The testimony of Paul (Acts 21:37-22:21)

 The testimony of Paul

 

  

 

[Acts 21:37–22:21]

  

 

Have you ever heard the testimony of Elder President Myung-bak Lee?  ‘TV Testimony: Elder Myung-bak Lee's Perspective' (Internet): 'I have come here today in the capacity of a church elder.  I would like to confess something before you.  In truth, there is much lacking in my ability to testify about my faith.  I want to say that I am here because of our mother. ...'  As he begins to speak, sharing his testimony, he says, 'Our mother used to kneel down with all six brothers every morning at 4 a.m. and pray.  When it was 4 a.m., she would pray, and then she would go out again for morning prayer.  She would come back and go out for her daily routines. Even though it was tough, she never missed a day.  Our mother's prayers were always the same.  She thanked God and prayed for the stability of the country.  When I was young, I didn't understand my mother's prayers.  She prayed for those who did not believe in Jesus, and then she prayed for the brothers.'   I think our mother's prayers were great. We need to pray for those who do not believe in Jesus.

 

We have already meditated on how Satan, using Jews from Asia, manipulated the situation to bind Paul in 'Paul's Bond in Asia.'  After a brief review, (1) they incited people by making baseless false accusations against Paul, causing a 'commotion' among the men in the courtyard of the temple.  (2) The Jews from Asia, together with agitated Jewish men, eventually caused 'uproar' within the Jerusalem temple, creating a disturbance.  (3) We learned that Satan's strategy involved spreading malicious rumors.  (4) The crowds 'persecuted' Paul.  Eventually, following the commander's orders, Paul attempted to enter the Roman garrison camp.  At that moment, while Paul was conversing with the commander (v. 37), he was about to be killed (v. 32) by the Jewish mob seeking his death (v. 36).  He requested permission to speak to the Jewish crowd so that he could explain himself (v. 39).  The commander granted Paul's request, and as a result, Paul spoke to the crowd in Hebrew, directly addressing them (v. 40).  Paul's speech was, in essence, his testimony.

Therefore, today, I want to meditate on Paul's testimony based on Acts 21:37-22:29, divided into three parts under the title “The Testimony of Paul.”  I hope and pray that by listening to Paul's testimony today, you and I will have the opportunity to accept Jesus as our Savior, receive forgiveness of sins, and obtain eternal life.

 

First, the first part of Paul's testimony is ‘Before Meeting Jesus’ (Acts 22:3-5).

 

In the first part of Paul's testimony, he explained to the Jewish crowd who he used to be in the past in four ways.

 

(1)   Paul revealed that he was a Jew and a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia (v. 3).

 

Emphasizing that he was a Jew like the gathered crowd, he mentioned that he was not from a small town but was born in Tarsus in Cilicia.  At that time, Tarsus was a significant city, and during the Roman Empire, it served as the political capital of the region of Cilicia and Asia Minor.  Tarsus was also a city at the center of scholarship and culture in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, alongside Athens and Alexandria.  Paul had reasons to take pride in this background.

 

(2)   Paul stated that he grew up in Jerusalem (v. 3).

 

Although Paul was born in Tarsus, he highlighted that he received his education in Jerusalem, emphasizing his identity as a zealous Jew (one who served God through the Law).  Jerusalem was important for Jews then and now, and by saying he grew up there, Paul emphasized his significance as someone who valued Jerusalem just like the Jewish crowd listening to him.

 

(3)   Paul said that he was thoroughly educated in the strict manner of the Law of his ancestors according to the school of Gamaliel (v. 3).

 

At that time, Gamaliel was a respected figure representing the Hillel school, one of the two major schools of thought in Judaism (Yoo).  In the culture of Gamaliel, Paul stated that he received a rigorous education in the Law according to the tradition of the Pharisees.  Paul identified himself as a Pharisee concerning the Law (Phil. 3:5).

 

(4)   Paul stated that, like the zealous Jews devoted to the collected laws of Moses, he was also "a person zealous for God" (Acts 22:3).

