This week's ongoing Bible lesson will be part 3 of Acts chapter 22

Paul's Captors Discover Their Serious Mistake

[Acts chapter 22, verses 21-30]

by Web Minister Paul J. Bern

Last week as we left off at verse 21 of Acts 22, the apostle Paul had obtained permission from the Roman commander to speak to the crowd. Having done this, he began what amounted to a two or three minute speech explaining his actions, with particular emphasis on Paul's own conversion experience. Paul gave what amounted to a testimony about how Christ had transformed him, and for a short while the crowd listened with rapt attention. But that was before Paul then said he had been sent to “the Gentiles” to preach the Word about Jesus. When Paul, a Jewish man, told the crowd God had assigned himself to them, and that this was the very reason he was there, people took offense at him. They probably mistook Paul's zeal and good intentions as condescending behavior towards them. Here, they probably reasoned, is this ex-Sanhedrin member who has been ousted by his own people, and he wants to tell us how we should live our lives? No way. Now, let me give the apostle Luke's account of what unfolded that day, as we begin this week's lesson at verse 21.

“21) Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ” 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!' 23) As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24) the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25) As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, 'Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?' 26) When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. 'What are you going to do?' he asked. 'This man is a Roman citizen.'” (Acts 22: 21-26)

Notice, as I wrote above, how Paul's words infuriated the crowd even as he was trying to placate them by explaining himself, while taking the opportunity to evangelize the throngs before him. But as we all know, you cannot reason with unreasonable people, and that's what the apostle Paul had run into. Each and every one of those closest to Paul were taking their cloaks of and throwing them to the ground. I guess you know that anytime two men remove their coats, a real physical fight is about to begin. Same goes for throwing dust and dirt up into the air, which is always flung in the direction of an opponent. Thousands of people wanted a fist fight with Paul, meaning he had a real problem on his hands. Had it not been for the Roman officers present, Paul would surely have been killed right then and there. But God spared him, because He had work for Paul to do.

At this point the Roman commander is fed up with the entire situation, especially all the disorderly conduct of the mob surrounding Paul. Concluding that the risk to the deputies there was too great to remain where they were, “the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.” Beat the truth out of him, said the Roman commander. He was demanding to know how the mob scene they had just barely escaped from had gotten so out of hand. It was his job to know everything about it so he would know who he could charge with a criminal offense. Up to this point, Paul was the prime candidate as far as the commander was concerned. Unfortunately for the Roman commander, he was lacking a critical piece of information.

But it doesn't take long at all for him to discover his error, as we see in verses 25-26. “25) As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, 'Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?' 26) When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. 'What are you going to do?' he asked. 'This man is a Roman citizen.'” Now in those days, the Roman Empire encompassed the entire land area surrounding the Mediterranean sea. At the height of its power in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Roman Empire was a huge expanse of land covering some 2.2 million square miles (5.7 million sq. km), according to answers.com (you may view that page from here, if you like).

Anyone working in the Empire's far-flung provinces in the employment of the Empire acted as Roman representatives and as its citizens, in that order. As such, it was lawful to place a non-citizen under arrest without being charged. Roman citizens, on the other hand, had the benefit of the Roman court system. And Paul was a citizen. But he is innocent until proven guilty under Roman law, as we will now see as we move on to part 2 of this week's lesson.

“27) The commander went to Paul and asked, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?' 'Yes, I am,' he answered. 28) Then the commander said, 'I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.' 'But I was born a citizen,' Paul replied. 29) Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. 30) The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.” (Acts 22, verses 27-30)

So the Roman commander, who has grown impatient with the near-riot outside, demands information from Paul. When he finds out Paul is a citizen, he retorts, “'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?' 'Yes, I am,' he answered. 28) Then the commander said, 'I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.' 'But I was born a citizen,' Paul replied. 29) Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately.....” Up until this point, obviously no one believed a word Paul had told them from back in part 2 of Acts 22, which we went over last week. Their discovery of Paul's Roman citizenship changed their minds in a hurry, because nobody ignored the absolute authority of Rome. They didn't dare, due to a carefully orchestrated brutality that only the Roman Empire could mete out to its subjects. By arresting Paul without a formal charge, they had committed the Roman equivalent of a felony offense.

Still, the Roman commander had yet to have a clear reason, in his own mind, of how and why the riot had started. After all, “The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews.” This was because the Roman commander knew he would have to give an account to his superior officers of his arrest of a Roman citizen. It's not that Paul was above the law – far from it! Roman citizens who committed crimes were subject to the same harsh punishment as non-citizens. Rather than risk making an arbitrary ruling that could reflect badly on himself, the Word describes what the Roman commander does next.

“The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble....” The Romans were taking no chances with Paul, so to the jail he went to spend the night. But he was released the following day to appear before the assembly – the Sanhedrin. So the entire Sanhedrin together with the Temple Chief Priests – our equivalent of a joint session of Congress – were called to convene that very morning, at which point Paul was called to testify before them. It is likely that unfamiliarity with Jewish customs was one of the main reasons the commander did as he did. If the Jews were right, then he would be thanked and maybe rewarded for turning Paul over to them. But if Paul was innocent, he could then bring charges against the Asian provincial Jews who had incited the whole incident back in chapter 21. That would make him look good to his Roman superior officers, so it was a win-win situation for the commander.

“Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.” I suspect this may have been the Roman commander's way of letting Paul know exactly who was in charge of things. 'So', the commander may have thought, 'this guy wants to give speeches? OK, let's see him give one now'. And so the apostle Paul finds himself on the spot once again, having been thrust into the limelight before a hostile audience, many of whom had been Paul's former peers prior to his salvation in Christ, which he encountered on the road to Damascus back in chapter 9. I find myself writing something similar to how I closed out last week's message, wondering what Paul will say, and more importantly how he will say it when confronted by over 100 of his own accusers. To find out what happens next, be sure and come on back next week as we move on to part one of Acts 23.