Paul's Defense Before The Crowd, Paul The Roman Citizen

[Walter and Deborah]

Saturday 12-23-23 7th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Tevet 9 5784, 3rd. Winter Day

Acts 21

Paul's Defense Before The Crowd

40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

Acts 22

1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,

13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.

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

17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance;

18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee:

20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.

21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.

22 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.

23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air,

Paul The Roman Citizen

24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.

25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.

28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.

29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

Paul's Defense Before The Sanhedrin

30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

Love, Walter And Debbie

[Mr. M]

3 minutes ago, Walter and Deborah said:

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

The irony of Paul's claim to have been educated by the esteemed teacher Gamaliel,

is that it was this very member of the Sanhedrin who advised restraint in dealing with this "new sect".

Acts 5:

34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people,

stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 

35 And he said to them,

“Men of Israel, be careful as to what you are about to do with these men."

38 And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone,

for if the source of this plan or movement is men, it will be overthrown; 

39 but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them;

or else you may even be found fighting against God.

No wonder the Lord would chastise Paul on the Damascus Road:

Acts 9:

5 And he said, Who are You, Lord?

Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.

[Mr. M]

14 minutes ago, Walter and Deborah said:

25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.

Paul shrewdly used the status of a Roman citizen to benefit his cause:

Acts 16:

35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers,

saying, “Let those men go.”

36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying,

“The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to them, They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, 

and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly?

No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.

38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates,

and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 

39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out,

and asked them to depart from the city. 

Later, at his hearing before Festus, he would appeal to go before Caesar:

Acts 25:

9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, 

“Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged

before me concerning these things?”

10 So Paul said, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged.

To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. 

11 For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death,

I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men

accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.

12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered,

You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!