Tuesday: Before the Crowd
Acts 21:37-40 tells what happened next. As Paul was being taken into the Roman fortress for interrogation, he asked the commander for permission to address the people, who were still frantically clamoring for his death.
As he addressed the commander in the Greek language, the latter thought Paul might have been a certain Jew from Egypt who had some three years before initiated a revolt in Jerusalem against Roman occupation.
Image © Providence Collection Goodsalt.xom
The revolt, however, was put down by the Roman forces; many of his followers were either killed or arrested, while the Egyptian escaped.
After saying that he was from Tarsus, not from Egypt, Paul was granted permission to speak. In his speech, he did not offer a detailed response to the accusations raised against him (Acts 21:28) but told them the story of his conversion, highlighting his devotion to Judaism, to the point of having persecuted believers in Jesus. When confronted with a number of revelations from the Lord, he had no choice but to follow them. This explained the complete turnaround in his life and his call to preach to the Gentiles. Rather than get into a theological discussion, Paul recounted to them his own experience and why he was doing what he did.
Read Acts 22:22-29. How did the mob react to Paul’s statement that he was an apostle to the Gentiles?
The decision to let Paul speak did not work out well. By referring to his commitment to the Gentiles, Paul seemed to be confirming the truth of the charges against him (Acts 21:28), and the crowd got riled up again.
The Roman commander may not have understood everything Paul said; so, he decided to have him examined by flogging. Yet, besides being a pure-blooded Jew (Phil. 3:5), Paul also had Roman citizenship, and when he mentioned this, the commander had to back down. As a Roman citizen, Paul could not be subject to that kind of torture.
Read Paul’s speech (Acts 22:1-21). What evidence do you see that besides defending himself Paul was also preaching to his fellow Jews? Why would he tell his conversion story? What is it about conversion stories that can have so much power?
(38)
When given a opportunity to defend himself, Paul did not use that opportunity to establish his innocence. Why?
For Paul every opportunity to speak is an opportunity to proclaim the gospel.
It is an opportunity to share his conversion story.
Do you have a story to share with others?
The gospel was the breath of Paul's soul.
God is love. May He continue the work He has started in us! May we be open to His Spirit, listen to His voice and be led through the (right) Way! We are valued so much on His sight, although our labor is in vain... Thanks be to God Who is able to convert our hearts! Without His mercy every day we are nothing. All the glory be to Him who created heaven and earth!
He rescued me from the abyss I was! He led me back to where I probably should have never left. I was a rebel and He completely changed me. And blessed me so much.
The Gospel was the breath of Paul's soul.
Thank you for that beautiful thought. That really spoke to me this morning as did Paul's example in this situation. After all, what really matters...people and sharing the Gospel with them.
Paul began his speech from the time he was himself a prosecutor of the Christians. He sympathized with them by making it clear that he was once zealous toward God as they were. His conversion story was meant to enable them to see things in his own light.
He wanted then to understand that he had found something much better than what he had (the righteousness of the law), that he had become a new creature and that he had changed from persecuting Christians to being persecuted. Unfortunately the hardened Jews could not nge moved.
"Read Acts 23:12-17. What was their plan, and how was it thwarted? What does this teach us about how passionate people can be for causes that are wrong?"