‏ Acts 22

Summary for Acts 22:1-21: 22:1-21  ^a Paul’s premier defense of his life and faith before his own people in Jerusalem illustrates his flexibility as a missionary, just as his speech to the Greek philosophers in Athens had done (17:22-31  ^b; see 1 Cor 9:20-23  ^c). Paul begins by recognizing his kinship with his people, explaining his Jewish background and training under the noted rabbi Gamaliel the Elder and describing his zealous desire to honor God in everything, which they shared (Acts 22:1-3  ^d). Paul then describes his persecution of Christians (22:4-5  ^e), the revelation of Jesus to him on the way to Damascus (22:6-10  ^f), and his conversion (22:11-16  ^g). Paul ends his speech by describing his conversation with the Lord in the Temple. The Lord had predicted the Jews’ rejection of the message and had sent Paul to the Gentiles (22:17-21  ^h).
22:3  ⁱ under Gamaliel: See study note on 5:34.
Summary for Acts 22:12-16: 22:12-16  ^j Ananias: See study note on 9:17.
22:14  ^k the Righteous One: See also 3:14  ^l; 7:52  ^m; 1 Jn 2:1  ⁿ. Righteousness was one of the Messiah’s characteristics (see Isa 32:1  ^o; 53:11  ^p).
22:16  ^q be baptized. Have your sins washed away: See thematic note for Baptism at end of chapter.
Summary for Acts 22:17-22: 22:17-22  ^r While Paul was praying in the Temple, he saw a vision of Jesus telling him that the people of Jerusalem would not accept his testimony. The Lord then sent him to the Gentiles. The crowd’s response to this report (22:22-23  ^s) proved the point.
22:23  ^t The crowd’s yelling, throwing off their coats, and tossing handfuls of dust into the air were probably ritual responses to perceived blasphemy. They opposed and tried to thwart Paul’s words that suggested the inclusion of Gentiles (22:21  ^u). Cp. Luke 4:16-30  ^v.
Summary for Acts 22:25-29: 22:25-29  ^w Paul claimed his status as a Roman citizen at this critical time when he was about to be tortured to make him confess his supposed crime. Roman citizenship was a valuable asset, and claiming it falsely was a capital offense. Its principal benefits were the prohibition of scourging and the right to appeal to the emperor (25:11  ^x). The commander was frightened at having nearly violated Roman law (cp. 16:35-39  ^y).
22:28  ^z it cost me plenty! During the early part of the reign of Emperor Claudius (AD 41–54), Roman citizenship could be purchased, but it was expensive.

Thematic note: Baptism
Baptism was an important element of the Christian faith from the very beginning (Acts 2:38  ^aa). The words “baptism” and “baptize” were already used in Judaism to refer to a religious rite for cleansing. The law of Moses established the use of water to cleanse people from ceremonial defilement (Num 19:14-19  ^ab). Later, Gentile converts to Judaism from pagan religions were admitted to Judaism only after fulfilling certain obligations, which included the study of the Torah, circumcision, and a ritual bath to wash away the impurities of their Gentile background. This ritual cleansing was often done in special baths created for purification, called mikvahs. Mikvahs were located at many synagogues, and the Temple in Jerusalem had a large number of mikvahs, which suggests that those who approached for worship would ritually bathe.
John preached “that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven” (Luke 3:3  ^ac). John’s baptism was an aspect of his role in preparing people’s hearts to receive the Messiah (Luke 3:4-6  ^ad), and those who had received his baptism and repented of their sins were those who were prepared for Jesus’ message (Luke 7:29-30  ^ae).
After his resurrection, Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize new converts (Matt 28:19  ^af). Christian baptism is understood as dying and rising with Christ, signifying the death of the old life and the beginning of the new (Rom 6:1-4  ^ag; Col 2:12  ^ah) and also signifying a Christian’s spiritual union with Christ (Gal 3:27  ^ai) and with his church. Baptism thus became the rite of initiation in the Christian community. For this reason, many interpreters see baptism as the Christian equivalent of circumcision, the rite that initiated membership into the nation of Israel under the old covenant (see Col 2:11-12  ^aj). Whatever the connection with OT circumcision, baptism signifies a changed heart and a clean conscience that come from God’s forgiveness (1 Pet 3:21  ^ak; cp. Deut 10:16  ^al; 30:6  ^am; Jer 4:4  ^an; Rom 2:28-29  ^ao; Phil 3:3  ^ap).
As a ritual cleansing, Christian baptism signifies both forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38  ^aq; 10:43  ^ar; 13:38  ^as; 26:17-18  ^at) and the reception of the Holy Spirit (2:38  ^au; 9:17-18  ^av; 10:47-48  ^aw; 11:15-17  ^ax; 19:5-7  ^ay; Luke 3:16  ^az). Many interpreters see baptism as the outward confirmation of the inward “seal” of the Spirit, whose presence is a “guarantee” of the eternal inheritance that awaits God’s faithful people (2 Cor 1:21-22  ^ba; Eph 1:13-14  ^bb; 4:30  ^bc; Titus 3:5  ^bd).


