Acts 22
Chuck Smith on Acts 22
Verse by verse, the C2000 series. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Verses 1-30
Shall we turn in our Bibles now to the twenty-second chapter of Acts. Pick up on Paul where we left him last week in that very dramatic moment. Paul in spite of repeated warnings from the Holy Spirit has returned to Jerusalem where he has received a very cool reception from the church and a very stern reception by the Jews. For while he was in the temple minding his own business, not doing anything to disturb anyone, going through the rite of purification according to the Jewish law in order that he might celebrate the feast of Pentecost that year, some of the Jews from Asia, when they saw him there, were incensed because they have been following Paul all over Asia trying to undo the work that he was doing among the Gentiles. And they began to cry out, "Men and brethren, this is that fellow we've been telling you about, who among all of the Gentiles has been preaching salvation and all." And so the Jews grabbed hold of Paul and were endeavoring to beat him to death. And someone reported to the Roman guard up at the Antonio Fortress that there was a raucous going on down in the temple mount and the Antonio Fortress was actually a part of the temple mount area. It was at the northwest corner of the temple mount area. Steps came right down to the temple mount. During the feast they always had extra soldiers there because that was the time when people's emotions were apt to become inflamed and the time of rebellion against Rome. So they always brought in extra soldiers at that time. And so a captain of the guard with some of the soldiers came running from the Antonio Fortress down onto the temple mount where they by force took Paul from the angry mob who were endeavoring to beat him to death. They bound him with two chains and brought him back to the steps of the Antonio Fortress. As they were going up the steps, Paul said to the captain of the guard, "Would you grant me permission to speak to these people?" He was surprised that Paul spoke in Greek to him and he said, "Do you speak Greek? Aren't you that Egyptian that led a rebellion here a while back?" Paul said, "No, I'm a citizen of Tarsus." An important city. So he said, "Go ahead and speak." So Paul beckoned with his hand to the angry mob of Jews that had followed them on up to the Antonio Fortress. And standing there on the porch, he began to address the Jews. This was something that Paul had been longing to do ever since he found Jesus Christ. Paul felt that having an understanding of the Jew, being one, understanding their zeal, understanding their desire to persecute Jesus Christ, he felt sure that he could convince them of the truth of Jesus Christ. And so this was Paul's great moment, the moment he had been looking forward to, the moment that he had been pushing and pressing. I think that it is possible for us to just push our way into situations that the Lord hasn't necessarily called us into. There are some people who just have that kind of a tendency to just push themselves in to what they desire. "I'm going to get there no matter what it costs. I'm going to do it." And so Paul is here. I don't know if he's here by the will of God or here by the will of Paul at this point. When Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit was warning him not to go every place he would stop. He said to the elders at Ephesus, "I don't know what awaits me, except I know everywhere I go, the Holy Spirit warns me that there are bonds and afflictions awaiting me there." And when he came to the city of Tyre and met together with the church, there was a word of prophecy and the Spirit again told Paul, "Don't go to Jerusalem." When he came to the house of Philip in Caesarea, Agabus the prophet came down from Jerusalem. One of the recognized prophets in the church in Jerusalem, took Paul's girdle and tied himself up and said, "So is the man to be bound who owns this girdle when he gets to Jerusalem." And so they were trying to dissuade Paul from going, but he was determined. It would seem that perhaps even the Holy Spirit was seeking to dissuade Paul. I could not say for sure. It would be presumptuous of me to say it wasn't God's will that he go to Jerusalem. But at least there is that possibility to consider. It is always a sad thing when my will is in conflict with God's will. It's even sadder when I push my own will over God's. Paul is standing there, though this is his desire. This is his lifelong ambition, that is, Christian life-long. And so we left him last week beckoning with his hand to the people and a great silence coming over the people and him beginning now to speak to them in their Hebrew tongue. To the captain he spoke in Greek. Now to the people he's going to speak to them in their Hebrew tongue. Chapter twenty-two begins Paul's impassioned plea to his brethren.
The word defense in the Greek is apologia and that is why the argument for the Christian faith is often called apologetics. It comes from this particular word, and you've heard of apologetics. It has its origin in this Greek word apologia that is translated here defense.
which I make unto you. (And when they heard that he was speaking in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept even more silent: and he said,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, I was born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet I was brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel ( Acts 22:1-3 ),
Gamaliel was one of the highly respected Jewish rabbis of that day. In fact, probably the most highly respected Jewish rabbi of that day. The Scripture mentions Gamaliel on one other occasion, and that is, when in the early church history they were seeking to silence the witness of the apostles and Gamaliel stood up and he said, "Now let's be careful what we do. There have been other sects arise and they dissipated at the death of their leader. Now that this leader is dead, it's apt to dissipate. So I suggest that we just let it alone, for if it is not of God, it will just disappear. If it is of God, then we would find ourselves to be fighting against God." And so that sagacious advice by Gamaliel was followed by the Sanhedrin which gave the church a bit more toleration in the proclaiming of their message in its very early history. Gamaliel has written concerning Paul as a student. Gamaliel said of Paul that he had only one difficulty with him as a student, and that was keeping him supplied with enough books. Paul was just a real bookworm of sorts and as a student, was an avid reader. And so Gamaliel's only problem was keeping him supplied with the books. Paul here speaks of his early training at the feet of Gamaliel.
and I was taught according to the perfect manner of the law of our fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day ( Acts 22:3 ).
Paul is seeking to identify with them and letting them identify with him. "Men, brethren, I know what it's all about. I know your zeal for God. I was just in the same place you are. I'm a Jew. I sat at the feet of Gamaliel."
