Acts 22 begins with Paul speaking to the ruling body of the Jews in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin and others who were there. Luke tells us he spoke in Hebrew which caused them to be quieter. He begins by testifying about his former life as one who grew up in Tarsus and was trained by Gamaliel, one of the great, respected Jewish teachers. Paul was “zealous” for the law as is his audience.

In class, I take us back to Stephen’s speech before a very similar audience. This is found in Acts 7. Paul was in that audience as were some of the Sanhedrin who now are hearing Paul. The portrait of Paul as the hostile witness against Stephen in Acts 7 who is now himself a Christian and testifying as Stephen did is striking. Stephen’s speech covered 6 topics: God and Abraham, God and Joseph, God and Moses, God and the tabernacle/Temple, and then God fulfilling His Messianic promises. Stephen’s powerful message served to anger Saul of Tarsus who violently opposed Christians.

We discussed how those who are deceived tend to identify themselves with the noble and good people from their traditions. Yet Stephen showed that those who rejected Christ were in fact following in the footsteps of apostates and God’s enemies from their past. Saul was as outraged as the rest at this, but would soon meet the One he was attacking. As Paul speaks in Acts 22 he tells his Jewish audience that he had been like them.

Now he is different because Christ intervened from heaven and converted him. We will talk more about that conversion and how Paul shares about it next week. What is sobering is how easily we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are right with God when that is not the case. That is why it is crucial that we get the gospel right!