THIS WEEK: I'm not going to review last week's lesson because we have a lot to cover this week. Today we move into chapter 22 to cover Paul's sermon in Jerusalem. While still en route from Miletus, Paul had received warnings about the threat awaiting him in Jerusalem, yet he was determined to go there for the sake of the gospel. At the end of Chapter 21 (vv. 27-40), which we aren't going to cover, when Paul went inside the Temple, the mob there tried to kill him because they mistakenly believed he had profaned the Temple by sneaking a Gentile past the Court of Gentiles. Roman soldiers interceded to protect Paul from the crowd (remember that he was a Roman citizen entitled to such protection), but as they were leading him away, Paul ask for permission to address the people and began speaking to them in Hebrew (Aramaic), which caused them become quiet and listen. That's where today's story begins.
Read Acts 22:3-5 - Paul Speaks of His Former Life
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
v. 3: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day" - Paul opens by speaking as a Jew to the Jews, being careful to lay a common ground with them. He notes that, though he was born in Asia Minor outside Judea, he did grow up in Jerusalem and was educated by Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbinic teachers. As a Pharisee, Paul was trained according to the strictest law of the Jewish fathers.
v. 4: "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women" - Followers of the "Way" was a synonym for early Christians (see, Acts 9:2). In his zeal to protect the ancient traditions, Paul told them how he had persecuted to the death this new sect known as the "Way," to the extent that he not only imprisoned men but also women-he was heartless. He was letting them know that he understood why they attacked him, that is, I was once an attacker, too, and know where you're coming from.
v.5: "as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished" - Continuing to explain his credentials as a persecutor of Christians, Paul told them his zeal had been energetic enough go the High Priest and ask for letters that authorized him to carry on his campaign beyond Judea into Syria and the city of Damascus. He intended to arrest Christian followers there and bring them back to Jerusalem.
Observation: Down through the ages to the present day, religious zeal has been the basis for much of the violence in the world-the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Muslim wars into North Africa and Europe, terrorism in Northern Ireland, and modern Islamic terrorism. Paul's testimony reveals that you can be zealous for God and still be totally mistaken. In all of these cases, religious zeal is a cover-up for pride and prejudice, which are both sin.
Read Acts 22:6-16 - Encounter on the Road to Damascus
6 "As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly 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 And 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 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, 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 everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
vv. 6-7: "As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" - Damascus was 135 miles N.E. of Jerusalem, a 6-day journey by foot. The great light, in order to be seen at noon, had to be brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13, Paul before Agrippa). The voice in the midst of the light spoke to him in Hebrew (Acts 26:14), the language of instruction in the rabbinic schools. The voice told Saul (Paul) that his attacks on the church were a personal attack on the person speaking to him from the light.
v. 8: "And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting'" - "Lord," in those times, was a title that denoted respect, like saying sir or mister. Up to this very point, Paul, as a proud, educated, and confident Pharisee, saw himself as righteous, then in the instant of time, when confronted with the real person of Jesus Christ, he realized he was utterly, completely lost, without any righteouness. He had come face to face with the truth of the very gospel he had been trying to extinguish; his encounter with the resurrected Christ changed him for all eternity.
Summary of vv. 9-14: (1) vv. 9-11 Paul explains how Jesus commanded him to rise and go to Damascus, despite his blindness, and complete lack of appetite; and (2) vv. 12-14 he tells how Ananias-who was both a devout Jew and a Christian convert living in Damascus-restored his sight (supernaturally) and explained that God had appointed him to know His will in order to see the "Righteous One" and hear "His voice from His mouth."
v. 15 (Ananias: speaking): "for you will be a witness for Him to everyone of what you have seen and heard" - Many in Paul's audience would know of Ananias and respect him. The mission Ananias had relayed to Paul was simple: to testify-be a witness-to all people of what he had seen and heard on the road to Damascus, and by sharing it with this crowd, he was acting in obedience to this command.
v. 16: "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name" - Carefully notice here that Ananias gives two distinct commands: (1) be baptized and (2) wash away your sins. The physical act of baptism does not result in a spiritual cleansing from sin but symbolizes the washing away of sin through one's belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Notice that the Baptism also included calling on the name of Jesus Christ. Taken together, they expressed Paul's repentance and his confession of faith.
Read Acts 22:17-21 - Paul's New Purpose
17 "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and 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 know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.' 21 And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"
vv. 17-18: "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me" - On his first visit to back to Jerusalem after his conversion-3 years later--Jesus appeared to him in a trance (vision) and warned him to leave the city immediately because the people would reject his testimony. (Note: It's Interesting that Paul never mentioned this experience in any of his letters and seems to mention it here only out of necessity.)
v. 19-20: "And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him" - The title "Lord" positively identifies Jesus. Amazingly, Paul argues with Jesus about leaving Jerusalem. In view of Paul's past record persecuting Christians and assisting in Stephen's execution, the Jews should have recognized that only a divine intervention could have brought about such a radical change in his beliefs. Based on this, Paul evidently expected them to listen to his "testimony." This is just my opinion, but I think Paul was so confident of the gospel message, that he thought anybody, even zealous Jews, could be convicted by it; and I also think he had a heart to try to save his own people, the Jews.
v. 21: "And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles'" - If Paul saw himself as the ideal person to reach the Jews, God had other plans. Previously, in Acts 9:15, Paul had been divinely informed by God through Ananias that he was God's "chosen instrument" to carry the gospel to the Gentiles, thus, this reminder from Jesus in the Temple was not new information. This was not necessarily the safest way for him to end his message, making it clear that it wasn't his idea to preach to the Gentiles, but was God's plan. This would strike a nerve with the listening Jews.
Read Acts 22:22 - Rejected by the Jews of Jerusalem
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."
v. 22: "Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live" - As long as Paul spoke of his work in the Jewish context, the crowd listened, even if impatiently. But the "word"-Gentiles-put them into a fit of rage. Paul told them, in effect, that Gentiles could be approached directly with God's message of salvation without first being connected in any way to the Jewish nation and its system of Mosaic Law. This amounted to placing Jews and Gentiles on equal footing before God. The Jews considered this to be not only flagrant apostasy but a despicable insult to their national pride.
Observation on vv. 23-30: Before the angry crowd could get their hands on Paul and kill him, the Romans took him away to their barracks. The Roman tribune ordered Paul to be flogged (to appease the Jews), but when Paul informed him he was a Roman citizen, he backed off. The next day Paul was brought before the Jewish Council, which sets the stage for next week's lesson.
APPLICATION:
PRAYER: God, our Father in heaven, we come before You today with thanksgiving and praise for the love, mercy, and grace You constantly show toward us as individuals and as a Church, and we thank you most of all for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for us so that we may can stand blameless before You. We pray, Lord, that You have used this time of study and learning to strengthen every person listening-in today and use it to give them hope and strengthen them in their Christian walk. As Paul teaches us in this important lesson, please help us to realize that although we aren't all called to be missionaries, like him, every single one us is called to share the Gospel message with the people around us who know little or nothing about you or the salvation You offer them. Help us, Lord, to be bold witnesses to explain who You are and how they can receive Your free gift of grace. And for that, Lord, we will give You all the credit and praise. I ask these things in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.
