Chapter 37

How To Give A Positive Testimony Under Negative Circumstances

Acts 22

 

And now, the rest of the story ...

 

Paul went to Jerusalem being warned many times and by numerous friends and associates that there would be trouble.  And sure enough there was.  He went to the temple and a mob would have beaten him to death had not the Roman authorities intervened.

 

The Jews claim that he is anti-Jewish, that he is constantly speaking out against the Jewish people, the Jewish law and the Jewish temple, 21:28.  That also claimed that he had desecrated the Temple by taking a Gentile beyond the Gentile court.  (That claim was absolutely false, without factual basis at all, but the lie was useful to the Jewish purpose of arresting Paul).

 

The Roman soldiers also are mistaken about Paul.  In fact, the chief captain thought that he was some Egyptian terrorist who had been at large for some time.  He was surprised when he heard Paul speak Greek, an indication that he was an educated and cultured man.

 

Paul courageously and courteously asked permission to address the Jewish crowd.  Acts 22 is his speech, his defense, his witness to the crowd, spoken in Hebrew, vv. 1-2.  (They had to wonder why someone who was so anti-Jewish would be so eloquent in the Hebrew language).

 

His Conduct Before Conversion, vv. 3-5.

 

"I am a Jew."  Paul made no move to disguise his own Jewish heritage.  Ethnically, nationally he was one of them.  They were accusing a Jew of being anti-Jewish, of teaching against the Jewish people.

 

"I know the Jewish law and Jewish leaders."  Although born in Tarsus, Paul had been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, that is, in Jerusalem.  Gamaliel is mentioned in Acts 5:34 as being a doctor of the law and as being highly respected among the Jewish people.  Paul had been a young disciple (a learner) of the leading teacher of the Jewish law in Jerusalem.  Later in life, he had been personally connected to the high priest and to the Jewish elders, v. 5.

 

"I was zealous of the Jewish religion."  Paul could understand their actions toward him - the arrest and attempted execution.  He had done the same thing toward Christians.  He had had Christians arrested, beaten, imprisoned and executed.  He also understood that they regarded their actions as being zealous toward God.

 

The tone and the content of Paul's message are not as he had been accused.  He is not speaking out against the Jewish people, the Jewish law and the Jewish temple.

 

 

His Circumstances Surrounding His Conversion, vv.  6-16.

 

Here, Paul retells the event recorded in Acts 9 - his conversion on the road to Damascus. 

 

It was supernatural.  He saw a great light, brighter than the noonday sun, so brilliant that it left his temporarily blind, vv. 6, 9, 11.

 

He heard a voice.  Those that were with him saw the light but did not hear the voice.  It was the voice of Jesus!  He was not dead as the Jews had claimed.  He was very much alive, speaking at that moment to Paul.  Jesus' instructions led him to a respected and knowledgeable Jewish man in Damascus, v. 12.  This man's counsel sounds very Jewish, v. 14 - ("the God of our fathers ...").  (Don't be confused by the wording of verse 16.  The Acts 9 account indicates that Paul had been filled with the Holy Spirit before he was baptized, indicating that he had already been saved.  Having called upon the name of the Lord, Ananias instructed Paul to be baptized as a symbolic picture that his sins had been washed away.)

 

 

His Commission After His Conversion, vv. 17-21.

 

In verse 17, Paul reports having returned to Jerusalem and to the Temple (doesn't sound like Paul speaks against the Temple.  He visited at least twice since becoming a Christian).  Paul tells them that he, in a visionary state of mind, had argued with the Lord about how the Jews would respond to him.  The Lord had said, "Get out of here, they will not receive you."  Paul had said, "But, God, I helped them persecute Christians.  Surely they will listen to me." 

 

But God had another plan for Paul.  It was for him to be an Apostle to the Gentiles.  And at that one word (v. 22), Paul was unable to finish his testimony because the crowd went wild again.  They called for his execution, vv. 22-23. 

 

In an attempt to rescue Paul, but probably primarily to calm the out-of-control crowd, the Roman captain removed Paul from the scene and made preparations to scourge him, v. 24. 

 

At this point, Paul made a calm inquiry about the legality of what was about to happen.  He did not hurl demands or insults at the Romans but calmly and quietly informed them of the terrible injustice (and violation of his rights as a Roman citizen) they were about to do.  Romans citizens were exempted from the brutal methods of punishment like scourging, v. 25. 

 

The centurion who was to supervise Paul's beating heard this, he reported it to the chief captain, v. 26.  The captain asked Paul directly, "Are you indeed a Roman citizen?"  Paul's answer could be taken by the captain at face value because to lie about your Roman citizenship carried a penalty of death.

 

Technically, Roman citizenship was not for sale, but actually could be obtained by bribing corrupt Roman officials.  The captain tells Paul that he had obtained his citizenship at great cost, perhaps a hint of question as to how Paul obtained his Roman citizenship.  Paul's answer, "Not by bribery but by birth."

 

The discovery of Paul's Roman citizenship brought an immediate halt to the proceedings.  Alarmed at how close he had come to scourging a Roman citizen, he immediately ordered Paul's release.  He was also afraid because he was guilty of putting a Roman citizen in chains without a preliminary hearing (which was also illegal).  By now, thoroughly perplexed, he decided to bring Paul before the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, v. 30. 

 

The story continues...

 

Allow me to wrap this chapter up with some very practical applications.  Paul provides an example for all believers of how to give a positive testimony in negative circumstances.

 

First, Paul accepted the situation as God had ordained it.  Facing persecution never caused him to be unfaithful to God's plan.  He had known there was going to be trouble for him in Jerusalem but that did not dissuade him.

 

Second, Paul used his circumstances as an opportunity to share his faith.  They Jews had gathered to kill him but ended up hearing about Jesus Christ and His salvation.

 

Third, Paul was conciliatory toward his persecutors.  He did not threaten the hostile crown nor seek revenge.  He spoke courteously.  Romans 12:14  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 

 

Fourth, Paul's testimony had three elements - B.C.; Becoming a Christian; A.D.  In it he exalted the Lord and not himself.  I Corinthians 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

 

Fifth and finally, Paul maintained a proper attitude - one of selfless love.  It was love for the poor churches in Judea that brought Paul to Jerusalem, to bring an offering from the Gentile churches.  It was love and a desire for unity in the church that took him to the Temple on that fateful day.  And it was love for this fellow countrymen that led him to try to evangelize the crowd, Romans 9:1-3.