Or those who walked in this way, I persecuted them to death.
binding and delivering them into prisons both men and women. And also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all of the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and I went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come near to Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me ( Acts 22:4-9 ).
In another accounting of this, it said that they did not hear the voice and people then imagine a discrepancy in the Bible. There are a couple of Greek words employed. One is phone, which is the phonetics which is used here. They did not hear the phone, that is, they heard the sound of the voice but they didn't hear the phonetics. They didn't hear the word. They did not understand what the voice was saying to Paul. And that is what is being declared here. They heard the sound of the voice but did not understand the voice that spoke to Paul.
And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all of the things which are appointed for thee to do ( Acts 22:10 ).
I think that here we have an interesting point that we should bring out again as far as the leading of God in our lives, and that is, that God usually leads us just one step at a time. We brought this out when we were in the earlier part of the book of Acts when Philip was in Samaria holding a successful revival and the Spirit said unto him, "Go down to Gaza" (which is desert). Didn't give him any further instruction until he got to Gaza, and then the Lord gave him the next step. We so often want God to spell out the whole thing. We're not willing to walk by faith. We want God to spell out the entire mission, tell us everything that's going to be transpiring all the way along. And probably so that I can choose whether or not I want to do it. But when you are a servant of the Lord, you take the orders one step at a time if that's the way the Lord gives them. When Peter was on the housetop in prayer at the house of Simon the tanner, and the Lord spoke to him and He said that, "There are men at the gate that have been sent for you. Now go with them asking no questions." The Lord didn't tell him what He had in store. "That's all the further you get at this point, Peter." God leads us so often just one step at a time. But often I hesitate to take that first step and I just continue to say, "Oh Lord, now show me Your will. Oh God, I want Your will to be done in my life." God doesn't give us step two until we've taken step one. After you've taken step one, then God will give you step two. God said to Abraham, "Get out of the land of your fathers and journey to a land that I will show you." So by faith, Abraham left the land of his fathers not knowing where he was going. Now that's real faith. "God just told me, 'Get out.'" "Where you going?" "I don't know." "Why are you leaving?" "God told me to leave." "But where are you going?" "I don't know." "Man, that doesn't make sense." It does if you're a servant of God and you're getting your orders from Him. He'll give you step two when you've taken step one. And so we must step out in faith. If God has given us step one, then step out in faith. Take that which you understand and know at this point and when you get there, God will give you the next step. He leads us step by step. The will of God is usually a progressive revelation to each of our hearts. It is a continuing progressive revelation.
I would prefer that God didn't do it that way, because I don't really enjoy walking by faith. I trust much more in my intellect and understanding than I do faith. And so I would prefer that God would just lay the whole thing out in advance so I'd know each step and each turn that was going to come in the road. But God hasn't seen fit to lead me that way; He just says, "Go to Damascus and then I'll show you there. Take step one, then you will receive step two." The progressive revelation of God's will to our lives. Because God wants us to walk by faith. For "without faith, it is impossible to please God" ( Hebrews 11:6 ).
"Arise, go to Damascus, and there you'll get step two. It will be told you what is appointed for you to do."
So when I could not see for the glory of that light ( Acts 22:11 ),
I was led by the hand of them that were with me, and I came unto Damascus. And there was a man by the name of Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law ( Acts 22:11-12 ),
and he had a good report of all of the Jews which dwelt there ( Acts 22:12 ),
Paul is building up Ananias now. He's not some renegade; he is a man who was devout and of good reputation among the Jews there in Damascus.
And he came to me, and he stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see that Just [or that righteous] One ( Acts 22:13-14 ),
Paul saw Jesus there on the road to Damascus. Paul, as he is giving the list of those who had seen the resurrected Christ, talks about His appearance to Mary, then to the disciples, then to over 500 people at one time. And then Paul said, "And finally unto me as one born out of due season." And when he is giving his proof for apostleship or for the right of being called an apostle, he said, "Have I not seen the risen Lord?" Ananias said, "God has chosen you."
When Paul is writing his letter to the Ephesians, and he begins in chapter one after his opening greeting, he began saying, "Thanks be unto God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ in heavenly places" ( Ephesians 1:3 ). The top of the list of Paul's thanksgiving list to God for the wonderful things that God had done, for all of the spiritual blessings he had received, the very top of the list, Paul put having been chosen in Him before the foundations of the world. That headed the list of Paul's thanksgiving, and probably should be the head of all of our list, if we really understand what it means to be chosen of God.
Now here Ananias is declaring this to Paul. "God chose you, Paul." Jesus said to His disciples, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you" ( John 15:16 ). So Paul writing to the saints declares that we've been chosen in Him before the foundations of the world. You see, if the Lord didn't choose me, then everything else would be totally wasted. How grateful I am that God chose me. "The God of our Fathers has chosen you, that you should know His will and see that Just One,"
So Paul, there on the road, God chose him. And Paul realized the grace of God in choosing him because when Paul was chosen, he was breathing out murders, threats against the church. He was highly incensed against Christianity, against Jesus Christ. And yet the Lord chose him that he should not only see Jesus, but that he should hear his voice.
For you shall be his witness unto all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you tarry? arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord ( Acts 22:15-16 ).
So Paul, to these Jews, is recounting to them his own personal experience of meeting the risen Christ. "I know the way you're thinking; I understand your attitudes. I was where you are. I also persecuted the church, putting to death those that walked in this way. And I was on my way to Damascus to imprison those who called upon the name of the Lord when the Lord apprehended me."
And it came to pass, that, when I came again to Jerusalem ( Acts 22:17 ),