Tell Your Story: Effective Witness to Christ and His Work

Saul the Jewish Pharisee, h

subgroup of the strictest observers of the law, known as the Shammaites.^ As a Shammaite Pharisee, Saul would have held to the Torah more strictly than did Gamaliel’s followers.^^ The Shammaite Pharisees believed that the Scriptures revealed God’s past, present, and future agenda for them. God called Israel to be his covenant people, punished them in exile for their disobedience, and then brought them back from exile. The Shammaites thought that the future held great blessings, which included Gentile submission to them and to the Torah.” Their goal was to have God reign as political ruler; thus, the Shammaites were extremely zealous—to the point of violence—for God’s kingdom. ^^ Their agenda included a commitment to fight against any disloyalty to the Torah’s teaching.^^

Understanding Saul’s Pharisaic past helps the evangelical to comprehend the converted Paul’s theology. Paul saw himself as loyal to true Judaism.^”^ Paul the apostle was convinced that he had seen the risen Jesus. Of course, the other apostles had also seen the risen Jesus, but they observed him before his ascension.^^ To see the risen and ascended Messiah, for Saul, was of the most profound significance. Before that vision, Saul the rabbi was convinced that the Bible taught that such a vision would occur only at the “end of time.”^^ After his vision, Paul the apostle saw that the “age to come,” also known as the age of the resurrected Messiah, had now arrived.^^

In Jewish thought, an apostle or prophet was someone with authority.^^ Paul, as apostle, was a legal representative of the one who had sent … Narrow 12 Jesus’ own twelve disciples, Wider Barnabas , Matthias; Paul secured authority to his doctrine by making such an assertion.

i), Paul does not defend himself specifically against these authorities. Pauls beliefs and practice need not concern Rome at all; it is a quarrel with Judaism about the identity of the Messiah and those whom the Messiah identifies as his true people and by what means they are included. For Paul, Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah, and his coming—his life and death and resurrection—had broken down the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile for everyone who repents and believes in him.

“^es concern as he writes Acts is to convey that Paul is not “a proper target for Roman judicial investigations and litigation.”^ Since Paul would eventually be released (something that Acts does not record), Lukes Acts can be seen once more as Lukes own attempt to defend his friend in the ongoing process of Roman jurisprudence.

“May I Speak?”

Paul’s request to address the crowd would not ordinarily have been granted, but there must have been something in Paul’s demeanor as well as his cultured Greek that compelled the commander to agree. Any chance ot having this matter dealt with quickly and decisively before news of it reached Rome was to be welcomed. Altho bruised and bleeding, now chained...

Hear the defense = apologia = soldiers pleaed back u silence? Paul’s own account of what happened, one in which he explains why he had turned so dramatically from a zealous persecutor of Christians to an unashamed apologist for Jesus.

Paul makes no mention of the charge concerning Trophimus (). This is a lesson for us today. The attacks against Christianity often appear in the form of a personal attack on us, and Paul demonstrates that this often masks an attack upon the gospel itself. We are to be more concerned about defending the truth of the gospel than about defending our own reputations.

ie. Carl Truman - don’t take self so seriously, online defense … defend gospel not our image, reputation… smoke screen of character attack, or secondary issues…

5 fold defense s(l) conservative Jewish upbringing, (2) zeal for the Mosaic Law, (3) conversion to faith in Jesus Christ, (4) contact with Ananias, a highly respected Jew, and (5) vision in the temple (), in which God had commissioned him to be an ambassador to the Gentiles.

A Hebrew of the Hebrews …His point there, just as it was here on the steps of the Fortress, was that anyone claiming to be zealous for the law could not outdo Paul on this matter. No one had shown more zeal for the law and confidence in the flesh than Saul of Tarsus. persecuted way out of Jerusalem… = undermine allegation Christianity is anti-Jewish

‘). Saul of Tarsus had access to the highest levels of Jewish officialdom, in all likelihood having been a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.’’ He needed no lectures from this Jewish body in Jerusalem about what it meant to be Jewish.

boy more moderate Gamiel, but then stirctest…

). Ananias brought him a word from God that sounded remarkably similar to one Moses had received at the burning bush. Like Moses, Saul had both “seen” and “heard” a great sight. Both men had been commissioned to go and be God’s witness. Ananias made e it clear: “The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his ‘mouth, for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard” (). Saul,

VISION in temple - Paul after conversion hearing from Israel’s God like priests and scribes didn’t!

“Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” And I said, “Lord, they those who believed in von And wh^^ fU. ui - ^ ^^. _u_^ ,,^„r witness was

n.” And he said to me, “I, “Go, for I will send you tar away to the Gentiles.” (-21J This part ot Paul s testimony had not previously been given in and constitutes material designed to underline the fact that the first thing Paul did after hie rr^nArprdon on the Damascus road was to make his way to the temple in Jerusalem to pray! There were no signs of disrespect to Jewish

= vision in them temple!!! Paul describes how, during his time of prayer, he saw the Lord, received word of his call to be an ambassador, and, like the prophet, was warned of Jewish unresponsiveness to his message.

underlines his and their complicity in killing Stephen and Christ’s calling to be this witness to Gentiles! = so clearly not a movement toward apostasy and unbelief = but Messianic now!! not future!

