“GO!”

Passage: Acts 22:17-29

Key verse: 21

NIV

17 “When I returned to Jerusalem(A) and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance(B) 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison(C) and beat(D) those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’(E)

21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”(F)

Paul the Roman Citizen

22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!(G) He’s not fit to live!”(H)

23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks(I) and flinging dust into the air,(J) 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.(K) He directed(L) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”(M)

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

27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

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

29 Those who were about to interrogate him(N) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,(O) in chains.(P)

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Acts 22:20 Or witness
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

17 (A)“When I had returned to Jerusalem and (B)was praying in the temple, I fell into (C)a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, (D)‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another (E)I imprisoned and (F)beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen (G)your witness was being shed, (H)I myself was standing by and (I)approving and (J)watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you (K)far away to the Gentiles.’”

Paul and the Roman Tribune

22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, (L)“Away with such a fellow from the earth! For (M)he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into (N)the barracks, saying that he should be (O)examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips,[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog (P)a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29 So those who were about (Q)to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also (R)was afraid, (S)for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that (T)he had bound him.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Acts 22:25 Or when they had tied him up with leather strips
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The resurrected Jesus, our Lord and Savior, had a purpose for Paul. “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” Paul was not born a saint, ready to serve God’s purpose for his life. No, he was lost in his sin. He was spiritually so blind that he stood at the site of Stephen’s martyrdom, giving his approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him (20).

Our Lord forgave him his sins. What peace he must have had in his once tormented soul! He might have seen in his dreams the image of the saint, Stephen, bleeding profusely while being stoned. Paul later wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).

Paul was compelled by God’s love and grace of forgiveness of his sins to obey Jesus’ world mission command (21). He was once a lost sinner, but the resurrected Christ made him “a light for the Gentiles” (Isaiah 49:6).

Prayer: Father, I was once a lost sinner. What amazing grace that you forgave me my sins through the blood of your Son! May I always be guided by your love and grace of forgiveness of my sins that I may know what I should do for my life. Amen.

One Word: “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles”