As Roman soldiers were escorting the shackled Paul to the barracks, he courteously inquired of the tribune whether he might be permitted a word. His fluent Greek made the tribune realize his mistake; he had mistaken Paul for a fugitive Egyptian who had previously incited the Assassins to rebel against the Romans in Jerusalem. Paul clarified that he was not this Egyptian but rather a Jew from the distinguished city of Tarsus in Cilicia. He then requested to address the incensed crowd. The tribune agreed, and Paul started speaking to the people in Aramaic.
Paul’s purpose in addressing the people was to convey his transformation by God from a misguided zeal for the law to an enlightened passion for Christ. He recounted his education under the distinguished teacher Gamaliel, emphasizing his strict adherence to the ancestral law and the elders’ traditions. This exacting instruction and conduct drove Paul to a fervent observance of the law, to the extent of persecuting Christians to death, believing they had forsaken the one true God and His commandments.
Paul’s fervent desire to imprison Christians brought him to Damascus, sanctioned by the Sanhedrin’s authority. Nearing Damascus, he experienced a transformative divine event where a dazzling theophanic light knocked him down and blinded him. During this event, it was disclosed to him that in persecuting Christians, he was, in fact, persecuting Jesus Himself. Paul alone could comprehend the voice emanating from the radiant light. Upon inquiring about his next steps, he was instructed to rise and proceed into Damascus for additional guidance.
In Damascus, a law-abiding Jewish Christian named Ananias was divinely directed to Paul to heal his blindness and affirm that God had preordained these events: to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear His voice. This encounter with the resurrected Jesus was purposed by God to enlighten and convert Paul so he could then proclaim the gospel to all. The time had come to embark on this mission, and thus Ananias urged Paul to rise and be baptized, invoking Jesus’ name, symbolically cleansing his sins in the baptismal waters as an outward sign of the inner change God had effected in his heart!
You can listen to this teaching on Acts 21:37-22:16 by clicking on the following link: Transformed By The Light