It is important for those of us who have been converted in later life to recall what we once were, just as it is important for those converted in relative youth or infancy to imagine what they could have been—apart from the grace of God. Whenever we think too highly of ourselves, whenever our egos are bent out of shape, whenever we imagine that we deserve something better than what is handed to us in God’s providence, we should remember with = only grace and better be able to communicate it to UNBELIEVERS from Jews and Gentiles, church and unchurcheD!

Confidence in the Flesh

Confidence in the Flesh

As Pharisee, no sense of guilt, felt deserved kingdom - but not just call to Gentiles, also his conversion - recognize guilt, - See Jesus as THE RIGHTEOUS ONE! ). The term has been used twice before, once in connection with Stephen () and once by Peter in Jerusalem at Pentecost, explaining the culpability of the Jews in the death of Jesus, the Righteous Tt. the description of Jesus in the Servant Song of

Isaiah 53:11 ESV

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

He had come to see that his own attainments were worthless and in need of cleansing (depicted in baptism). Saul of Tarsus discovered that he was a sinner in need of an “alien righteousness,” in Luther’s words, one that would be credited to his account through faith in Jesus Christ as his sin bearer and ibstitute rK..,v4.^ctV, had oaid the penalty for sin. He bore the wrath of God due to sin. He had paid what Saul could not pay.

‘Rid the Earth of Paul”

). As they disrobed themselves (perhaps to free their arms for the purposes of throwing stones at the apostle, or else because they had torn them as a sign of Paul’s “blasphemy”) and threw dust into the air, the intent of the mob became abundantly clear to Commander Lysias: “And as they were shouting and

Interrogation by the use of the scourge or flagellum was common in the Roman Empire: “But when they had stretched him out for the whips” (). S(

). Scourges consisted of leather straps, interspersed with knuckle bones or lead, and designed to inflict both pain and injury. Scourging not only lacerated the flesh, but often exposed organs, broke bones, and sometimes resulted in the death of the victim.^ Paul was being stretched out in prepara

honor was nartiriilarKT^ t”^^--’ honor was particularly rare among the population of the eastern Mediterranean in this period, and so, as F. F. Bruce remarked, ‘the few Roman citizens. whether Greek or Jews by birth, would constitute a social elite.’ “^ Roman By the time of Christ, Roman citizens could not be interrogated by means of torture anc Paiil^-” ‘ -’ “ • •

could insist on a trial in Italy rather than the provinces.

Lysias treats Paul as his social equal, he had been a common soldier who had been promoted through the ranks to centurion and, by means of a bribe, gained Roman citizenship and a military tribune.

Ready to Suffer for Jesus

Nor was Paul a stranger to flogging. He had writSuffering was for the apostle a necessary aspect of discipleship. Following Jesus Christ involved being willing to lay down his life for the gospel. Nev

Seeing the opportunity to avoid unnecessary suffering, he took it by appealing to his Roman citizenship. As

Christians and Christian organizations are at liberty to use all the legal means at their disposal, appealing court decisions if necessary, when accusations of illegality are cast in their direction. Such accusations need not be legal counsel i” ‘^”’^- -i-^legal counsel in one’s defense.

Paul had already written his famous letter to the church at Rome in which he urged Christians to be “subject to the governing authorities” (). These authorities are from God and resisting them unlawfully is tantamount to resisting God himself. Rulers are established by God in order that they

Unlawful use of power should be challenged, for it undermines the respect that ought to be given to those who exercise civil authority. Challenging honoring Christ. honoring Christ.

. Nevertheless, what the Roman commander was doing here was unlawful (though he was unaware of it), and Paul’s challenge

KEY apologia, - not point by poiont defense against charge as Commander expected, but much more elaborate. Luke will employ the term several times more in the next few chapters (; ; ,). He records the use of the word in two very significant contexts: “When they bring you before the lilt’— t f t ,.you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (); and

‘before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict” ().

Jesus had intended such occasions to be more than just an opportunity to defend oneself against certain charges; they are employed for gospel purposes. Paul is preaching on this occasion, giving confronting hie arm^prs with the claim.*; nf r.hrist and. in effect, callinnr n*^’— i, Paul’s one and only brought oath and I will rplea<;e vou. Revile Christ.” But all he could sav was, “For oath and I will release you. Revile Christ.” But all he could say was, “For eighty-six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who has saved me?”^°

d. This was not Paul’s time to die. We are immortal until our work is done. But Paul knew that his future now lay in a direction the glory be given to his Savior.

It is this Christ-centered and gospel-focused resolve that should strike us most of all. Even when life itself is threatened, it is the glory of Jesus Christ that should be our chief aim. In the worst circumstances imaginable, the apostle focuses on the gospel. So should we.