Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

What if something strange happened during lunch today?

What if the people sitting at the table next to yours at the restaurant recognized that you are a church-going Christian, and what if they asked you to give them a brief description of what you believe and why?

What would you say?

How much of your own story would you tell?

How many Bible verses would you cite?

Today we’re going to read about when the Apostle Paul gave a public defense of Christianity on the steps of building in Jerusalem that was built to house Roman soldiers.

The crowd around him was a mob of Jewish men who wanted to kill him, and the only thing standing in their way was an uncompassionate tribune and his troops.

The question at hand was “Who is Paul?” and the substance of Paul’s defense was the person of Jesus Christ.

Let’s consider this passage together, learning more about Paul and thinking about implications for our own efforts to live as faithful Christian witnesses today.

Acts 21:37–22:29 (ESV)

37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?”

And he said, “Do you know Greek?

38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city.

I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”

40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people.

And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” 2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet.

And he said:

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.

4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness.

From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’

And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’

And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.

14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

16 And now why do you wait?

Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.

20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

22 Up to this word they listened to him.

Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth!

For he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.

25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?”

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do?

For this man is a Roman citizen.”

27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

And he said, “Yes.”

28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.”

Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.”

29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

Main Idea:

Jesus is the risen Lord and Christ, and those who embrace Him as such are to live as His witnesses in the world.

Sermon

1. Who is Paul?

(21:37-40)

We’re really jumping into the middle of a story here.

It’s scene two, but it’s part of an episode that’s already in motion.

Some of you will remember that Paul and his traveling buddies had recently arrived in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17).

They came to the church there, and they were warmly welcomed (Acts 21:18-20).

But the elders of the church in Jerusalem were concerned that some rumors about Paul were in circulation, and some of their church members were believing that Paul had become anti-Jewish.

The fact is Paul was teaching that the law of Moses was optional, but this was being twisted into a false claim that Paul was teaching converted Jews to stop living like Jews altogether (Acts 21:21).

In order to try to show that Paul was not anti-Jewish, the elders advised Paul to observe a common Jewish tradition of personal cleansing and charity after having been around so many Gentiles (Acts 21:23-24).

Paul agreed, and he did as the elders advised (Acts 21:26).

And when Paul came into the temple in Jerusalem to carry out the traditional Jewish ceremony, the whole city erupted (Acts 21:27-31).

Only the arrival of a Roman “tribune” and many “soldiers” stopped the crowd from “beating” and “killing” Paul (Acts 21:31-32).

It seems to me that the anchor for our passage this morning is right there in last week’s passage, Acts 21:33… “the tribune came up and arrested him [Paul] and… He inquired who he was and what he had done.”

That is the question of our passage today – “Who is Paul?” and “What is he doing?”.

Is he an anti-Jewish heretic?

Is he a political extremist?

Or is he something else altogether?

Most of the Jews thought Paul was a heretic, and they responded the same way at the end of Acts 22 as they had at the end of Acts 21… They wanted Paul dead.

But the Roman tribune is also in focus in our passage today, and he thought (at least at first) that Paul was a political extremist.

Look at v37-38 with me.

Luke says, in v37, that Paul spoke to the “tribune” in “Greek.”

Latin was the formal language of the Roman empire, but Greek was far more commonly known and spoken (thanks to Alexander the Great and to God’s providence).

Greek was also widely spoken in Egypt during that time, and that’s why the tribune thought Paul might have been a political extremist.

In v38, the tribune says, “Are you not the Egyptian… who recently stirred up a revolt…?”

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote of a false prophet from Egypt who came to Jerusalem about 54 AD and led a small army of “dagger-men” or “knife-men” who were known for assassinating their targets by sneaking up on them in the midst of a crowd.

The Romans had abruptly put down the revolt, but the Egyptian leader had escaped, and the tribune thought Paul might have been him.

But Paul answered in v39, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city.”

And then Paul asked the tribune to let him address the crowd, so that he might make his “defense” (or ἀπολογια)… (1) that he was a genuine Jew, (2) that he had an encounter with the risen Jesus, (3) that he believed Jesus was the Christ, and (4) that he was commissioned by God as an Apostle to the Gentiles.

Before we dive into Paul’s “defense” (or his rationale), let’s notice just a few things about the way Luke has recorded all of this.

First, Luke is making a big deal of the “languages” Paul was speaking.

Certainly, Paul’s ability to speak Greek and also Hebrew or Aramaic played a part in the episode, but it’s worth noting that Paul was fluent in both.

Indeed, Paul was an educated man with a good understanding of each of the languages and cultures he was trying to pull together.

Second, Paul’s defense – his argument for who he was and for what he was doing – has a well-built and logical framework.

Paul began by establishing his Jewish bona fides, then he recalled his encounter with the risen Christ, then he told of his own conversion as a true Christian, and finally he provided testimony of an Old Testament prophet-like calling to a ministry among the Gentiles.

All of this is a fascinating and compelling case for who Paul really is… and, what’s more, it’s a fascinating and compelling case for the Christ of whom Paul was bearing witness.

Third, Paul’s defense is book-ended by two “examinations” from the Roman tribune.

Both at the beginning of our passage (Acts 21:37-40) and at the end (Acts 22:22-29), the Roman tribune is trying to figure out, “Who is Paul?”

And the short answer is, Paul is exactly the man God had meticulously raised up and specially commissioned to be an Apostle of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who were once far off… to the Gentiles.

The Jews largely rejected the gospel, and they rejected Paul as an Apostle.

The Roman authorities wanted civil stability, and this whole Christianity thing seemed to be causing trouble.

And yet, here Paul was, standing in the midst of these two cultures, two civilizations, two peoples… with one foot grounded in each (as it were)… offering good news to anyone who would believe that Jesus is the resurrected Savior of the world… that Jesus is the “Righteous One” of God, who satisfied God’s justice against sinners and bore the sins of those He came to save in order that they may be counted righteous before God (Acts 22:14; cf.

Isaiah 53:11).

Friends, there is a lot to consider already, but do you realize that Paul is the embodiment here of gospel-believers from every age?

Paul was an Old Covenant Jew who had embraced the New Covenant in Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah… and Paul was a Roman citizen, cultured among the Greeks, who had decided that the revealed mystery of the gospel is better than any worldly wisdom or power.

Furthermore, Paul is a specially designed evangelist between two cultures.

Paul was bearing witness to Christ in front of unbelievers from both worlds.

Paul was calling religious legalists to repent of their unbelief and to leave their self-righteousness behind, and he was calling worldly pagans to repent of their unbelief and to trust their souls to an otherworldly King who really does save sinners.

2. A Real Jew (22:1-5)

Standing “on the steps” of the Roman “barracks” in Jerusalem, Paul made his “defense” before his “brothers and fathers” of Jewish ancestry (Acts 22:1).

The next 21 verses are the substance of Paul’s defense, and his case has four sections (at least as I count them) that build on one another.

This first section, v1-5, focuses expressly on Paul’s authentic Judaism… Paul was a real Jew.

He was “born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city,” i.e., Jerusalem (v3).

Paul was “educated at the feet of Gamaliel,” who was one of the two most respected and influential Jewish thought-leaders of that period (v3).