Bible Study Acts 22: 1-30

 

Commentary of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Acts 22: 1-30

Text:

22 “Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter; and he *said,

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but having been brought up in this city, having been instructed at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of 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 delivering both men and women into prisons, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders [a]can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem [b]as prisoners to be punished.

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 beheld the light, to be sure, but did not [c]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been determined for you to do.’ 11 But since I could not see because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.

12 “Now 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, regain your sight!’ And [d]at that very hour I regained my sight and saw 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 a [e]voice from His mouth. 15 For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’

17 “Now 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, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness 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 guarding the garments of those who were slaying him.’ 21 And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul, a Citizen of Rome

22 And they were listening 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!” 23 And as they were crying out and throwing off their garments and tossing dust into the air, 24 the [f]commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by flogging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out [g]with leather straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it [h]lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 And the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 And the commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I have been born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

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 Sanhedrin to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “ “Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

Paul's initial defense, the first of six.

Verse 2: “And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter; and he *said,”

As he begins to speak in Hebrew, a sudden calm descends upon the tumultuous crowd, much like a raging wind abruptly ceasing or the waves of the sea becoming still. They are now intently listening to one of their own, as he commences by recounting his personal history.

Verse 3: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but having been brought up in this city, having been instructed at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today,”

This statement, “I am a Jew”  directly addresses the false accusations made by the Asian Jews . Paul states he was “born in Tarsus,” the primary city of Cilicia. He clarifies that while he was born among Hellenistic Jews of the Diaspora, he was “brought up in this city” (Jerusalem).

Paul further establishes his credibility by mentioning he studied under Gamaliel, the most renowned rabbi of his time. This extensive training in both Old Testament law and rabbinic traditions, referred to as his being brought up “according to the strictness of the law of our fathers”, strongly refutes the absurd charges that he opposed the law. Although not explicitly stated to the crowd, his past as a Pharisee further underscored the ridiculousness of the accusations.

Verse 4: “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering both men and women into prisons,”

Paul, an ardent follower of his Jewish traditions, displayed even greater fervor than his audience, particularly given his significant involvement in the persecution of the Christian church following Stephen's martyrdom.

Verse 5: “as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.”

He states this to demonstrate unequivocally that his conversion to Christianity was solely the result of divine intervention. Far from having any prior inclination or positive view, he harbored extreme animosity and intense rage toward Christianity immediately before this abrupt transformation.

Verse 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,”

The heavenly light, at its peak, outshone the sun, a detail Paul emphasized by referring to the time of day.

Verse 7: “and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’”

Before a tense crowd, Paul recounts his extraordinary conversion. He admits persecuting Christians, then describes the blinding light, heavenly voice, and Ananias restoring his sight. Commissioned by the Lord to preach to Gentiles, this revelation justifies his actions but angers his Jewish audience. Paul uses his testimony to bridge misunderstandings and reveal the divine hand in his mission.

Verse 8: “And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’”

Silence gripped the gathering, all eyes on the speaker. Anticipation and apprehension filled the air, a collective breath held, awaiting the first words to break the profound quiet.

Verse 9: “And those who were with me beheld the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.”

This poses no contradiction with 9:7. While his companions heard the sound, only Paul understood Jesus' words, as the Lord spoke exclusively to him.

Verse 10: “And I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been determined for you to do.’”

Paul, a devout Jew, immediately asked, "What should I do, Lord?" when confronted by the divine. In his desire to obey divine revelation, he was instructed to go to Damascus, where God's will would be revealed. Blinded, he was led by his companions into the city to await further instructions regarding God's purpose for him.

Verse 11: “But since I could not see because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.”

Paul’s companions saw the light, but the Lord Jesus Christ was visible only to Paul.

Verse 12: “ “Now 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,”

Ananias was well-suited to meet Saul, a zealous Pharisee and "Hebrew of Hebrews". Ananias's acquaintance with Paul would help Paul gain the trust of other Jews in the city who might otherwise view him with suspicion.

Verse 13: “came to me, and standing near, said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that very hour I regained my sight and saw him.”

The immediate miraculous cure of Paul's eyes confirmed Ananias’s divine mission to Paul and validated his subsequent words. Ananias came to him  and stood by him, declaring, "Brother Saul, receive thy sight." This demonstrated that Ananias was sent by Christ—the one who had afflicted Paul but would also heal him, who had taken his sight but would restore it with added benefit. Power accompanied Ananias's words, and the same hour, Paul's sight was instantly recovered. He then looked up upon him, prepared to receive the instructions Ananias delivered.

Verse 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 a voice from His mouth.”

"The Righteous One" is a title bestowed upon the Messiah.

Verse 15: “For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.”

Paul consistently affirmed his encounter with the risen, glorified Christ on the Damascus road.

Verse 16: “‘Now why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’”

Baptism in the New Testament serves as a powerful outward manifestation of an profound inward spiritual transformation. It symbolizes a cleansing, a purification that occurs within the believer's heart and soul. This spiritual reality finds a striking parallel in the Old Testament practice of circumcision.

