Acts 22

1 – 3

Paul said, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! I will make my defense to you.” When the Jews heard him speaking the Jewish language, they became very quiet. Paul said, “I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia.

I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel. He carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today.

Gamaliel was the most famous Jewish teacher of the day. Paul was showing the people that he really knew everything about the Law. History books show that Gamaliel said Paul was full of pride and did not talk with respect for others. He said that Paul was always wanting more books to study.

4 – 5

I hurt the people who followed the Way of Jesus. Some of them were even killed. I arrested men and women and put them in jail. The high priest and the whole council of Jewish elders can tell you that this is true. These leaders gave me letters to the Jewish brothers in Damascus. So I was going there to arrest these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.

Paul is showing them that he understands what they are thinking because he used to think the same way. Paul told the Philippians:
I could trust in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Philippians 3:4-7

6 – 9

“But something happened to me on my way to Damascus. It was about noon when I came near Damascus. Suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed all around me.

I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you doing things against me?’ I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I am Jesus from Nazareth. I am the One you are trying to hurt.’ The men who were with me did not understand the voice. But they saw the light.

People who hate the Bible say that when Luke told the story he said Paul’s friends did not hear a voice. The original language shows that Paul is saying that they heard a sound but did not understand what it was. Acts 9:7

10 – 11
I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’ I could not see, because the bright light had made me blind. So the men led me into Damascus.

Paul was happy to let God lead him one step at a time.

12 – 16

“There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a religious man; he obeyed the law of Moses. All the Jews who lived there respected him.

Ananias came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ Immediately I was able to see him. Ananias told me, ‘The God of our fathers chose you long ago. He chose you to know His plan.

He chose you to see the Righteous One and to hear words from Him. You will be His witness to all people. You will tell them about the things you have seen and heard. Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away. Do this, trusting in Him to save you.’

Paul was showing that Jews who believe in Jesus are respected by some other Jews and that they still follow the God of Israel. The people knew Paul was saying that he had seen the Messiah.

17 – 18

“Later, I returned to Jerusalem. I was praying in the Temple, and I saw a vision. I saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem now! The people here will not accept the truth about Me.’

Paul is showing them that God knows that they do not want to listen to the truth. Some people may have remembered that the Jews had a history of not listening to God’s prophets.

19 – 20

But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I put the believers in jail and beat them. They also know that I was there when Stephen, your witness, was killed. I stood there and agreed that they should kill him. I even held the coats of the men who were killing him!’

Paul did not try to make any excuse for the evil things he had done. He talked about this because he wanted the Jews to think that someone so serious about being Jewish must have a good reason for the new things he believed.

21 – 23

But the Lord said to me, ‘Leave now. I will send you far away to the non-Jewish people.’” The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they began shouting, “Get rid of him! A man like this doesn’t deserve to live!” They shouted and threw off their coats. They threw dust into the air.

Jewish leaders taught that Gentiles were created to feed the fires of hell. The people twisted Paul’s words as if he was saying that he did bring a non–Jew into the temple.

24 – 25

Then the commander [Lysias] ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the army building and beat him. The commander wanted to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this.

So the soldiers were tying him up, preparing to beat him. But Paul said to an officer there, “Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty?”

This time Paul did not wait to show his Roman passport as he did in Philippi.

26 – 30

When the officer heard this, he went to the Lysias and told him about it. The officer said, “Do you know what you are doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
The Lysias came to Paul and said, “Tell me, are you really a Roman citizen?”

He answered, “Yes.” Lysias said, “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.” But Paul said, “I was born a citizen.”
The men who were preparing to question Paul moved away from him immediately.

Lysias was afraid because he had already tied Paul, and Paul was a Roman citizen.
The next day Lysias decided to learn why the Jews were accusing Paul. So he ordered the leading priests and the Jewish council to meet. Lysias took Paul’s chains off, then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.

Beating a Roman could make big trouble for Lysias. As the story goes on we see that Lysias did the best he could for Paul.