Paul in Jerusalem, Part 1

Acts 21:37–22:21

When Paul and the Roman soldiers reach the top of the stairs, before entering the barracks, Paul asks the tribune for permission to speak (21:37). The soldiers express surprise at Paul’s proficient Greek skills. Lysias assumes Paul might be the Egyptian assassin who had stirred up a revolt recently (v. 38). According to Josephus, this false prophet presented himself as a new Moses or Joshua, gathered together thousands of followers, and lived in the desert. He predicted that Jerusalem’s walls would fall like Jericho when surrounded by his men, leaving Roman forces exposed. Instead of this happening, four hundred of his rebels were killed, two hundred were captured, and the Egyptian and the rest fled (in Polhill, Acts, 455).

Paul informs Lysias that he is neither a terrorist nor an Egyptian but a Jew and a citizen of the honorable city of Tarsus (v. 39), one of the great university cities in the Roman world (Stott, Message of Acts, 347). Lysias assumed Paul was a rabble-rouser and may have associated him with an Egyptian due to Paul’s shaved head. But upon learning of Paul’s distinguished background, Lysias grants Paul permission to speak. Paul stands at the top of the steps, and the crowd falls silent as Paul addresses them in their own language (“Hebrew dialect” can mean Aramaic; 21:40; cf. 22:2; 26:14).

In Paul’s “defense” (apologia, 22:1), he provides a respectful and honest account of life and conversion in response to the charges made against him. He has almost been killed. He has been arrested and chained. But he speaks calmly. If I were to speak in that situation, I’m afraid my words would be tainted by anger.

Paul had two purposes in addressing the crowd. First, he wanted them to hear that he was loyal to his Jewish heritage. He saw himself as standing in continuity with it though he confessed Jesus as Messiah, the Righteous One foretold by the prophets. Second, Paul wanted them to know the facts about his conversion. His life and ministry weren’t the result of his own imagination and wild ideas. They were the result of the sovereign, transforming grace of Jesus. Paul used this defense opportunity as an occasion to speak the good news.

His loyalty is conveyed in the careful way he addresses the crowd (“Brothers and fathers”), in his choice of language (22:2), in his mention of being raised in Jerusalem and educated under Gamaliel, in his reference to Ananias’s ministry (vv. 12-16), in his reference to the “God of our fathers”, and in his statement of his vision in the temple (vv. 17-20). Paul respects his Jewish heritage.

The apostle’s honesty is simply displayed in the telling of his testimony. We can observe it in four sections.

Paul begins by identifying with the crowd, reflecting on his former life. He was born a Jew in Tarsus and had been brought up in Jerusalem. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel. He had been a strict Pharisee, indeed a Pharisee of Pharisees (Phil 3:4-7). His zeal was expressed in the violent persecution of Christians, both men and women, whom he had handed over to death (cf. 8:3; 26:10). Paul wanted to destroy Christianity. The high priest and council of elders would confirm his story (22:5). They knew that at one time Paul had even sought to travel all the way to Damascus to persecute followers of the Way.

But then something happened: Paul met the living Christ, and that changed everything.

The light blinding Paul around noon implies it outshone the sun at its strongest time (cf. 26:13, perhaps echoing Deut 28:28-29). Paul fell to the ground and heard Jesus speaking to him. Paul includes in his defense speech that it was Jesus of Nazareth who confronted him. Before this Jewish audience, Paul wanted to be clear about Jesus’s identity. Jesus informed Paul that he had not only been persecuting the church but also the Lord himself in his eagerness to stamp out Christianity (cf. 9:4-5; 26:14-15). This truth highlights the special relationship between Christ and the church.

Jesus didn’t execute Paul on the Damascus road. Instead, he turned the terrorist into an evangelist by his amazing grace (cf. Gal 1:13-17; 1 Tim 1:12-17). Paul was commissioned, not consumed, as he would later get instructions in Damascus when meeting Ananias (cf. 9:10-17).

Paul goes on to describe Ananias’s devotion to the law, adding the note that Ananias “had a good reputation with all the Jews” (v. 12). Paul’s omission of some of the story about Ananias that is recorded in Acts 9 reveals part of Paul’s purpose in this defense speech. Paul wants to emphasize his respect for Israel. The person who led Paul into the Christian faith (Ananias) was himself well known for keeping God’s commands.

Let’s consider four parts to Paul’s commission.

The “God of our ancestors” called Paul (22:14). This is the language God used in Moses’s burning bush experience (Exod 3:15-16). The same God who commissioned Moses also commissioned Paul. In making this connection, Paul also highlights God’s marvelous grace. Did Moses deserve to hear God’s voice and be used to bring people into freedom? No. Did Paul deserve such grace? Did he deserve the privilege of proclaiming liberty to the nations? No. Both men were dependent on grace.

God appointed Paul to see “the Righteous One” (22:14). This too is an allusion to the Old Testament, stressing the continuity between the Old Testament and the work of Jesus the Messiah. Isaiah speaks of this Righteous One as the obedient Servant who was wounded for our transgressions (Isa 53:5-6,11; cf. Acts 3:14; 7:52). The only way for a person to be righteous is through the Righteous One—not through religious effort. Paul’s life and ministry would be devoted to proclaiming this message (e.g., 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). So then Paul is pointing out that Judaism, rightly understood, should culminate in faith in this Jesus, the Righteous One of whom Isaiah spoke.

