.
Acts 22:21-23…
21“But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
22The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!” 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
You may be wondering, like I was, why their was such animosity shown to the Gentiles from the Jewish community. From what I researched, it was a mutual hatred. It was a racial barrier between these two sets of people, which made it nearly impossible to blur their antagonism even when God’s grace and the Salvation from Jesus was being offered to everyone. So in this case, where Paul is trying to explain how God specifically sent him to the Gentiles to spread the Good News message, it did not have the effect he was hoping for. First, the Jewish leaders in particular did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah and second, they did not want God’s blessing to be given to the Gentiles.
Look at what the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” had to say about this…
- When Paul spoke of being directed by divine revelation to leave Jerusalem and go far away to Gentiles who had no relation to Judaism, that was “the last straw.” In effect, Paul was saying that Gentiles could be approached directly with God’s message of salvation without first being related to the nation and its institutions. This was the same as placing Jews and Gentiles on an equal footing before God, and for Judaism that was the height of apostasy (refusing to obey) indeed! Paul was thus shouted down, and the crowd called for his death.
Paul’s testimony had led to a huge uproar, it pierced the hearts of those in the crowd to such a point that all they could think of doing is lash out in confusion and hatred. I would say that most of us will not have this sort of response when we tell someone our testimony. But no matter what Paul had to endure, he knew his Lord was with him and he would continue to speak the name of Jesus even if what happened to him resulted in his death. That right there is a powerful testimony. The significance of Paul’s transformation when Christ entered his life is extraordinary! Before Christ, he led the way to destroy believers, the followers of Jesus. After Christ, he was first in line to give up his own life for the purpose of spreading the Name of Jesus as Lord and Savior to all. Incredible.
Do you and I have this same faith? This same trust? Paul knew, through the Holy Spirit, that he would suffer hardship, but that did not stop him from fulfilling the commission God had placed on his life. Amazing. My mind is blown.
In all the confusion and shouting, the commander who was standing there with Paul wanted to know what had happened! Paul had spoken to the crowd in Hebrew, so the commander did not understand what was said, so he couldn’t help wonder what had happened for the crowd to be hushed then all of a sudden begin crying out “Away with him! He isn’t fit to live!”
Acts 22:24…
24“The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.”
The only thing that actually saved Paul from certain death was his Roman citizenship. With that admission he was able to stop the commander from lashing him to death.
Acts 22:25-29…
25 When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”
26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.
28 “I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”
Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”
29 The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
There may be many reasons why someone will not accept your testimony, my prayer is that when we come against any sort of opposition that we will stand firm on the Word of God and not waver with what we know to be the truth. Paul’s testimony is a powerful one, but your testimony and my testimony are just as powerful, keep that close to heart. Just because we may not endure the hardships and sufferings as Paul must, that does not mean God is not using your life and my life to further the Gospel message and adding to the Kingdom of Heaven through our testimonies.
It’s a good idea to know your testimony. If you haven’t thought about what you would say to someone who is curious about your Salvation, maybe take the time to write it out or really think about what you might say. But to have it ready at a moment’s notice might just be what turns a heart to the Lord by them hearing what you have to say.
In the next chapter we find out what happens to Paul when he stands before the Jewish high council. In the meantime, I pray with the fullness of my heart that you stay true to the Word of God and that you will not let anything turn your heart or mind from the truth you find within the pages of your Bible.
~AMEN~