 

To what extent he was zealous, Paul (Saul) mentioned that he persecuted Christians, going so far as to kill them, and had both men and women believers arrested and thrown into prison (v. 4).  Paul, who was fervent for the laws of Moses, went to Damascus, bound the Christians there, and brought them to Jerusalem with the intention of punishing them.  He was someone who was fervent for the laws of Moses, as demonstrated by his actions.  He described himself as "advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers" (Phil. 3:6).  He declared, "And the chief priests and the whole council of elders can bear me witness" (Acts 22:5).

 

                Paul's confession about his past, before meeting Jesus, can be summarized in one sentence: he acknowledges that, just like the zealous Jews devoted to the collected laws of Moses who sought to kill him, he also used to be like that in the past.  The narrative of his past includes a passionate dedication to the laws of Moses, even to the extent of opposing the gospel of Jesus Christ and persecuting those who believed in Jesus, going so far as to "even put them to death" (v. 4).  Reflecting on how his past story would have sounded to the enraged Jews, who were eager to kill him, one can only imagine.  Paul was well aware that the zealousness of the Jews listening to him was not a genuinely righteous zeal, but rather a distorted one.  In essence, Paul confessed the narrative of his life before meeting Jesus in 1 Timothy 1:13, saying, "formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.  But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief."  In unbelief and ignorance, Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor, and an insolent opponent in his past.

 

                Second, the second part of Paul's testimony is ‘The Moment I Met Jesus’ (Acts 22:6-16).

 

The place where Paul encountered Jesus was right near Damascus, where he almost arrived, and there he encountered the resurrected and ascended Jesus on the Damascus road (21:6).  Saul, who had been threatening and breathing murder against the followers of the Way (9:1), was on his way to Damascus to arrest both men and women, binding them and bringing them to Jerusalem, when suddenly "a great light from heaven shone around me" (22:6-7), and he heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"  At that moment, Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" and Jesus replied, "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting" (v. 8).  The voice of the Lord was heard by Saul alone among the people traveling with him (v. 9).  At the moment of hearing this voice, all of Saul's theology collapsed completely.  This moment marked the dramatic turning point where Saul, the persecutor, became a proclaimer willing to risk his life for Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Saul proclaimed, "I received salvation by the glorious Lord on the Damascus road and was called to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth" (Yoo).  In other words, Saul's conversion and calling took place right here on the Damascus road.  Having experienced repentance (conversion) and receiving his mission (commission) from the glorious Lord on the Damascus road, Paul, as he was later known, obeyed the Lord's command with the help of his companions, entering Damascus (vv. 9-11).  There, he met a man named Ananias, "a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there" (v. 12).  This fact, revealed in Paul's testimony, served as a statement that could give credibility to Paul in the eyes of zealous Jews devoted to the law.  The reason is that after meeting Jesus on the Damascus road, Paul encountered Ananias, who was well-spoken-of by all the Jews in Damascus as a devout man according to the law (Park).  Ultimately, Paul's eyes, which had been closed, were immediately opened through Ananias (9:18), and through Ananias, he learned that God had chosen him and intended to fulfill His will through him (v. 14).  In other words, God intended to make Paul a witness for Jesus Christ before all people (v. 15).  After that, Ananias urged Paul not to hesitate any longer, to get up, be baptized, and call on the name of the Lord to wash away his sins (v. 16).  In the end, Paul received forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ and obtained eternal life.

 

Paul meeting Jesus was entirely by the grace of God.  In other words, Paul was someone who had absolutely no qualifications to meet Jesus, but the Lord, in His love, chose him before the foundation of the world and appeared to him on the Damascus road to use him greatly.  It was an amazing act of God's grace to appear to Paul, who was a persecutor, blasphemer, and an insolent opponent, opposing Jesus and His gospel, and persecuting Christians.  The transformation that Jesus brought to Paul is a testament to the incredible grace of God.  Paul, who experienced this grace, confessed in 1 Timothy 1:14, "And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."  Also, consider Paul's confession in 1 Corinthians 15:10 - "...I am what I am by the grace of God."  I hope and pray that this grace upon you, your family, and all your relatives.

 

Third and last, the third part of Paul's testimony is ‘After Meeting Jesus’ (Acts 22:17-21).

