Acts 22:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And 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;

NIV: Then he said: 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.

NASB: And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from His mouth.

CSB: And he said, 'The God of our ancestors has appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the words from his mouth,

NLT: Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.

KJV: And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

NKJV: Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth.

Paul is in Jerusalem with representatives from the churches around the Aegean Sea. They have brought financial support for the church in Jerusalem (Acts 20:4; Romans 15:26). One of these representatives is a Gentile from Ephesus named Trophimus. Jews from the territory around Ephesus saw Paul and Trophimus in the city and later saw Paul in the temple. They assumed Paul had brought the Gentile into the temple, so they attacked him (Acts 21:27–36). He didn't commit that error, but Paul wants to explain why he traveled with a Gentile. To do so, he recounts his conversion experience and the murder plot that led him to take Jesus' story to the Gentiles.

On his way to arrest Jewish Jesus-followers in Damascus, Paul met Jesus in a literally blinding light. Jesus gave Paul instructions to go to Damascus where he would be told what to do (Acts 9:3–12). Meanwhile, Jesus spoke to a disciple named Ananias in a vision and told him about Paul. Ananias already knew that Paul had violently persecuted the believers in Jerusalem and intended to do the same in Damascus. Jesus reassured Ananias that Paul would come to faith in Him; take His message of salvation to Jews, Gentiles, and kings; and suffer while doing so. Reassured, Ananias agreed to meet with Paul, lead him to Christ, and restore his sight (Acts 9:10–19).

Paul saw and heard the "Righteous One" when he saw Jesus in the blinding light and heard Him speak. Paul's companions saw the light and heard a noise but didn't clearly see or hear Jesus (Acts 9:7; 22:9). God intended the message only for Paul.

The words "God of our fathers" that Paul puts into Ananias' mouth are a bit confusing. He has already described Ananias as "a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived" in Damascus (Acts 22:12). This language suggests Ananias is a Gentile who follows the Jewish law but has not fully converted to the point of circumcision. In the narrative of Acts 9:10–19, Ananias is not recorded as having said these words. It's likely Paul is giving the Sanhedrin a summary of what he witnessed, using phrases which specifically stresses that the God of the Jews sent Jesus, the Righteous One.

Acts 22:6–16 continues Paul's defense against accusations that he both breaks the Mosaic law and associates with Gentiles. He has described his early life training to be a Pharisee and persecuting the church (Acts 22:3–5). Now, he explains how he came to follow Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. His accusers show polite interest in his story until he arrives at the point in the narrative where Jesus tells him to give Gentiles the way of salvation. Paul's conversion experience is also recorded in Acts 9:1–19 and reiterated in Acts 26:12–18.

In Acts 22, a young Roman military officer realizes he cannot control Jews who do not wish to be controlled. He has just rescued Paul from a crowd that largely doesn't know why they want to kill Paul. In hopes of gathering information, the tribune allows Paul to speak to the crowd. The crowd listens only briefly, then explodes again. The tribune tries flogging but is foiled by Paul's Roman citizenship. Finally, the tribune schedules a meeting with the Sanhedrin. It does not go well (Acts 23:1–10).

Paul came to Jerusalem to tell the church of his ministry's success with Gentiles. The leaders are more worried about a rumor that Paul no longer respects the Jewish law. Paul agrees to perform a very Jewish ritual, but in the process is falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob assaults him, and the Roman tribune arrests him (Acts 21:17–36). The tribune tries to uncover the truth by letting Paul speak to the crowd, then almost flogging him (Acts 21:37—22). Next, he will bring Paul to the Sanhedrin, to no avail (Acts 23:1–10).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.