Chapter 22

1“Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense.” Opening statement.

2When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they got even quieter. Then Paul said,

3“I'm a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but raised in this city. I studied under Gamaliel. The best. The best teacher. I was trained very strictly in the law of our ancestors, and I was just as devoted to God as all of you are today. Top student. Ivy League.

4I went after the followers of this movement to the death, arresting men and women and throwing them in prison. I was the worst. I was a total hater. The worst hater.

5The high priest and the whole council can back me up. I even got letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and I went there to bring these people back to Jerusalem in chains to be punished. Ask them. They'll tell you.

6About noon, as I was getting close to 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 are you so mean to me?'

8'Who are you, sir?' I asked. 'I'm Trump of Queens,' he said. 'The one you've been going after.'

9My companions saw the light, but they didn't understand the voice of the one talking to me.

10'What should I do, sir?' I asked. He said, 'Get up and go into Damascus. There you'll be told everything you've been assigned to do.' Assigned. I had an assignment.

11The brightness of that light had blinded me, so my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.

12A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a very religious follower of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. A great guy. Good reputation.

13He stood next to me and said, 'Brother Saul, see again!' And right then I could see him.

14Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors picked you to know what he wants, to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from his own mouth.

15You're going to be his witness to everybody about what you've seen and heard.

16So what are you waiting for? Get up, get baptized, wash your sins away, and call on his name.' Close the deal. Don't wait.

17When I came back to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I went into a trance

18and saw the boss talking to me. 'Hurry,' he said. 'Get out of Jerusalem fast, because the people here won't accept what you say about me.' He knew. He always knows.

19'Sir,' I said, 'these people know I went from synagogue to synagogue throwing in prison and beating the people who believed in you.

20And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being spilled, I was standing right there approving it, holding the coats of the people who were killing him.' I had a bad past. Very bad. Total Never-Trumper.

21Then he said to me, 'Go. I'm sending you far away, to the foreigners.'”

22The crowd listened to Paul until he said that. Then they shouted, “Get rid of him! He's not fit to live!” The word foreigners. That set them off. Very touchy crowd.

23As they were shouting and throwing off their coats and flinging dust into the air,

24the commander ordered Paul taken into the barracks. He ordered him to be flogged and questioned to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. Torture. To get a confession. Unbelievable.

25As 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?” Know your rights. Always know your rights. And always have a lawyer.

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

27The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered.

28Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul said. Born with it. Like money. Old money beats new money. Always.

29Those who were about to question him backed away immediately. The commander himself was scared when he realized he'd put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. Very scared. Lawsuit scared.

30The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to meet. Then he brought Paul and had him stand in front of them. Another hearing. Hearing after hearing.