Lesson Forty-Three: Paul's Defense to the Crowd

Acts 22:1-30

Key Verse

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."

— Acts 22:16

Lesson Questions

Read Acts 22:1-30 carefully before answering these questions.

1. Review: Section One -- Acts 1:1-8:4.

2. How did Paul begin his defense? 22:1-3

3. What had Paul done to people of "this way"? 22:4-5

4. What had changed Paul's life? 22:6-9

5. What did Paul ask? What did Jesus say? 22:10

6. Why could Paul not see? How did he get into Damascus? 22:11

7. Who came to Paul? Why? 22:12-15

8. What did Ananias tell Paul to do? What did the Lord tell Paul to do? 22:16-18

9. What did Paul say they knew? What did Jesus say? 22:19-21

10. Then what happened? 22:22-24

11. What kept Paul from being scourged? 22:25-29

12. What did the chief captain do? Why? 22:30

Thought Questions

A. Why did Paul begin his defense as he did?

Supplementary Materials

Paul's Conversion: Three Accounts in Acts Acts records Paul's conversion three times — each for a different audience and emphasizing different aspects: Aspect Acts 9 Acts 22 Acts 26 Speaker Luke (narrator) Paul Paul Audience Theophilus/readers Jewish mob King Agrippa Emphasis Historical narrative Jewish credentials, Commission to Ananias Gentiles Ananias described as "A certain disciple" "Devout man Not mentioned according to the law" Key unique detail Lord's vision to "Wash away thy sins" "Kick against the Ananias pricks"

Note: The three accounts are complementary, not contradictory. Paul tailored his testimony to his audience — emphasizing his Jewish credentials to the mob, and his Gentile commission to the king.

The Structure of Paul's Defense (22:1-21)

Section	Verses	Content
1. Appeal for a	22:1	"Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my
hearing	defence"
2. Jewish credentials	22:2-5	Birth, education, zeal, persecution of Christians
3. The Damascus	22:6-11	Light, voice, blindness — encounter with
Road	Jesus
4. Ananias's visit	22:12-16	Devout Jew, sight restored, command to be baptized
5. Vision in the	22:17-21	Commission to the Gentiles — THIS is what
temple	enraged them

Paul's Jewish Credentials (22:2-5) Paul establishes his Jewish identity to gain a hearing:

Credential	Significance
"I am... a Jew" (v. 3)	Not a Gentile or apostate — one of them
"Born in Tarsus" (v. 3)	Respected city in Cilicia; but NOT his primary identity
Credential	Significance
"Brought up in this city" (v.	Jerusalem — trained from childhood in the Holy City 3)
"At the feet of Gamaliel" (v.	The most respected rabbi of the day (cf. Acts 5:34); Paul had
3)	the best education
"According to the perfect	Strict adherence to the Law — not a liberal or compromiser manner" (v. 3)
"Zealous toward God" (v. 3)	"As ye all are this day" — they are like he USED to be
"Persecuted this way" (v. 4)	Proof of his former zeal — he did what they wanted to do to him!
"The high priest doth bear	His anti-Christian credentials were on record! me witness" (v. 5)

"Arise, and Be Baptized, and Wash Away Thy Sins" (22:16) "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." This verse, unique to this account, is one of the clearest statements connecting baptism with the forgiveness of sins: Phrase Explanation "Why tarriest thou?" Urgency — don't delay! Paul had already believed and prayed for three days (9:9, 11) "Arise" Action required — get up and act on your faith "Be baptized" Middle voice in Greek — "get yourself baptized"; Paul's participation required "Wash away thy sins" Grammatically connected to baptism; baptism is when sins are washed away (cf. Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21; Titus 3:5) "Calling on the name of the Baptism is an act of faith — calling on Jesus for salvation; Lord" same phrase as Acts 2:21 (Joel 2:32)

Key point: Paul had already seen Jesus, believed, and prayed for three days — yet his sins were not yet "washed away." It was at baptism that this occurred. Baptism is how one "calls on the name of the Lord."

The Temple Vision (22:17-21) This vision is not recorded in Acts 9. Paul describes a trance he experienced in the temple, probably during his first visit to Jerusalem after conversion (9:26-30; Gal. 1:18):

Element	Significance
"In the temple" (v. 17)	Paul did worship in the temple! He was not against the temple itself
"In a trance" (v. 17)	Greek: ekstasis (ecstasy) — a visionary state; cf. Peter in Acts 10:10
"They will not receive thy	Jesus warned that Jerusalem would reject Paul — he must go
testimony" (v. 18)	elsewhere
Paul's protest (vv. 19-20)	"They KNOW" my past — surely they will listen! His involvement in Stephen's death should make his conversion more compelling
"Depart... unto the Gentiles"	The divine commission — THIS WORD triggered the
(v. 21)	explosion!

"Away with Such a Fellow!" (22:22-24) "And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live."

"Unto this word" — they listened to everything until he said "Gentiles"
The trigger: The idea that God would send salvation to Gentiles apart from

becoming Jews was intolerable

"Away with such a fellow" — same cry raised against Jesus (Luke 23:18;

John 19:15)

"Cast off their clothes" — throwing garments in rage (or preparing to stone

him, as with Stephen)

"Threw dust into the air" — expression of extreme indignation and fury

Paul's Roman Citizenship (22:25-29) Aspect Details The scourging planned Roman scourging (flagellum) — leather whip with bone/metal; could kill; used to extract information Paul's question (v. 25) "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?" The law Lex Porcia and Lex Julia forbade binding or beating a Roman citizen without trial; violation was a serious crime The centurion's reaction Immediately reported to the tribune — this was serious! "I bought this freedom" (v. Citizenship could be purchased (often through bribes); 28) indicates the tribune acquired it during his lifetime "I was free born" (v. 28) Paul's citizenship was inherited — perhaps his father or grandfather received it; higher status than purchased citizenship Result (v. 29) Those who would torture him "departed" immediately; tribune "was afraid" — he had already bound a citizen!

Key Cross-References

Reference	Acts 22 Verse	Connection
Acts 9:1-19	22:6-16	First account of Paul's conversion
Acts 26:12-18	22:6-16	Third account of Paul's conversion
Acts 2:38	22:16	Baptism for remission of sins
Gal. 3:27	22:16	Baptized INTO Christ
Acts 5:34	22:3	Gamaliel — Paul's teacher
Acts 7:58; 8:1	22:20	Paul's involvement in Stephen's death
Acts 16:37	22:25-29	Paul used citizenship at Philippi too

Lessons from Acts 22:1-30 1. Personal testimony is powerful — Paul's own transformation was his best argument. 2. Baptism is connected to the forgiveness of sins — "wash away thy sins" happened at baptism. 3. Prejudice blinds people to truth — they heard everything until "Gentiles."

4. God providentially uses human authorities — Roman citizenship protected Paul for further ministry. 5. Paul never forgot his past sins — he mentioned Stephen's death as evidence of his former zeal. 6. The gospel is for all nations — this was offensive then and remains the heart of Christianity.