God called Paul to be his “witness” to “all people” (22:15; cf. v. 21; 26:17; Gal 1:16). The man would give eyewitness testimony (1 Cor 9:1) to people of all ethnicities and social classes. He told the Corinthians that he was compelled to preach this message (1 Cor 9:16).

Paul received instructions on how to act on his commission. Ananias tells Paul to “get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (22:16). Baptism is the expression of one’s faith in Jesus. Calling on the name of Jesus is a cry for salvation, rescue, cleansing, and new life. Paul became a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21), as can anyone else who calls on the name of the Lord (Rom 10:13).

In the last part of Paul’s defense speech, he tells of the vision he had in the temple. This part of Paul’s story doesn’t appear in Acts 9 (cf. 9:26-30). He probably included it here in order to answer the mob’s charge that he had defiled the temple. He had no interest in defiling the temple; he prayed in it.

In some ways Paul’s vision sounds similar to Isaiah’s vision (Isa 6:1-13), once again showing continuity between Judaism and the Christian faith. Both men were called through a vision and were commissioned (22:18-21). Both were told that people would reject their messages. Isaiah was told to stay in the city to face the rejection, but Paul was told to leave (22:18; Polhill, Acts, 462).

Paul describes how he protested the vision, another element common to calling narratives in the Old Testament. Paul argued he should stay in Jerusalem because while he previously persecuted Christians in Jerusalem, he was now the Lord’s convincing witness (vv. 19-20). Despite the argument the Lord persisted and said, “Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (v. 21). This calling to the Gentiles wasn’t merely for the sake of safety but as a matter of purpose. The Lord had raised Paul up specifically so that he would be a witness to the Gentiles (cf. 9:15-16).

With the mention of the Gentiles, the mob’s suppressed emotion erupted (22:22). Paul didn’t get to deal with the charges of defiling the temple.

Several features stand out from Paul’s defense. Let me highlight three final applications.

First, we can learn from Paul’s calmness. In this intense moment Paul responds with meekness, gentleness, and compassion. He doesn’t respond in anger. He doesn’t attack. He reasons. When you are in a pressure-filled conversation, ask the Father to calm you and give you grace to speak the message with gentleness and respect (cf. Gal 5:22-23; 2 Tim 2:24-25; Jas 4:17-18; 1 Pet 3:15).

Second, we can learn from Paul’s courage. In the face of opposition, Paul didn’t bend. He stood his ground. Such boldness also comes from God (cf. 4:29-31). Many Christians can remain calm, but that’s because they cave in and fail to speak truth when pressed. We need both truth and love (cf. Eph 4:15). Only churches that love people and stand firmly on the gospel against the winds of culture will have anything to offer this broken world.

Third, we can learn from Paul’s calling. Paul knew his assignment: proclaim the good news. That’s our job too. On this particular occasion, the crowd is enraged against the apostle. On other occasions in Acts, however, people respond to his words in faith. We aren’t responsible for the results of what happens when we lovingly proclaim the good news; we are responsible for sharing it.

My friend Todd told me about a young man at his school. I’ll call him Kyle. Kyle was an outspoken atheist in their predominantly Christian academy. His parents were also atheists. They sent him to the school only because its academic record was so good. When my friend Todd first met Kyle, the boy boldly declared, “I’m an atheist.” To this Todd replied, “Well, I’m glad to meet you. I’d love to talk to you sometime about how you arrived at your belief system.”

Over the years, from Kyle’s first day at kindergarten to his senior year of high school, he saw the gospel on beautiful display. His friends and teachers weren’t like the hypocrites about whom he often complained. They loved him well. He also heard the gospel over and over from people like Todd. Yet Kyle remained resistant to the message of what Jesus did for him—until the senior class trip, which involved walking in the places where the apostle Paul once walked.

Todd told me that as their group went from one city to another in the Mediterranean world, Kyle became more and more fascinated by what he was experiencing. He asked tons of questions—not to debate what he heard but out of genuine interest. In those days he didn’t leave the side of the student chaplain. And eventually, at the island of Patmos, and after an emotional conversation, Kyle placed his faith in Jesus.

Soon after that Todd shared this story about Kyle with a wealthy group of people at a country club in North Carolina. When he finished, a man in his nineties tearfully approached Todd and thanked him for the message. Todd didn’t know then that the older man was dying of cancer and was, in fact, not a Christian. He learned the news on the way home.

“We have to turn around,” Todd announced as the car sped away from the club. “I need to visit with that man.”

Soon Todd and the elderly fellow settled in for a conversation. The man told Todd that he had little interest in religion. His life had been devoted to making money. He had made billions. “But,” he said after a pause, “what good is all that now?”

You are probably hoping that before Todd left the country club that afternoon the wealthy man gave his heart to the Lord. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the two men parted amicably and have continued to stay in touch through letter writing. While Todd has the man’s word that he is reading the Bible, Todd is less sure about the man’s thoughts on what he’s shared with him regarding Jesus. “At least I know he has heard the gospel,” Todd says. “I can’t make him respond.”

These stories reveal that while some plant the seeds of the gospel through proclamation and others water it through loving actions and deeper teaching that reinforce the message, only God gives growth (1 Cor 3:6). Sometimes people will be enraged by a presentation of the gospel; sometimes people will hear it and inquire for more information; and sometimes people will surrender to the lordship of Jesus—though they, like Kyle, may take their time doing so. We must remember that no one is beyond the reach of God’s converting grace. Just look at Paul! Just look at us! Be faithful to sow the seed and beg God to send rain to nourish it as you humbly and courageously give an answer for the hope within you.