Acts of the ApostlesActs 22

I used several commentaries today, and have combined their comments in some cases. Rather than quote each of them each time, I just want to mention them up front……. Expositor’s Commentary, Bible Background Commentary, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Holman’s Bible Commentary, and the Believer’s Study Bible.

OK!!!!!

Picture of Soreg

When we last left Paul, he had been accused of taking Gentiles into a forbidden area of the Temple. Those of you who were here last week will remember that there was a short fence

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around the Temple grounds ending the “Gentile Court,” where Gentiles were allowed to enter, at the risk of the death penalty.

Paul has been arrested, and is being tried of accused law breaking. The Romans are in the process of seeing whether he broke THEIR law or just some Jewish Law.

Ac 21:40 (NASB)  When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,

Ac 22:1 (NASB)  "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you." 2  And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said, 3  "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. 4  "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 

Paul calls it “this Way……….” He persecuted “this way.” When you think about it, the term, “the Way,” is a better description of who we are, than Christian. Christianity is a way of life. We follow the “ways” of Jesus Christ. Here are a few scriptures using the term, “the Way.”

Acts 24:14 (KJV) 14  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:

Acts 24:22 (NASB) 22  But Felix, having a more exact knowledge about the Way, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case."

Acts 22:5 (NASB) 5  as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.

Paul seems to be saying, These people know me, and they know how zealous I was to persecute anyone of “The Way.”

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He explains to everyone present how he went from a persecutor of “People of the Way,” to a zealous follower of “the Way.”

The account of Paul's dramatic conversion appears three times in Acts. First, in chapter 9:1, which is the actual event, Next in chapter 22, the one we are currently reading, and again, in chapter 26.12. It must be pretty important to be mentioned three times.

This may have been the first time these Jews (and Romans) have heard, first hand, the story of how Paul went from a zealous persecutor of Christians to becoming a zealous Christian.

Continuing with Paul’s description of his conversion………….

6  "But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7  and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 8  "And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.' 9  "And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10  "And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.' 11  "But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. 12  "A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 

Paul mentions that Ananias was “devout by the standard of the Law.” Ok, so Jesus Christ has struck Paul down and wants him to quit persecuting the Church, and sends him to a man, “devout of the Law.”--------A man who observes the Law.

13  came to me, and standing near said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very time I looked up at him. 14  "And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. 15  ~'For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 

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16  ~'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.' 

Paul jumps several years forward in his story at this point. He had been in Arabia with Jesus Christ, and in Damascus for three years. Some say Paul was in Arabia for three years with Jesus Christ. Some say he was in Damascus for three years. I say it was one or the other.

Galatians 1:17-18 (NASB) 17  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. 18  Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

17  "It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, 18  and I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.' 19  "And I said, 'Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. 20  ~'And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.' 21  "And He said to me, 'Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" 

22  They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!" 

Rut Ro!!! Paul has mentioned Gentiles, who were anathema to the Jews. The Jews had been listening to him up till now, but this stopped them.

In an 1887 commentary titled, “Life and Work of Paul, by Farrar, this is said……..”The fatal word, which hitherto he had carefully avoided, but which it was impossible for him to avoid any longer, was enough. The word, “Gentiles” confirming all their worst suspicions, fell like a spark on the inflammable mass of their fanaticism. "Then began one of the most odious and despicable spectacles which the world can witness, the spectacle of an oriental mob, hideous with impotent rage, howling, yelling, cursing, gnashing their teeth, flinging about their arms, waving and tossing their blue and red robes, casting dust into the air by handfuls, with all the furious gesticulations of an uncontrolled fanaticism

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23  And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, 24  the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 

In Jerusalem, the “barracks” was inside the buildings called the Fortress of Antonia.

Pictures of Fortress of Antonia

The centurion, upon seeing the crowd erupt again, takes Paul inside, to find out what is going on. The centurion most likely doesn’t speak Hebrew or Aramaic. He doesn’t have a clue what Paul said that so angered the crowd.The Roman scourge, or flagellum in Latin, was a wooden baton to which was attached an array of leather strips studded with jagged bone or metal chunks. In the right hands, it was one of the empire's most formidable and injurious instruments of torture. Jesus had been forced to endure scourging prior to his crucifixionTwenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series - Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series – The Book of Acts: Witnesses to the World.

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25  But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and un-condemned?" 26  When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman." 

Expositor's Bible Commentary: Roman citizens were exempt from examination under torture. In such trials there first had to be a formulation of charges and penalties, then a formal accusation laid, and then a hearing before a Roman magistrate and his advisory cabinet. Therefore, as the soldiers "stretched him [Paul] out to flog him," he said to the centurion in charge, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?"

27  The commander came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" And he said, "Yes." 28  The commander answered, "I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money." And Paul said, "But I was actually born a citizen." 

This seems almost humorous. The commander tells Paul, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship. How did you get yours?

Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series: Incredulous at the possibility that this Jewish delinquent could possess Roman citizenship, the tribune hustled to Paul's side, asking for personal confirmation of the report he had received. At Paul's confirmation of his legal status, Claudius Lysias revealed that he had been forced to purchase his own citizenship at a great price, the inference being that citizenship must have cost Paul an even heftier bundle of drachmas. Paul coolly replied that bribery played no part in his status, but that citizenship had been his birthright.

Expositor’s Commentary: At this time, Roman citizenship was a highly prized right conferred only on those of high social or governmental standing, those who had done some exceptional service for Rome, or those able to bribe some imperial or provincial administrator to have their names included on a list of candidates. No article of apparel distinguished a Roman citizen from the rest of the people except the toga, which only Roman citizens could wear. But even at Rome the toga was unpopular because of its cumbersomeness and was worn only on state occasions. Papers validating citizenship were kept in family archives and not usually carried on one's person. The verbal claim to Roman citizenship was accepted at face value;

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penalties for falsifying documents and making false claims of citizenship were exceedingly stiff…………sometimes, death! We do not know how and when Paul's family acquired Roman citizenship. Most likely one of Paul's ancestors received it for valuable services rendered to a Roman administrator or general in either the Gischala region of northern Palestine or at Tarsus. When Paul claimed his Roman citizenship, the centurion immediately stopped the proceedings and reported to the commander: "This man is a Roman citizen."

29  Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains. 30  But on the next day, wishing to know for certain why he had been accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Council to assemble, and brought Paul down and set him before them. 

Here is another strange chapter change.  But this will have to wait till next week.

Comments?  Questions?

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