Just as circumcision was a physical sign of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants, signifying their belonging to God's chosen people and their commitment to His law, so too baptism signifies a new covenant. In the New Testament, this covenant is established through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism, therefore, is not merely a ritual; it is a public declaration of one's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It symbolizes the believer's spiritual death to their old sinful nature and their resurrection to a new life in Christ. This inward cleansing, often referred to as regeneration or being "born again" by the Holy Spirit, is the true essence of the transformation, with baptism acting as its visible declaration.

Verse 17: “Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,”

After a short ministry in Damascus and three years in Nabatean Arabia, Paul experienced a trance. This trance was a supernatural experience where he was carried beyond his senses to receive revelation directly from Jesus Christ. Such experiences were unique to the apostles; only Peter and John had similar revelations. This particular event marked the fourth of six visions Paul received as recorded in the book of Acts.

Verse 18: “and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’”

As “I saw Him saying to me,” reminds us to focus on Christ when we receive His law. Before commissioning him to the Gentiles, Christ informed him that his efforts in Jerusalem would be fruitless. Thus, they should not fault him, but themselves, for his mission to the Gentiles. Paul arrived in Jerusalem, hopeful that God's grace would enable him to lead those who had resisted other apostles' ministries to faith in Christ. He may have been praying for this, believing his Jerusalem upbringing and recognition would uniquely equip him to gather the ungathered children of Jerusalem to Christ.

Verse 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.”

God, in His omniscience, knows those who will accept the gospel and those who will reject it. Despite this, Paul persisted in his desire to serve as a minister in Jerusalem. He believed the people there, more than any others, were intimately familiar with his life before his conversion. This knowledge, he reasoned, would compel them to attribute the profound transformation in him to the omnipotent power of grace, thereby lending greater credence to his testimony. This was his internal logic and his plea to the Lord.

Verse 20: “And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and guarding the garments of those who were slaying him.’”

Paul's approval wasn't necessarily contingent on Sanhedrin membership, though some believe it was. He could demonstrate his approval by letting them place their cloaks at his feet.

Verse 21: “And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The crowd found Paul's unwavering assertion that the Lord had dispatched him to minister to the Gentiles intolerable. They considered the notion that Gentiles could achieve salvation without first converting to Judaism—thereby attaining equal standing with Jewish people before God—to be insufferable blasphemy.

Verse 22: “And they were listening 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!’”

Paul has been ministering to the Gentiles, a fact known to the Jews. However, the mere mention of Gentiles acts as a catalyst, instantly enraging them and causing them to refuse to listen further.

Verse 23: “And as they were crying out and throwing off their garments and tossing dust into the air,”

They tore off their clothes in preparation to stone Paul. This act demonstrated their horror at his "blasphemy", uncontrollable rage, or most likely, a combination of all three. Their passions, inflamed by racial pride, caused the crowd to lose all semblance of self-control, as they threw dust—a sign of intense emotion.

Verse 24: “the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by flogging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.”

The commander, Lysias, ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks, specifically into Fort Antonia, to remove him from the angry mob. Lysias understood the necessity of interrogating Paul privately. He further instructed that Paul be examined under flogging, a brutal Roman interrogation method where prisoners often died from being flogged with a flagellum, a Roman instrument consisting of metal-tipped leather thongs attached to a wooden handle.

Verse 25: “But when they stretched him out with leather straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, ‘Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?’”

To begin the whipping, Paul's arms were either stretched around a pole to expose his back or tied, and he was hoisted from the ground. Roman citizens were exempt from such brutal interrogation methods under the Valerian and Porcian laws. Paul now asserted his rights as a Roman citizen. His claim would not have been doubted, as falsely claiming Roman citizenship carried a death penalty.

Verse 26: “And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, ‘What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.’”

Paul leveraged his Roman citizenship to avoid punishment without trial.. This highly valued status was typically reserved for individuals of high standing or those who had rendered significant service to the state, and it was inheritable.

Verse 27: “And the commander came and said to him, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’”

The captain, a former slave, had earned or acquired the funds necessary to purchase his freedom. He subsequently rose through the ranks of the Roman army to become a captain. He was astonished to discover that his prisoner was a freeborn Roman citizen.

Verse 28: “And the commander answered, ‘I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.’ And Paul said, ‘But I have been born a citizen.’”

Although officially not for sale, Roman citizenship could occasionally be acquired through bribes to corrupt officials.

Verse 29: “Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.”

Paul's predicament ceased instantly. Those designated to interrogate him via scourging, “immediately withdrew from him” due to fear. Even the colonel, despite his presumed influence, was apprehensive upon learning Paul was a Roman citizen. This was because, although he hadn't physically beaten Paul, he had bound him in preparation for a beating.

Verse 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 Sanhedrin to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.”

He then took a significant and somewhat unconventional step: he convened an unofficial meeting of the Sanhedrin. This gathering was notable not only for its clandestine nature but also for the underlying tension that surely permeated the air. The Sanhedrin, as the supreme judicial and religious council of the Jews, held immense authority, and to call them together outside of formal protocols suggested a matter of extreme urgency and sensitivity.