Paul’s Defenses

In Acts 21 Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and charged with teaching all men everywhere against the temple, the law, and the Jewish people, basically denying the validity of Judaism. Essentially the rest of the book of Acts, the remaining seven chapters, is a chronicle of Paul defending himself from these false charges. In fact, much of the history of Christianity has been taken up with people believing these things about Paul. So we would do well to pay careful attention to the defenses that Paul makes for himself on the way to Rome.

Paul’s first defense is to the crowd in Jerusalem. After he gets permission from the soldiers to address them, he speaks to them in Hebrew. Among the things he tells them is, “I am a Jew… Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today” (22:3). He goes on to tell the story of his encounter on the Damascus road. He describes Ananias as “a devout observer of the law.” It is when he mentions God’s commission to preach to the Gentiles that the crowd goes berserk and calls for his death. They were not upset that he was a bad Jew, but that he was including Gentiles in his ministry.

From there the soldiers decided to bring him before the Sanhedrin to find out about the charges against him. Among the statements he made to this group was, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead” (23:6). Part of his preaching was consistent with the beliefs of the Pharisees, and he wanted them to know that.

As a result of this, some of the Jews (not the Pharisees) formed a plot and took an oath to kill Paul. When the commander found out, he sent Paul ahead to Caesarea to defend himself before Governor Felix. When his accusers arrived there was a trial. The prosecuting attorney, named Tertullus, brought this accusation. “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He… even tried to desecrate the temple” (24:5-6).

Paul responds by claiming that the charges are false. He says, “However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” Here as elsewhere he emphasizes the continuity between Judaism and his teaching. And he denies that he was doing anything wrong in the temple.

Two years later, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and Paul was still in prison. In a trial before Festus, the same charges were brought. But Paul said, “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” Then he made his appeal to Caesar.

A few days later, King Agrippa visited Festus, and Paul was brought to trial before him because Festus was unclear of the charges against him. In Paul’s address to Agrippa he said that the Jews all know that “according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee” (26:5). He reiterates his claim that he is on trial because of his hope in what God had promised through the prophets, i.e. the coming of the Messiah. He goes on to say that his message to both Jews and Gentiles is to “repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (26:20). He makes the claim, “I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen” regarding the Messiah (26:22). Again he emphasizes the continuity of his message with Judaism.

Agrippa and Festus were convinced that he was innocent of any charges, but since he had appealed to Caesar, they put him on a ship to Rome. He experienced a shipwreck and a snake bite on the trip, but he arrived in Rome. Paul was allowed to stay in a house by himself, under Roman guard. But he met with Jewish leaders and reiterated that he had “dome nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors… It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain” (28:17, 20). He went on to try to “convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets” (28:23).

Over and over again in every appearance, Paul continues to emphasize that his message is based on Judaism, the Law of Moses and the promises of the Hebrew scriptures regarding Messiah. It’s hard to imagine while reading these passages that Paul ever imagined himself abandoning Judaism. But rather, he recognized its fulfillment.