Bible Study - Saul to Paul - JESUS Made the Difference - Acts 21-36 - May 31, 2006

 

Bible Study - Saul to Paul- JESUS Made The Difference - May 31, 2026

Let’s read Acts 21:26-36:

The Riot in the Temple

²⁶ So the next day, Paul took the men, having purified himself along with them, and entered the temple, announcing the completion of the purification days when the offering would be made for each of them.

The Apostle Paul takes a group of men who had made Nazirite vows and participated with them at the temple in Jerusalem. The purpose was not for salvation but likely to show respect for the Jewish law and show unity through faith in JESUS. JESUS fulfilled the Law and paid, in full, the penalty for sin for those who place their faith in HIM.

The Nazirite vow (Hebrew: נָזִיר nāzīr, meaning “consecrated” or “separated”) was a voluntary religious commitment in the Hebrew Bible where an individual dedicated themselves to God for a set period, often for special service or devotion.

Acts 21:26 seems to encourage us to understand that diversity within the body of Christ is something to be celebrated, not feared. Paul’s actions show that unity can exist in diversity; we can come together in the pursuit of a common mission despite our differences i.e., Catholics, various Christian denominations, Messianic Jews.

Yet, the battle between works and faith continues today.

Salvation, via the forgiveness of a person’s sins, is only possible through faith in JESUS and HIS Passion, which includes HIS resurrection and HIS resurrected bodily ascension into Heaven to take HIS seat at the righthand of GOD HIS FATHER.

Why? JESUS intercedes for all “born again” Christians when Satan accuses them in the presence of GOD, when they sin.

Back to Paul and the men completing their Nazarite vows.

²⁷ When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw him (Paul) in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd, and seized him, ²⁸ shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, and this place. What’s more, he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

³⁰ The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

³¹ As they were trying to kill him, word went up to the commander of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in chaos. ³² Taking along soldiers and centurions, he immediately ran down to them. Seeing the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander approached, took him into custody, and ordered him to be bound with two chains.

Why two chains?

According to Bible Hub:

Why was Paul bound with two chains in Acts 22?

Paul was bound by two chains because he was a Roman citizen, and the act of binding him was a violation of Roman law. The chains were used to secure him, and the binding was a sign of his Roman citizenship. This act was a significant point in Paul’s defense, as it demonstrated his legal rights and the respect due a Roman Citizen. The binding was a heinous crime to a Roman, and it was a violation of the Lex Porcia, which protected citizens from such actions. Paul’s ability to plead his Roman citizenship saved him from a brutal scourging and set up his appearance before the Sanhedrin. (Bible Hub)

He (The Commander) asked who he (Paul) was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd were shouting one thing and some another. Since he was not able to get reliable information because of the uproar, he ordered him to be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When Paul got to the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, ³⁶ for the mass of people followed, yelling, “Get rid of him!”

Paul’s Defense before the Jerusalem Mob

As we have already read, the Apostle Paul was in Rome under arrest. Paul asked the Commander to let him speak to the crowd.

Let’s consider Paul’s audience – So Paul, the “born again” believer and follower of JESUS, THE CHRIST,” was speaking to in Acts 21:37:

Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he (Paul) asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”

“Do you speak Greek?” he (the commander) replied. 

It is a good thing Paul spoke to the commander and asked the question. Why? We see the why in the commander’s next statement.

38: “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”

This is an interesting statement coming from the Roman Commander, who according to the background study was Claudius Lysias, ““Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”

The Apostle Paul did not respond immediately to the commander’s question, but he did answer the commander’s question when he gave his testimony. Paul likely saw the question as a deviation and a tool Satan uses to lead those called by JESUS to, “chase a rabbit” and miss the purpose of the opportunity GOD has provided.

Paul was focused on his call as a Christian and he likely knew that he did not have much time to address the crowd. So, he was focused on the opportunity of the moment and on the purpose of his calling.

Satan uses many tactics to get those who know the truth of salvation to chase unproductive issues. Paul only had a brief moment, and he had to use that moment to speak GOD’S message to the Jewish people and others present in the crowd, including the Roman guards.

Paul spoke to the people and, in essence, answered the commander’s question in the next verse ---- he was not an Egyptian, without having to saying it ------

39: Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”

40: After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic.

Let’s read Acts 22:1-30:

Christian Standard Bible

22:1: “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” ² When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic,^[a] they became even quieter. ³ He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted this Way (The name of the early Christian church) to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail, ⁵ as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those (Christians) who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

Paul’s Testimony

⁶ “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

⁸ “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me saw the light,^[b] but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

¹⁰ “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’

“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’

¹¹ “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light,^[c] I was led by the hand by those who were with me and went into Damascus. ¹² Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there, ¹³ came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. ¹⁴ And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth, ¹⁵ since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

¹⁷ “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

¹⁹ “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten. ²⁰ And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval^[d] and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’

²¹ “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The mention of Gentiles seems to have triggered the crowd’s reaction.

Paul’s Roman Protection

²² They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live!”

²³ As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondoned?”

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”

²⁷ The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” he said.

²⁸ The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul said.

²⁹ So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.

Guess what? When we ask JESUS to forgive us for our sins and ask JESUS to come into our heart or being, not only are we Spirit born or “Born again” but we are, as written in:

Philippians 3:20 - Christian Standard Bible

²⁰ Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Paul’s day citizenship was important. Since the Passion of JESUS and HIS resurrection and ascension into Heaven to take HIS seat at the right hand of GOD, HIS FATHER, our faith in JESUS results in all “born again” people eternal citizens of Heaven.

Continue with Acts 22:30:

Paul before the Sanhedrin

³⁰ The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him^[e] and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them.

Acts 22:30 highlights GOD’S providence in orchestrating events, as the Roman Commander releases Paul to stand before the Jewish Council which would allow Paul an opportunity to defend his faith in JESUS and advance the Gospel.

I sense that the Commander wanted to hear more from Paul. So far, in the Commander’s dealing with Paul, apparently, he saw that Paul was true to his faith in JESUS. Just maybe the Commander wanted to witness and evaluate the Jewish Law versus what Paul revealed about his experience on the road to Damascus regarding JESUS. I speculate!!!

I fully believe, the Commander had a desire to witness a debate between the long-established Jewish religion, and this new religion Paul was espousing. It is likely the Commander knew about the crucifixion of JESUS. But again, that is speculation, but the commander did hear about Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, which made the commander aware of JESUS and HIS Passion.

 

Acts 22:30 highlights GOD’S providence in orchestrating events, as the Roman commander released Paul to stand before the Jewish council, allowing him to defend his faith and advance the gospel.

The same is true for those who seek to do the will of GOD today, as led by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Christian life is a dynamic relationship with GOD, JESUS, and THE HOLY SPIRIT.

What is your on-the-road experience? We are all traveling and my prayer is that all will arrive safely in the loving arms of GOD and JESUS.

Blessings!!!