Paul’s Defense of His Heritage and Ministry
April 5, 2020
Commentary
After gaining the silence of the crowd Paul defended himself by showing that he was a good Jew. He addresses them as friends and leaders and asks them to listen to what he has to say (v. 1). When the crowd heard Paul speak to them in Aramaic, they became quieter (v. 2). He used Aramaic not only to communicate in the language they could understand, but also to show that he was a devout Jew and had respect for the Jewish laws and customs. Then Paul said: I am a Jew, born and raised in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia (v. 3). I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. Gamaliel was the most honored rabbi of the first century. He was well known and respected as an expert on religious law and as a voice for moderation (Acts 5:34) Paul was showing his credentials as a well-educated man, trained under the most respected Jewish rabbi.
Paul stated that he was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today. I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord’s Way, and I even had some of them killed (v. 4). I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn’t care if they were men or women. The high priest and all the council members can tell you that this is true (v. 5). They even gave me recognition by sending letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
Application
God has never called us to defend ourselves. In fact, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad"! (Matthew 5:11-12). Paul’s defense didn’t help him in this case and usually it doesn’t help us either. I could share some illustrations from my life when I tried to defend myself and it really didn’t help me any. In fact, it would have been much better if I had let the Lord fight my battle. I hope that I can learn my lesson in this matter for the future.
Acts 22:1– 5 (NET)
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make to you.” 2 (When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic, they became even quieter.) Then Paul said, 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated with strictness under Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors, and was zealous for God just as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way even to the point of death, tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to make arrests there and bring the prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.