There are many times when the Gospel is proclaimed and those who hear respond negatively against it. It is not that there is anything wrong with the Gospel. Not at all. The Gospel is God’s Rescue Plan for mankind. Analyzing the Gospel shows it is perfect in every way. The problem is the heart of man. It is indeed sinful and evil, especially the unsaved heart. The prophet Jeremiah was accurate when saying under inspiration:
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
I wonder whether Paul had this in mind when he said:
Ro 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
If Paul can say this about his heart … and it is true of you and me, how much more the unregenerate? The best and greatest Gospel preacher shall never make an impact in the heart of those who are stubborn and hate the Gospel. But, they have no excuse because they have heard the call of God. We shall see this very resistance occurring with the mob. Even so, they were now totally without any excuse! Please read on:
Ac 22:17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Remember he is addressing the mob.
1) Paul’s return to Jerusalem. After his conversion he returned to the Mother City and the temple. Whilst speaking to God in prayer he “fell into a trance.” The same word “trance” is used by Luke when speaking of Peter when praying in Acts 10:10 and 11:5. Yet the same concept arises in Revelation about John:
Rev 1:10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit.
To be “in the Spirit” means “to be in the power of; be actuated by or inspired by the Holy Spirit”. The word “trance” means that the mind is thrown out of its normal state. The Greek implies amongst other things …
(i) Make a lunatic.
(ii) Transported out of oneself, although awake, where all surrounding sounds, images and distractions are blocked off to where the one in the trance only sees, hears and grasps Divine things … such as images, forms, words and teachings, all given by God for a purpose.
It is this latter meaning that applied to Paul as he was praying in the temple, the same as what controlled John whilst in the Spirit when a prisoner on the Island of Patmos in Revelation chapter 1.
2) The reason for the trance. The Lord Jesus wanted to give Paul instructions and the best way to do it was whilst he was praying in God’s House.
(1) What does Paul see? He sees the Lord! This is crucial. The very Jesus who met him along the Damascus Road meets him in the temple. He needed to see the Lord to be totally convinced as to where the instructions would be coming from.
(2) What does Paul hear? ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ Our Lord always knows better! Because He had earmarked Paul as the “apostle to the Gentiles”, He did not want Paul caught up in controversy or even killed by the fanatical Pharisees he was once part of. Literally Jesus is saying to Paul … “The Jews will not hear your conversion experience in their hearts. They are so decided against Me as Messiah that they will harm you.” The words … “quick” and “immediately” both have the idea of haste and speed. Paul needed to remove himself from the danger zone with immediate effect.
(3) Paul tries to defend his presence in Jerusalem before the Lord. Remember he is addressing the mob as to his experience from being a Christian hunter to a Christian himself.
Ac 22:19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’”
He feels because of whom he was, the Jerusalem Jews would be sympathetic to him and his conversion to Jesus … but as always, Jesus knows better. (4) Jesus finals words to Paul. God’s plan for Paul needs to be realized so He says to him … ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ By this Jesus is saying multiple things.
(a) For your protection I need you to be far away.
(b) I need you to ministry to non-Jews in other parts of the world.
(c) Go immediately. What a testimony of conversion and what an instruction for service. Yet, would this be sufficient to calm the mob?
3) Give the crowd their due … they listen to Paul up to that point. Maybe in him saying Jesus wanted him to minister to the Gentiles snapped the fuse line.
Ac 22:22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
The Gentiles were seen as dirty filthy dogs, unworthy of being associated with. On the other hand there were Gentiles who became god-fearing or even proselytes. They were part of their synagogues in Gentiles lands. If they were influenced for the Gospel, as they were, the Jews in the synagogues would be influenced. Maybe more than anything, Paul referring to Jesus as Lord, the Messiah they refused to believe in, might have hit their sensibility nerve. Whatever it was, they started shouting again … “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” Perhaps not them personally, but those like them, when Jesus faced Pilate, used similar rhetoric:
Mt 27:22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
They refuse the Messiah God sent. They refused the apostle Paul God sent. And Jesus’ blood is on them and their children and all who reject Him as the only Rescue Plan God has.
Thank You Holy Spirit for opening our spiritual eyes to see, hear and believe the Gospel. Thank You that the blood of Jesus is not on our heads, but rather we are fully blood covered, forgiven and accepted as Yours forever. Amen.