Written by: Jill Rowe – Oasis Trust

Acts 21 v 33-36
The commander went to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to tie Paul with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done wrong. Some in the crowd were yelling one thing, and some were yelling another. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander could not learn what had happened. So he ordered the soldiers to take Paul to the army building. When Paul came to the steps, the soldiers had to carry him because the people were ready to hurt him. The whole mob was following them, shouting, “Kill him!”

Notes
Paul probably had a good memory. He was part of the Jewish tradition of storytelling. History was passed down through stories from generation to generation. Also, Jewish children were brought up learning large chunks of the Jewish Law. This meant that Paul would have had the kind of brain that could remember events quite clearly.

I can imagine that the situation Paul faced then caused him to rewind the camera of his life, to where he stood and held the coats of those who hurled stones at Stephen (see Acts 7 v 54 – 8 v 1). 

The two situations have similarities. Stephen in his speech had denounced the Jewish religious system and the role of the Temple in that. And Paul, in his symbolic actions, had done exactly the same thing. 

Clearly, Paul and Stephen were too radical for the religious legalists of their time. This shouldn’t really surprise us, because the last two words of today’s reading are echoes of the same words that spelt out the fate of their master, Jesus (see Luke 23 v 21). 

But you’ve got to ask why this message that made Paul so hated by the crowd rarely, if ever, causes the same response today. It would seem that Christianity has become a nice, comfortable and safe option with very little hint of risk.

Somehow the message of the Church has become that of simply securing our place in heaven rather than being what it was to Paul: a message that could and did turn the world upside-down. This is the kind of Christianity we are called to. It’s about us being part of a world-changing movement with a thorny, radically subversive agenda.

And that should inspire us. After all, people like Paul have paved the way!

Acts 21 v 37-40
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the army building, he spoke to the commander, “May I say something to you?”
The commander said, “Do you speak Greek? I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago and led 4,000 killers out to the desert.”
Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people.”
The commander gave permission, so Paul stood on the steps and waved his hand to quiet the people. When there was silence, he spoke to them in the Jewish language.

Notes
Paul found himself walking a bit of a tightrope. The next thing he said would result in him either being killed or spared - not your normal Sunday scenario! Yet Paul was undeterred by his circumstances; instead he was urged on by his convictions.

The Roman commander must have been shocked when Paul began to speak. Why? Because Paul spoke in Greek. Until that moment the commander thought Paul was trouble, someone who had come to stir up a revolt against Rome. By simply choosing to speak in a language the hearer could understand, Paul gained the right to speak.

What about us? Some of us probably feel like our past disqualifies us from telling others about God. And for others of us, we are too concerned about what might happen to us as a result of us taking a stand. But take heart! Just like Paul, your past could actually have given you the skills and experience to tell others about this radical Jesus. 

We live in a age that is crying out for answers, for people who have got the guts to point others in the right direction, young people who believe something enough to dedicate their lives to it. At the beginning of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” we are told that “History became legend, legend became myth, much was lost because no one lived that remembered”. As Christians, we need to ask God for the courage to take a stand, to be a little bit more like Paul and not allow the incredible Good News of Jesus be forgotten.

And just like Paul, when it looks like you’re stuck in a tight corner, call on your experience, the lessons you have learnt in the past, and your firm conviction that God is right there with you.

Acts 22 v 1-5
Paul said, “Friends, fellow Jews, listen to my defence to you.” When the Jews heard him speaking the Jewish language, they became very quiet. Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia, but I grew up in this city. I was a student of Gamaliel, who carefully taught me everything about the law of our ancestors. I was very serious about serving God, just as are all of you here today. I persecuted the people who followed the Way of Jesus, and some of them were even killed. I arrested men and women and put them in jail. The high priest and the whole council of elders Jewish can tell you this is true. They gave me letters to the Jewish brothers in Damascus. So I was going there to arrest these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.”

Notes
Paul had a pretty impressive CV. He knew all the right people and had been to the right places. Paul made all this quite clear to his listeners. Gamaliel had been his teacher, and through him Paul had learnt everything about the Jewish law. He was totally committed to serving God in the way that seemed obvious to him; that is, getting rid of as many followers of this radical Jesus as was possible. He even had permission from the religious leaders to do it! Paul’s activities could have quite easily been translated into a film with an 18 certificate! 

Why bother with all this? It was so the story he was about to tell them made more sense and was even more incredible. You see, the point was that for Paul his life had been radically changed by his encounter with Jesus. That inspired him, it made his life make sense and caused him to completely change his attitude towards the Christians who had begun to turn the world upside-down.

How did Paul begin to tell his story? He started with the word “Friends” and he spoke to his Jewish audience in the Jewish language. Paul shows us that letting other people know about Jesus is about making connections with your hearers, gaining the right and opportunity to share your story.

You see, Paul wanted his audience to listen, to have the chance to understand and to be given the opportunity to hear about Jesus. And that must be what we strive for.

Just as Paul began where his audience were at, so must we. Just as Paul won his audience to himself through gaining their respect, so must we. Just as Paul had thought through what he believed in order to share his story, so must we. 

Acts 22 v 6-11
“At about noon when I came near Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed all around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I am Jesus from Nazareth whom you are persecuting.’ Those who were with me did not hear the voice, but they saw the light. I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things I have planned for you to do.’ I could not see, because the bright light had made me blind. So my companions led me into Damascus.”

Notes
“Life is full of surprises” - so the saying goes. Paul’s life was no exception. He had been busy persecuting Christians. Jesus was his number one enemy and was the last person Paul wanted or even expected to meet. And then from nowhere Jesus appeared to him. Up until this point Paul, who was known as Saul, was very happy with the way his life was and what he was involved in. 