 

After meeting the resurrected Jesus on the Damascus road through the grace of God and having his eyes opened by Ananias, Paul's first action was to return to Jerusalem and pray at the temple (v. 17).  This fact contrasts with what the Jews who were now plotting to kill Paul might have been thinking.  The Jews who were planning to kill Paul likely believed the false accusations made by Jews from Asia, claiming that Paul was defiling the holy temple (21:28).  However, Paul was not someone who defiled or despised the temple. Instead, after encountering Jesus on the Damascus road, he underwent a transformation and went into the temple to pray to God (22:17).  While Paul was praying in the Jerusalem temple, he heard the Lord's voice during a trance.  In essence, the Lord's message was a brief directive for Paul to quickly leave Jerusalem and go to the Gentiles as a missionary (vv. 18-21) (Park).  Knowing that the Jews in Jerusalem would not listen to Paul's testimony (v. 18), the Lord intended to send him far away to the Gentiles to testify to the gospel (v. 21).  Interestingly, in today's passage (vv. 19-20), we see Paul's reaction to hearing the Lord's voice.  In other words, Paul recounted to the Lord the things he had done in the past in Jerusalem, such as imprisoning and beating those who believed in the Lord, even approving of and participating in Stephen's death.  From one perspective, Paul seemed to believe that, just as he knew the Jews in Jerusalem well, if he testified about the gospel to them, they would listen.  Therefore, Paul told the Lord that he would proclaim the gospel to the Jews.  However, the Lord twice commanded Paul to go to the Gentiles (vv. 18, 21).  The reason was that the Lord knew the Jews would not listen to Paul's gospel testimony (v. 18).

At times, theories that humans consider right may not align with the will of the Lord.  According to the words of the Lord, the Jews would not respond to Paul's preaching of the gospel (v. 18).  Following such a divine decree, Paul began to minister as an apostle to the Gentiles.  Here, we find a fundamental principle: the preacher, in choosing where to proclaim the gospel, must forsake personal judgment and proceed solely in accordance with the guidance of the Lord (Park).  It is a truly reasonable statement.  To forsake personal judgment and advance according to the guidance of the Lord is necessary.  We might think like Paul: "I know that person very well and am close to them.  If I introduce Jesus to them and preach the gospel, they will surely listen."  Such thoughts can lead to self-satisfaction and pride if the person responds to the gospel and leaves the church according to our expectations.  In other words, it is easy to fall into the trap of pride, thinking that we have achieved something.  However, reality often does not align with our expectations.  The gospel testimony and fruitfulness do not easily come about as we think.  We come to realize that people's hearts do not move as easily as we imagine.  That is, we recognize that without God's help, without the work of the Lord, those born of the flesh cannot receive Jesus as their Savior through the gospel we proclaim.  We need to obediently follow the Lord's words, pray in faith, and exert our efforts in witnessing to the gospel.

 

I personally have a book that I still cannot forget.  The book is ‘My Cup Overflows’ by Yeon-hee Jung, a novel about a fellow believer named Ui-soon Maeng who died during the Korean War on June 25.  The book deals with the suffering of a young man who lived through the tragic era of the Japanese colonial period, a time of hardship and tragedy for our nation.  Born in the late stages of the Japanese colonial era in a relatively prosperous and well-off family in Pyongyang, Ui-soon Maeng was a young man who grew up without much difficulty, except for the pain of national colonization.  Just as he graduated from middle school, his beloved sister's death, news of his brother's sacrifice as a soldier shortly thereafter, and the family's move southward after being duped of all their possessions due to the Communist regime established in the North after liberation, brought about a sudden collapse of their once flourishing life.  Subsequent events, including the sudden death of his mother due to a stroke, the death of his sister for no apparent reason, and the inexplicable journey of his life, continue.  During the Korean War, as he traveled southward, he was misunderstood as a communist spy and imprisoned in a POW camp, adding to the tragic aspects of his life.  Despite having the opportunity to be released after the efforts of some friends following the war, he refused it, considering the place a mission field given by God.  While ministering forcefully in the worst communist POW camp, he collapsed in his late twenties, reciting Psalms 23, "My cup overflows," concluding his life.

 

 

 

Wishing that through my testimony and yours, the gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed, and His name will be exalted.

 

 

James Kim

(Not forgetting that I am not only a convert but also commissioned)