seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Acts 22:22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As 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?”
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Check it out.... I'm reading about citizenship on the morning after the huge 4th of July ceremonies all over America! Cool huh! The commentary has a pretty good example of what Paul's Roman Citizenship meant.
With a large sum I obtained this citizenship: Because of all the commotion and the beating Paul had received, he probably looked terrible. The commander wondered how someone who looked like this could purchase his citizenship.
i. “Something of this sort may have been in the tribune’s mind as he said, It cost me a very large sum of money to obtain Roman citizenship — the implication being that the privilege must have become cheap of late if such a sorry-looking figure as Paul could claim it.” (Bruce)
ii. According to Stott, Roman citizenship could not be bought for a fee, only for a bribe. Normally, only right or reward granted it. “The point was not that the tribune doubted Paul’s claim, but rather he was implying that anybody could become a citizen these days!” (Marshall)
c. But I was born a citizen: Paul’s parents (or grandparents) must have been awarded the rights of citizenship for some good done on behalf of Rome.
i. “How the citizenship was acquired by Paul’s father or grandfather we have no means of knowing, but analogy would suggest that it was for valuable services rendered to a Roman general or administrator in the southeastern area of Asia Minor.” (Bruce)
ii. Paul was an extremely rare individual. It was uncommon to find such an educated, intelligent, devout Jew who was also a Roman citizen. God would use this unique background to use Paul in a special way, even as he wants to use your unique background to use you in a special way.
Yesterday, about 100 people became citizens of the United States of America. One of the ladies said it took her five years to learn what was necessary to pass the test. She was so proud. Her friends were so proud. It was quite a day for that woman.... and all the others who love America so much they crave to be citizens. Then, I opened the chapter this morning and Paul's saying "I'm a Roman Citizen". He looked like a Jew. He spoke like a Jew. He knew all those nitpicky Jewish Traditions, just like a good Jew. But he's Roman?!? His parents took the test. He got citizenship through his parents [according to the commentary]. He was born that way.
The commander, on the flip side, had to bribe his way to Roman Citizenship. Paul was born into the citizenship.
There were laws concerning what a Roman Citizen should have to tolerate. The commander had to back off.... just because Paul's parents won their citizenship. Paul was born a Roman.... but he looked and talked like a Jew. I wonder if the commander sneered when he told Paul about the bribe he paid to buy citizenship.
I wonder if Paul smiled when he uttered those words.
"I was born a citizen."