And then he encountered Jesus in an incredible and life-changing experience. Paul was travelling with some companions, but they didn’t notice Jesus turn up. God chose to speak to Paul individually on the Damascus Road. And God does do that, turning up uninvited to speak to individuals when they least expect it: Moses and the burning bush; Samuel when he was a small boy dozing and dreaming; Mary when she was told that she was going to give birth to the Son of God. It would appear that God is full of surprises, working to His agenda rather than ours. He acts and speaks to surprise us in such a way that we choose to live differently - to turn from the things we have been doing, to do the things that will enable us to achieve our potential in Him and tell others the Good News that God loves them and likes them. 

And the biggest surprise of all is that God chooses the most unexpected people to bring this Good News. Paul was the very last person on the planet that people expected to declare that Jesus was the answer. And yet God chose him. So however unqualified you feel you are, allow God to surprise you with a life-changing encounter and simply respond with the words: “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!”

Acts 22 v 12-16
“There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a religious man; he obeyed the law of Moses, and all the Jews who lived there respected him. He stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ Immediately I was able to see him. He said, ‘The God of our ancestors chose you long ago to know his plan, to see the Righteous One and to hear words from him. You will be his witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen and heard. Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, trusting in him to save you.’”

Notes
Paul told his listeners lots about this man that he met called Ananias. It was because he was trying to make a point. So what was the point?

Earlier, the Roman commander had asked Paul if he knew Greek. That was like asking, “Does it ever rain in England?” Paul was a talented guy. He was at least tri-lingual (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) and was able to switch into Greek whenever he needed. But, almost immediately, at his own request, he turned on the huge crowd gathered, motioned for silence and began his story ... in Hebrew.

His audience were faithful Israelites who would have listened to someone speaking with such authority in their mother tongue. The trouble was that they were “too” faithful in the sense that they were sticking to the “old ways” at the expense of the “new things” the God of Israel was doing. It was for this reason that Paul stressed the credentials of Ananias: he was religious (strike one); he obeyed the law of Moses (strike two); and he was respected by other Jews (strike three)! 

Therefore, in spite of the fact that he was a follower of Jesus, they couldn’t rubbish him, because he had the right documentation. And Paul pointed out that Ananias stood by him, which roughly translates as: “He gave me the all-clear”, so they too should listen to him! 

In Paul’s time, it was important to be validated before you were listened to. People liked to know who had approved you. It’s similar today. But people don’t need to know so much who sent you, they just want to know if you are worth listening to. How can we live in such a way that makes us worth listening to?

Acts 22 v 17-21
“Later, when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I saw a vision. I saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem now! The people here will not accept the truth about me.’ But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I put the believers in jail and beat them. They also know I was there when Stephen, your witness, was killed. I stood there agreeing and holding the coats of those who were killing him!’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Leave now. I will send you far away to the non-Jewish people.’”

Notes
I remember that when I was a child I quite often wanted to do things my way and very soon discovered that “Mum really does know best”. It wasn’t a lesson I always wanted to learn. In this passage of Acts, Paul came to realise the same thing when God is involved.

He found himself praying in the temple, doing the right thing and looking like a spiritual superhero. All of a sudden, the Lord appeared and told him to get out of Jerusalem sharpish for his own safety! And Paul, being Paul, attempted to change God’s mind. After all, Paul, being ever so slightly stubborn, thought he knew best! He believed the people of Jerusalem needed him to be the one who told them about Jesus. He had celebrity status, was a face people recognised, and if anyone could persuade the Jews to follow Jesus it was him. But God had a different plan.

When I read over this passage it makes me feel slightly uncomfortable because I can see a little bit of myself in Paul. Too often we become a little too familiar with God and occasionally believe God can’t function without us. But God has the bigger picture; He sees the whole game. By telling Paul to leave Jerusalem, he was actually introducing Paul to a whole new area of work and an exciting groundbreaking chapter in his life in which people from all ends of the earth could discover the Good News of Jesus.

So what about you and me? When we’re busy trying to persuade God that we know best, we should take a moment to wonder just what it is that God might be leading us into.

Acts 22 v 22-25
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they began shouting, “Kill him! Get him out of the world! He should not be allowed to live!” They shouted, threw off their coats, and threw dust into the air.
Then the commander ordered the soldiers to take Paul into the army building and beat him. He wanted to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this. But as the soldiers were tying him up, preparing to beat him, Paul said to an officer nearby, “Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen who has not been proven guilty?”

Notes
Paul certainly rattled people’s cages! He told his Jewish audience that God had told him to go to the non-Jews. The Jews were furious and they wanted him dead. 

The Roman commander watched all this unfold and sensed there could be a spot of bother! The last thing he wanted was for things to get out of hand, so he ordered his men to take Paul away and beat him.

I wonder how I might have reacted in a similar situation. I wonder if I might have given up on God, admitting I’d got this whole faith thing wrong. I might have fought back, hitting out at those who were holding me captive. I may have tried to escape. I might have blamed God for getting me into such a situation – after all, I was only trying to tell people about Jesus. Paul did none of these. He showed very clearly that he was taking full responsibility for his actions. He remained faithful to God and certainly didn’t treat God like an insurance policy or a “Get out of Jail” card.

Paul didn’t fight back, complain or argue in this situation. Neither did he allow himself to be treated like a doormat, and he had no intention of letting others walk all over him. He offered non-passive resistance just like Jesus did. Paul presented his point clearly and graciously, only too aware of the potential cost involved.

Gandhi behaved similarly, stating his belief that when faced with an aggressor or violence “Jesus called us to be people of courage.” That is what Paul did, and that is what we must do, learning to trust and serve God when circumstances are easy and tough, discovering ways of responding that are inspired by our incredible life-changing encounters with a very radical Jesus.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes