Acts 22:1-21
Paul Tells His Story
1“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”
2When they heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then Paul declared,
3“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
4I persecuted this Way even to the death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,
5as the high priest and the whole Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
6About noon as I was approaching Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
7I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
8‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.
9My companions saw the light, but they could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
10Then I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ ‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There you will be told all that you have been appointed to do.’
11Because the brilliance of the light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.
12There a man named Ananias, a devout observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there,
13came and stood beside me. ‘Brother Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could see him.
14Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear His voice.
15You will be His witness to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’
17Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
18and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your testimony about Me.’
19‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
20And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’
21Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Paul addresses the crowd in Hebrew and begins with shared ground: he is a Jew, was raised in Jerusalem, studied under Gamaliel, and once persecuted the Way. Then he tells how Jesus met him on the road to Damascus.
What should I do, Lord?
Ananias helps Paul receive his sight and tells him that God has appointed him to know his will and be a witness. Paul explains that the Lord later sent him far away to the Gentiles. His testimony includes both his shameful past and God's purpose for his future.
Paul addresses the crowd in Hebrew, and the people become even quieter. He tells them he is a Jew born in Tarsus and brought up in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. He was zealous for God and persecuted followers of the Way, imprisoning and beating men and women with the authority of the chief priests.
He describes traveling to Damascus with letters authorizing arrests. At midday a great light from heaven shines around him, and Jesus of Nazareth asks why Paul is persecuting him. Paul is led into Damascus because the glory of the light has made him blind. Ananias, a devout man respected by the Jews, comes to him and says the God of their fathers has chosen Paul to know his will, see the Righteous One, and hear words from his mouth.
Ananias tells Paul to be baptized and wash away his sins, calling on Jesus' name. When Paul later returns to Jerusalem and prays in the temple, Jesus tells him to leave because his testimony will not be accepted there. Paul protests that people know how violently he persecuted believers, including Stephen, but Jesus sends him far away to the Gentiles. Paul's story is therefore both confession and commission: grace has not erased the past, but it has given the former persecutor a new assignment.
Questions
1 Where was Paul educated?
AnswerHe was educated at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem.
2 What had Paul done to followers of the Way?
AnswerHe had persecuted them, imprisoned them, and sought to punish them.
3 What happened on the road to Damascus?
AnswerA bright light shone, and Jesus spoke to Paul.
4 To whom was Paul sent?
AnswerThe Lord sent him far away to the Gentiles.
What This Means for Us
A testimony is not a polished image. Paul tells the truth about who he was and how Jesus redirected him. We can speak honestly about God's grace without making our past the center of the story.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for meeting people in their confusion and sin. Help us tell the truth about your mercy with humility and hope. Amen.