Languages

Acts 21:37-22:21 
³⁷As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek?

³⁸Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”

³⁹Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you permit me to speak to the people.”

⁴⁰And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:

^22:1“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

²And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

³“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.

⁴I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

⁵as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

⁶“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.

⁷And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

⁸And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

⁹Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

¹⁰And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’

¹¹And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

¹²“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,

¹³came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.

¹⁴And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;

¹⁵for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.

¹⁶And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

¹⁷“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

¹⁸and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

¹⁹And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.

²⁰And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

²¹And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

I’ve always been envious of people who can speak more than one language. My daughter, Bethany, is fluent in both English and Spanish, having spent several months studying in Spain to help with learning that skill. I tried French for several years in Jr. High and High School only to do very poorly and today I only remember taking the classes but don’t remember any French at all. There are millions of people all over the world who know more than one language and in fact know several. It was completely common in Israel at the time of Paul for the people to know several languages. A person who only knew their own native tongue was probably quite rare. Paul was a prime example of using language to appeal to his audience. When speaking to the Gentiles he would use Greek. When speaking to the Jews he would use Hebrew. That ability opened more than a few doors for him.

Our story for today finds Paul under arrest – again – for causing a riot. Paul didn’t actually cause the riot. The agitating Jews did that. But he stands at the center of the storm. The soldier who has arrested him assumes he is actually Egyptian. All Paul has to do is speak in order for the man to know this is not the case, for Paul speaks fluent Greek. After asking (in Greek) for permission to speak to the people, Paul then addresses the crowd in Hebrew. Because of his fluent Hebrew they give him an ear. This allows him to tell the story of his own conversion. In telling the story he is even bold enough to confess that he was present at the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 7:54ff), watching over the possessions of the stone throwers and giving approval to the event. He holds nothing back.

On three separate occasions we hear the details of Paul’s conversion. What he does is tell his own story and it is a dramatic one. He tells it with honesty and without holding back the details that might prove embarrassing for him. That’s how good witnessing takes place. We simply tell our own story of how God has impacted and transformed our lives. The truth can be quite compelling. Now in Paul’s case, it doesn’t go very well for the Jews want none of it. But what we don’t know is the impact his story has on the individuals in the crowd. Just because the naysayers were loud doesn’t mean everyone agreed with them or that they were even in the majority. We have no way of knowing who was impacted by Paul’s testimony. All we know is that the soldier gave him the opportunity to speak and so he did. What each individual did with that message was between them and God. I think that sometimes the Bible gets a negative spin because of all the violent things that take place. But what we rarely get to hear is how something impacted the individual and the faith is for the individual – not the crowd. Each of us walks with God on our own – in a group. It’s a great dichotomy.

So I may not be fluent in another language. God hasn’t chosen to give me that gift. But I can tell my story when asked and I can be in touch with what God is doing in my life right now so that I can share that too. So I guess that what I’m about today is looking for and pouncing upon the chances that God brings about for me to share Him.