The Tribune, a kind of Roman military officer, seemed to be surprised at the way Paul spoke to him in Greek, which went against his assumptions that Paul was the leader of a recent Jewish terrorist group.
Paul clarifies that he is from Tarsus, often referred to during this time as "no obscure city" because of its commercial and educational importance. Because of this it seems, the Tribune allows Paul to speak with the assembled crowd to plead his case. (v.37-40)
Paul spoke to the gathered crowd in the language they were familiar with, likely to establish common ground with them as a Jew. He continued to establish common ground by explaining that he was brought up in Jerusalem, educated strictly by Gamaliel, the most revered rabbi of this time period, and has been as zealous for God as all those in the crowd. Paul even went so far as to deliver Christians for imprisonment and punishment. Paul was essentially saying here, "I've been in your shoes and I understand what you're feeling." (22:1-5)
Paul then shares the event that changed his entire life and perspective. He encountered Jesus after his resurrection, and even those with him experienced some of this miraculous event. And Paul's experience was not just of a miraculous event, but of a person. Jesus said that Paul was persecuting him, implying that Jesus is so closely connected to believers that he in some way experiences the pain they do. (v.6-9)
Following Jesus' instructions, Paul went to Damascus, where he met a well respected Jew named Ananias who miraculously healed his sight and confirmed the truth of who Jesus is and what he had called Paul to do with his life. (v.10-16) The fact that Ananias was so devout would have again built credibility for Paul in the eyes of the aggressively nationalistic mob he faced.
Later in Paul's story he is in Jerusalem, praying in the temple, when he receives a vision from God telling him to run from the city. Paul initially seems to resist this instruction to run, reasoning that the Jews will remember how zealously he had been "on their side" persecuting Christians. But there was another reason God was sending him away, which Paul delays mentioning until this point: God was sending him to minister to Gentiles. (v.17-21)
Paul had to have known that telling these rabidly nationalistic Jews about God's compassionate will toward non-Jews would set them off, which is likely why he spent the time he did establishing common ground and credibility with them before this point. But in the end, no amount of common ground would be enough for this mob to see past their prejudice. They still wanted Paul dead as much as they did before once they heard about his mission to the Gentiles. (v.22)
Previously, I compared the emotionally driven dynamic of Paul's circumstances with this mob to conversations we might attempt to have today with people who disagree with us on a given topic. I made the observation that it's often especially hard for us geeks to talk with people who disagree with us, without getting angry ourselves.
I think in these verses, Paul gives a great structural model for talking with others who might disagree with us, especially when it comes to our belief in Jesus. Take a quick scan of this passage again and then consider how we can copy Paul's approach when talking to others about our beliefs.
Common ground can be vital in establishing a good environment for exchanging ideas. By starting with and dwelling for awhile on what we have in common with others, we can help to disarm some of those bombs that are waiting to go off.
Next, we can talk about what it was in our experience that changed our thinking on one more points of belief. Personal experiences are valuable for people to hear about. They aren't an objective proof for our beliefs, but they do help remind those we're talking to that we don't always have it all figured out and that we're on a journey of discovery just like everyone else.
But finally, we should always adhere to the truth, never manipulating those we talk to by just telling them what they want to hear or what they will not find offensive. However delicately we try to present it, we must not neglect to share the truth. Even though this means there will be some conversations that end badly for us, just as this one did for Paul.
The geeks I've interacted with over the years are some of the most intelligent, thoughtful people I've ever met. But we tend to be weak in the area of social interaction. For whatever reason, many of us have run away from it, letting the social muscle atrophy. Or we run straight over each other, oblivious to the feelings of those we interact with.
The mind of the geek is a wonderful tool that God can use to change lives. My hope is that passages like this one, and a willingness to just get out there and "practice" being social, can help train our tongues so that our minds can be put to good use for God's amazing, eternal purposes.
Next- Paul talks to the religious leaders
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