Passages for Further Study
Matt 3:6-16  ^be; 21:25  ^bf; 28:19  ^bg; Mark 1:4-9  ^bh; 10:38-39  ^bi; 11:30  ^bj; 16:16  ^bk; Luke 3:3-22  ^bl; 7:29-30  ^bm; 12:50  ^bn; 20:4  ^bo; John 1:25-36  ^bp; 3:22-23  ^bq, 26  ^br; 4:1-2  ^bs; 10:40  ^bt; Acts 1:5  ^bu, 22  ^bv; 2:38  ^bw, 41  ^bx; 8:12-13  ^by, 16-17  ^bz, 36-38  ^ca; 9:18  ^cb; 10:37  ^cc, 47-48  ^cd; 11:16  ^ce; 13:24  ^cf; 16:15  ^cg, 33  ^ch; 18:8  ^ci, 25  ^cj; 19:1-7  ^ck; 22:16  ^cl; Rom 6:3-4  ^cm; 1 Cor 1:13-17  ^cn; 10:2  ^co; 12:13  ^cp; 15:29  ^cq; Gal 3:27  ^cr; Eph 4:5  ^cs; Col 2:12  ^ct; Heb 6:2  ^cu; 1 Pet 3:21  ^cv; 1 Jn 5:6  ^cw

‏ Acts 23

23:1  ^cx In addressing the high council, Paul insisted on his personal integrity before God—he had not violated God’s law or done the things they accused him of doing.
23:2  ^cy Ananias was the Jewish high priest from AD 47 to 58.

• slap him: He apparently assumed that Paul was lying and tried to intimidate him.
23:3  ^cz you corrupt hypocrite: Cp. Ezek 13:10-17  ^da; Matt 23:27  ^db.
23:5  ^dc Why Paul did not recognize the high priest is not known.

• Paul replied by quoting Exod 22:28  ^dd, acknowledging the respect to which the high priest was entitled by virtue of his office.
23:6  ^de Paul focused on the key issue in his trial, the hope of resurrection from the dead. His preaching was simply the outworking of that hope and the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, but the message was unacceptable to both groups of Jews because of its implications. Pharisees could not abide the inclusion of the Gentiles apart from circumcision and keeping the law of Moses (cp. 15:5  ^df), but that was what the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit had provided (Acts 2:39  ^dg; 10:34-48  ^dh). Sadducees could not stand the proclamation of the resurrection at all (cp. 4:1-2  ^di).
Summary for Acts 23:7-10: 23:7-10  ^dj Paul’s statement (23:6  ^dk) divided the council, with the Pharisees taking Paul’s side against the Sadducees. The resulting uproar was so great that the commander rescued Paul and took him back into the fortress of Antonia.
23:11  ^dl At this critical juncture, Jesus encouraged Paul to continue as his faithful witness by assuring him that he would go to Rome (see 19:21  ^dm).
Summary for Acts 23:12-15: 23:12-15  ^dn The plan to kill Paul was desperate, as a group of ... more than forty took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul (cp. 1 Sam 14:24-46  ^do; Matt 14:6-11  ^dp; see also Deut 23:21-23  ^dq; Matt 5:33-37  ^dr; Jas 5:12  ^ds).
Summary for Acts 23:16-22: 23:16-22  ^dt Paul’s nephew thwarted the murderous plot by reporting it to one of the Roman officers.
Summary for Acts 23:23-35: 23:23-35  ^du A mounted escort took Paul safely to the Roman Governor Felix in Caesarea, the Roman headquarters for Judea. There Paul would have greater protection than in Jerusalem. The military operation was executed that night with secret efficiency and maximum security (23:31  ^dv).
23:24  ^dw Antonius Felix was procurator (Governor) of Judea about AD 52–59, with responsibility for both military and civil affairs. Felix had a bad reputation (see 24:24-27  ^dx) and was eventually recalled to Rome by Nero.
Summary for Acts 23:26-30: 23:26-30  ^dy The letter of Claudius Lysias to Governor Felix is a typical Hellenistic letter, naming the writer and the person addressed, offering a greeting, and stating the business at hand (though there is no parting word of farewell; see study note on 15:29). It summarizes the events that preceded it and explains the action taken; it also suggests that the commander has followed proper Roman judicial procedure.

