If someone asked you what your nationality is, what would you say? Take me … I mentioned sometime back … both grandfathers came from Scotland, one grandmother’s parents came from Cornwall in England and the other was a Voortrekker descendant. I’m an African. I was challenged as to this … “You are a Brit” … they said. Not at all … I am Caucasian, born in Africa to parents who were born in Africa. I am an African. However since becoming a follower of Jesus, I am a Christian before anything else. We shall see today how Paul describes himself. Please read:
Ac 21:37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?” 39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” 40 Having received the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.”
1) Paul’s request.
Ac 21:37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
We can only imagine what Paul looked like and felt like by the time the soldiers got him to the top of the stairs leading into the barracks. Beaten, battered, bruised and bleeding. Not that he was a sadist … but he seems to have been used to being mauled this way for the cause of Jesus Christ. Being so indwelt by the Spirit, Paul, even in weakness and pain took command of the situation and asks the Roman garrison commander for permission to speak to him.
2) The commander’s response.
Ac 21:37 “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?”
He does not give permission. Rather he jumps to conclusions! Paul must have addressed him in his own language, Greek. There is some difficulty with the translation in verse 38 … Aren’t you the Egyptian. The fact that Paul was able to speak Greek resulted in a change in the commander as the better rendering is … “You are not Egyptian”. This dispelled the commander’s incorrect assumption. The reference to the Egyptian is one who started an insurrection with four thousand assassins, known as dagger-men. He claiming to be a prophet, led his followers to the Mount of Olives. He instructed them was to wait until his command which would be when the walls of the city fall flat. Then they could march in and overpower the Roman garrison taking possession of the barracks … and through this, the city. Felix the procurator of Judea sent his troops to fight this band of insurrectionists, killing some and arresting the rest. But the Egyptian disappeared! Until Paul spoke Greek, the commander thought this was the Egyptian who had previously disappeared and now had returned. We need to be cautious that we don’t jump to conclusions about people. Most of us have … let’s learn to talk and obtain facts before making decisions about people.
3) Paul’s citizenship.
Ac 21:39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
He is a Jew. He was born in Tarsus, the chief city in province of Cilicia … which today is in Turkey. The one thing he does not add is that he, Paul is a Roman Citizen. It seems he is keeping this as a trump card for later. But note … he again requests permission to speak to the crowd who want to kill him.
4) Paul addressing the mob.
Ac 21:40 Having received the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.”
(1) Permission obtained. The commander was assured Paul was not whom he first thought and grants him permission to address the rioters.
(2) On the steps. As weak as he was, he stood at the top of the stairs, still bound in chains (handcuffs) and surrounded by armed soldiers … both for his protection and to prevent him escaping.
(3) Paul’s motion. It seems as his personality and charisma was such that he was able to, with a wave of the hand calm the noisy crowd, enabling him to speak to them. He did the same when addressing the members of the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch in Acts 13 verse 16.
(4) Paul’s language of choice. This is interesting. He does not speak Greek to these Jews. He used Aramaic which seemed to help calm the crowd further. Aramaic was the vernacular spoken by most Palestinian Jews as well as non-Greek speakers in Western Asia and as far as the Parthian Empire whose headquarters were in ancient Iran.
(5) Paul’s address. This continues until chapter 22 verse 21 … but the account of Paul defending himself and the Gospel takes up most of the rest of the Book of Acts. Notice for today …
(a) Respect and request. He calls them brothers and fathers. Some of the men were likely much older than him … and were also likely leaders in Israel. He was known to use respect before speaking and this included him asking their permission that he defend himself. This ought to be how we Christians engage people when defending the faith.
(b) Credentials. He informs them he is a thorough bred Hebrew, although born in the great city of Tarsus, grew up in Jerusalem and studied Jewish theology and doctrine (The Law) under the Pharisees Gamaliel, learning about the strict interpretation and application of ancestral law from him. Paul himself was a Pharisee! We obtain a picture of his progress in:
Gal 1:14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
(c) Identifying with the mob. He compares himself to this mob … just as zealous for God as any of you are today. Tomorrow we shall continue with him identifying with what they are like … before he transitions to providing his testimony.
Lord Jesus, some of us were also cruel towards Christians before we knew Jesus as Lord. Help us as we relate to those persecuting us, by being gracious and respectful, understanding we were where they are today. Help our engagement to lead to their conversion. Amen.