Acts 21:32-33 records Paul falling into the hands of Roman authorities, just as the Holy Spirit had warned him he would (Acts 21:10-11). His enemies had seized him in the temple and called on others of like spirit to join them in beating Paul, inciting them with these words, “Men of Israel, help. This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place, and moreover he brought Greeks also into the temple and hath defiled this holy place” (Acts 21:28). None of the charges against Paul were true. When wicked men set about to accomplish an evil purpose, they can’t be bothered with truth.
A Roman centurion sought to quell the uproar of the mob which he did by taking Paul into his custody. As he was leading Paul away, Paul asked the officer permission to speak to the people. Permission was granted and 22:1-21 contain the account of this address Paul made to his nation.
Despite the many wounds and bruises Paul carried from the recent encounter with his people, Paul never ceased attempting to convince them of the truth of the gospel he preached. Men of lesser character would, at that moment, have had little concern what happened to them, but not Paul. He had written earlier to the Roman church that he would wish himself anathema if that would save his nation (Romans 9:1-3). This effort to speak to his nation despite the malice and hatred they had already demonstrated toward him showed that Paul’s words he wrote to the Romans were trulya his sentiments.
Paul began his address by referencing his life before he became a Christian. It is likely that his former life as a persecutor of Christians was already known to most who heard him. However what many may not have known was the reason why Paul “counted all things but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I suffer the loss of all things and do count them but refuge, that I may gain Christ, and be found in him” (Philippians 3:8).
Paul hoped, by reciting the account of the light “brighter than the noon-day sun” and the heavenly voice which asked, “Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me?” might have some bearing on his listeners. They did listen quietly as Paul told of his blindness, the visit of Ananias, and of the command to him “And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins” (Acts 22:16).
They continued to listen as Paul rehearsed his visit to Jerusalem after his conversion and how that soon after he arrived, he was in the temple and fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying, “Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem because they will not receive of thee testimony concerning me” (Acts 22:18). This was difficult for Paul to grasp. He thought that by rehearsing his former life and the reason why he had changed, his listeners might be persuaded to become as he was.
God knew His people better than Paul. He knew Paul would not have the influence he hoped to have. God knew they would view Paul as a “turncoat” so He told Paul, “Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). Paul’s recital of God’s words was more than his listeners could bear: “… and they gave him audience unto this word and they lifted up their voice and said, away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that he should live” (Acts 22:22). What set these off into such an uproar? The word “Gentile”.
The animosity these men had for Gentiles was a barrier Paul’s word could not breach. It did not matter that God had promised Abraham that “in his seed all nations would be blessed” (Genesis 17:8). It did not matter that Isaiah had written of a time when all the nations would flow into Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-4). It did not matter that the psalmist had sang, “I will give praise unto the Gentiles” (Psalm 18:49), or that Moses had written, “Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people” (Deuteronomy 32:43). It did not matter that Isaiah had written, “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles” (Isaiah 11:10) and, “There shall be the root of Jesse, and he that ariseth to rule over the Gentiles; on Him shall the Gentiles hope” (Isaiah 17:1). This mob could not recognize that God loved the Gentiles and provided the same blessings for them as He provided to the Jews in His Son. The prejudice of these Jews toward the Gentiles outweighed anything the Scriptures might say. Do we hold such prejudice toward any man today?
Jim McDonald