• The title his Excellency was often applied to persons of high social, political, or economic status (Luke 1:3  ^dz).
23:31  ^ea Antipatris, a city rebuilt by Herod the Great in 9 BC on the Plain of Sharon, was a convenient military control point between Jerusalem and Caesarea.
23:35  ^eb The governor followed the proper protocol and waited for Paul’s accusers to arrive before granting an official hearing.

• Herod’s headquarters was Herod the Great’s palace at Caesarea; it subsequently became the residence of the Roman governors of Judea.

‏ Acts 24

Summary for Acts 24:1-27: 24:1-27  ^ec Tertullus presented a legal case against Paul in a Roman court on behalf of the high priest (24:1-9  ^ed). Then Paul cheerfully made his defense and defended his faith (24:10-21  ^ee), and the governor adjourned the hearing without a decision and left Paul in prison for two years (24:22-27  ^ef).
Summary for Acts 24:1-4: 24:1-4  ^eg Tertullus presented the case for the prosecution, beginning with the customary speech of praise intended to attract the attention and sympathy of the governor, followed by the statement of charges (24:5-8  ^eh).
24:5  ^ei Troublemaker (or agitator) was a charge of political sedition. A Roman court would have taken this charge very seriously (see 16:21  ^ej; 17:7  ^ek; 18:13  ^el). Similar accusations were made against Jesus before Pilate (Luke 23:2  ^em, 5  ^en, 14  ^eo).

• The term cult (or party, or sect) is used here in a negative sense to put Paul’s religion under a pallor of suspicion if not illegality (see also Acts 24:14  ^ep).
24:6  ^eq trying to desecrate the Temple: See study note on 21:28-29.
Summary for Acts 24:10-21: 24:10-21  ^er Paul’s defense was that (1) he wasn’t in Jerusalem long enough to incite a riot; (2) none of his accusers had ever seen him stirring up a riot; and (3) he worshiped in accord with Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.
24:14  ^es the Way: See study note on 9:2.

• Paul emphasized his common ground with his Jewish audience, including his worship, belief in the Jewish law, acceptance of the prophets, and hope in the resurrection (24:14  ^et, 15  ^eu; see 24:21  ^ev).
24:15  ^ew At the last judgment God will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. Paul kept this final appointment with God constantly in mind (24:16  ^ex). The fear of the “coming day of judgment” unnerved Felix in a subsequent conversation with Paul (24:25  ^ey).
24:16  ^ez Paul stressed that he had acted with a clear conscience (see 20:27  ^fa, 33  ^fb; 23:1  ^fc; 1 Cor 4:4  ^fd; 2 Cor 1:12  ^fe; 4:2  ^ff; see also 2 Tim 1:3  ^fg). He had not departed from his Jewish heritage (Acts 24:14  ^fh), and he had no fear of God’s judgment (24:15  ^fi).
24:17  ^fj money to aid my people: See study note on 20:1-2; see also Rom 15:25-29  ^fk; 1 Cor 16:1-2  ^fl; 2 Cor 9:1-7  ^fm.

• and to offer sacrifices to God: See Acts 21:23-26  ^fn.
24:22  ^fo Perhaps Felix delayed his decision hoping that Paul would bribe him (24:26  ^fp).
24:23  ^fq It was in keeping with the proper treatment of a Roman citizen to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and take care of his needs.
24:24  ^fr Drusilla was the sister of Herod Agrippa II and Bernice (25:13  ^fs); Drusilla had abandoned her former husband, Azizus the King of Emessa, and married Felix. Drusilla was Jewish, so in forsaking her original husband and marrying Felix she had disregarded God’s commands (Exod 20:14  ^ft; Deut 5:18  ^fu; cp. Mal 2:16  ^fv; Mark 10:12  ^fw). Josephus criticized her for this (Antiquities 20.7.1-2). Drusilla and her husband were confronted in their conversation with Paul by the prospect of judgment.
24:25  ^fx Paul’s words about righteousness, self-control, and coming divine judgment frightened Felix, who was notably corrupt (24:26-27  ^fy; see study notes on 23:24; 24:24).
Summary for Acts 24:26-27: 24:26-27  ^fz Felix kept Paul in custody hoping for a bribe. When this failed and his own term ended, he left Paul in prison to gain favor with the Jewish people.
Summary for Acts 24:27-25:5: 24:27–25:5  ^ga Felix’s successor was Porcius Festus, appointed by Nero to be governor of Judea about AD 59~62. Josephus describes Festus as a conscientious, honest administrator who was not able to stem the rising tide of Jewish unrest despite his strong action against the party of the Assassins (Josephus, Antiquities 20.8.10; cp. Acts 21:38  ^gb). He resisted the Jewish leaders’ attempt to have Paul’s trial moved to Jerusalem, but he was not immune to their pressure (25:9  ^gc).