37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” He replied, “Can you speak Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying, 1 “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” 2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 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. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 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. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers 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. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ 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.’ ”
Commentary
Vs. 21:37–22:5
37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, “May I speak to you?” He replied, “Can you speak Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying, 1 “Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.” 2 And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: 3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 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.
The Apostle Paul having then been delivered from the violence of the mob and now about to be moved to the Roman barracks where the commander could make further inquiry of him, without the mob’s presence and violence, Paul now makes request of the commander to speak to the mob before they move him there. The commander though is taken aback that Paul can speak Greek, for he thought Paul was a foreigner, a certain Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led four thousand assassins out into the wilderness (vs. 38). Now when Paul heard the commander say that, he calmly told him that he was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city, that is a citizen of a prominent and important city that had been declared a free city by Caesar Augustus (vs. 39). And so when the commander heard that he gave Paul permission to speak to the crowd. Thus, Paul stood on the stairs, and motioning with his hand to the people, he waited till a great silence (gr. σιγή) fell over them before he began to directly address them (vs. 40). Now as Paul began his address, he addressed them all as Brethren and fathers, thus he first acknowledges them as his Jewish brethren, while also showing reverence and respect to the elders amongst them (22:1). As well the Apostle Paul did this in their own native language, in Hebrew, the language of the Jews, and so when they all heard him speak to them in their native tongue, they became even more silent (gr. ἡσυχία) which indicates they were now even more attentive to hear him (22:2). And so, with the crowd now all attentively listening to him, Paul begins his address to them by first declaring to them all that he himself is Jew, “born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today” (22:3). Paul then was no stranger to Jerusalem, nor to the Jews traditions and services towards God done there, since he himself had been raised and discipled there in all of these things at the feet of a renowned rabbi named Gamaliel. In fact, Paul had been discipled there according to the strictest sect of their fathers’ law, and thus he was before his own salvation, a devout and exceedingly zealous Jew for their law and their Temple just as they all were. Having then identified himself as a devout Jew, the Apostle Paul now recalls his own zeal for their faith and traditions, that he also once persecuted those of the Way, i.e., Christians, even to death, binding Christians in chains, and delivering both men and women to prison for their faith in Christ (Acts 22:3-4). Now this Paul did not do on his own authority; but having received official authorization from the high priest and the Jews elders there; he went out with official letters from them, sanctioning him to arrest and imprison those who were turning to the Way, even traveling so far as Damascus in Syria to arrest and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial (22:5). And so it was while on his journey to Damascus that the Lord powerfully made Himself known to Paul, which Paul will now recount to his Jewish brethren, which starts in verse sixth and goes right to verse twenty-one.
Vs. 22:6-21 6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 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. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers 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. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ 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.’ ”
And so, Paul now recalls the amazing events of the Lord revealing Himself to him. How while he was traveling to Damascus to arrest the Christians there that around noon time a great light from heaven suddenly shone around him (22:6). Now such was its intensity that he fell to ground while it encompassed him. Having then been completely overwhelmed by it, and fallen to the ground while encompassed with it, Paul then heard a voice from heaven saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ (22:7). In that moment then Paul never felt more wrong in what he had been doing when he heard the Lord’s voice from heaven asking him why he was persecuting Him. And so with Paul’s religious zeal being completely shattered by the sight and the sound of the voice from heaven, he can now only reply to the Lord by saying, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Which until that time was the most truest statement Paul had ever uttered. For up until then Saul/Paul did not know the Lord, not even in all of his zeal for all of his father’s law, and all their traditions which surrounded it, which he so vehemently followed. Thus, Paul did not know the Lord of heaven as the God of love and all grace who had laid down His own life by suffering death n the Cross for us all. All Paul knew was the wrath that the law inevitably brings to those who seek to be justified by it (Rom 4:14-15). Therefore, when the Lord heard Paul respond to Him like that, the Lord said to Him, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting” (22:8). Thus, the very Person whom Paul had been so vehemently opposing, was indeed the Lord of heaven and earth, whom he thought he was serving by doing such things. The impact then of Jesus’s Words on Paul in that moment can only be imagined, for all that Paul thought he was doing as serving God by zealously opposing Christians had in fact only been opposing Him. Paul then was shaken to core of his being, which needed to happen if he was to become the Lord’s chosen vessel. Now in recalling this, Paul also tells them that the great light from heaven that shone around him was seen not just by him, but was also seen by those with him, who upon seeing the light from heaven encompass him became filled with fear, even though they did not hear His Voice, since it was Paul whom the Lord was calling at that time and in that moment to repentance and faith (22:9).
Therefore, when the Lord told Paul that He was Jesus of Nazareth, and that Paul had been persecuting Him by his grossly unjust actions towards Him and His people, Paul could only respond to the Lord by saying, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ (22:10). Which itself is the only right response to the Lord when one is confronted with the depths of their own sin. For Paul, having now seen the Lord of heaven and heard from Him by His Word spoken to Him; just as we also hear from the Lord by His Word spoken on earth and given to us in the Bible; and thus, now knowing how wrong he had been in persecuting Him, by persecuting His chosen people. Paul in all true repentance and faith was now going to serve the Lord, for that was what he had been wanting to do all along in so zealously following the law of his fathers. Therefore, in Paul’s statement there is a complete surrender of his own will to now the Will of the Lord. And the Lord knowing these things that Paul was turning from his misguided zeal and had turned to Him now tells Paul that he must go to Damascus, (but not to arrest Christians, but now as a Christian and His witness to all mankind) for it will be there that he will be told all things which are appointed for him (22:10).
Vs. 22:11-16 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. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers 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. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
Paul then being totally broken of his own misguided zeal, now remains completely blinded from the Lord’s light that had shone around him. Which must have been absolutely humbling for him, to have to be fully dependent on others just to be able find your way (22:11). Having then been brought to Damascus and brought to a devout man according to the law, whose name was Ananias, who Paul now says to the crowd had a good testimony amongst all the Jews there. And so, it was this man whom the Lord had appointed to receive Paul into the faith and to open his eyes and baptize him. Therefore, the Apostle Paul now recalls this most moving moment in his life to the crowd in 22:12-16. Telling them how Ananias, who also forsook his own fears and came to him and addressing him as Brother Saul, told him to receive his sight (see Acts 9-10-19 for a complete recounting). Upon which Paul now looking up at him, (as a helpless child looks to their father), that he received his sight. Having then received his sight and seeing for the first time the man whom the Lord had made this possible for him, Paul now recalls how Ananias being a devout Jew like himself then told him the Lords plan and purposes for him, saying to him, ‘The God of our fathers 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. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ (22:14-16) Now this exhortation to be baptized and have his sins washed away is the symbolic washing away of our sins which also and only occurs through the blood of the Lord of Jesus Christ the moment we repent and believe in Him.
22:17-21 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.’ ” 22:6-21
The Apostle Paul then having told them of his own salvation experience and encounter with the Living Lord now tells them what happened to him as a new Christian when he returned to Jerusalem as a Christian. For it was there while praying in the Temple, that Paul describes himself as being in a trance when He saw the Lord saying to him, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ (vs. 17-18). Now when the Lord told Paul that he was told to leave Jerusalem he initially thought the Lord was mistaken, for he thought his Jewish brethren would believe in the Lord Jesus because they new of his former zeal in persecuting Christians and even partaking in the death of Stephen the martyr (vs. 19-20). However, the Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, when He heard Paul say that He immediately told him to depart from Jerusalem for He would now send him to the Gentiles, which is why the Gospel and all the fullness of God’s Word has come to us (vs. 21).
Continued on in next blog entry
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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