Acts 22:22-30 Paul’s Roman Citizenship
“And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
“When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”
And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
The Sanhedrin Divided
The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.”
Paul tells the truth, only to have the mob rise up screaming for his blood again. Now the mob is tearing their clothes, throwing dust in the air, and generally going crazy. The Roman soldiers drag Paul back into the barracks for further questioning. The soldiers are binding Paul with thongs when he quietly asks them, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
“When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.”
And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
Once more, Paul’s Roman citizenship saves him from being abused. Evidently, the commander is from some outlying province and has had to purchase his Roman citizenship at great cost while Paul has been borne a citizen. The commander does keep Paul bound in some fashion and arranges for the Sanhedrin to meet Paul on the following day.
How much is citizenship worth? When my husband’s US passport was stolen as we came through the airport in Accra in 1992, a US passport would then fetch $10,000 on the black market. Getting passports and renewing passports can be tricky and time-consuming. But there’s one form of citizenship open to all of us: through the sacrifices Jesus Christ has made for us on the cross at Calvary, we can all become citizens of heaven if we will turn away from our sins, confess them, and believe in Jesus Christ.
No matter what country issues a passport, that document will still have to be renewed at intervals. But when we become citizens of heaven, we don’t need to worry. As long as we are faithful to follow Jesus, our citizenship is secure. God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us, and we can trust God’s promises.
May God help all who read these words to accept God’s free gift of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ and to become citizens of heaven.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and that nothing we can do is good enough to make up for our sins or to earn our way into heaven. Please forgive our sins. Thank You for sending Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that his blood sacrifice cancels out all our wrong-doing. Thank You that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can become citizens of heaven. We accept Your promise and ask You to help us to be faithful to You for the rest of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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