The Freedom of the Truth | Acts 21:27-22:21
Paul's arrest reveals six stages in the way that God's truth sets people free: (1) constrained; (2) confused; (3) coercion; (4) confronted; (5) cleansed; and (6) commissioned. This sermon is part 2 of “Unhindered,” Bryan Craddock’s verse-by-verse sermon series on Acts 21-28.
It’s a familiar plot in police stories. An innocent person is wrongly arrested for a crime that they did not commit. They may have even been set up. So, we love to hear how the truth comes out, justice is upheld, and the innocent person is set free.
You might assume that Jesus had something like that in mind in John 8:31-32. John tells us,
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
But Jesus was not talking to innocent people who needed justice. Just the opposite! The Jews, who were listening to him, insisted that they were innocent and free, but verse 34 tells us,
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
We all have this problem. Without Christ we are slaves to sin. The world says, “Don’t let anyone tell you that your desires are sinful. The way to be free is to follow your heart and make your own truth.” But that game doesn’t work. The guilt is still there. We cannot escape the sense that we are held in bondage.
So, what is Jesus talking about? How does knowing the truth set sinful people like you and me free? We find a helpful account in Acts 21:27-22:21. It’s the story of someone whose freedom is unjustly taken away. But we see just the opposite spiritually! The Apostle Paul’s arrest reveals six stages in the way that God's truth sets people free. As we walk through the passage, I encourage you to consider where you are in this process. We all start at stage 1.
Constrained
When horses are used to pull a carriage, blinders are put on them. This constrains their field of view and helps them ignore distractions that might startle them. As a result, they are easier to control.
Apart from Christ we are all under someone’s control. We don’t wear physical blinders, but our grasp of truth is constrained. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul explains,
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
“God of this world” is one of the ways that Paul refers to Satan. Even in the garden of Eden, where Satan takes the form of a serpent, Genesis 3 recounts how he sought to distort Eve’s understanding of the truth. Once she and Adam succumbed to his temptation, all of us as their descendants became subject to a constrained perception. We view life through a selfish lens and are hindered from seeing the glory of God and of Christ.
How does this constrained view of truth come out in someone’s life? We find an expression of it in Acts 21:27-30. Paul had gone to the temple to present offerings along with four Jewish Christian men after a seven-day period of purification. Then Luke tells us,
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Just like Paul, these Jews are from Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey, but none of their claims about him are true. He did not oppose the Jewish people, the Old Testament Law, or the Temple. He longed for his fellow Jews to be saved (Rom 9:1-5). He believed that the Law was their guardian until the coming of Christ (Gal 3:24). He saw the temple as a foreshadowing of the church as God’s dwelling place on earth through the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16-17; Eph 2:19-22).
But these Jews do not attempt to understand Paul’s teaching. They simply assume the worst about him. They treat him as an enemy. So, when they see him in the temple, they jump to the false conclusion that he has violated the law by bringing in a Gentile.
Many people in the world have a similar bias against Christians today. They do not try to understand our message, and they assume the worst about us. They treat us as enemies. So, how should we respond?
It is tempting to treat them as they treat us—not trying to understand where they are coming from, assuming the worst, and jumping to false conclusions. Many Christians take this approach. They adopt a constrained outlook with the other side as enemies. It may seem Christian, but this response distorts the gospel. Whether they do it intentionally or unwittingly, I cannot say. God knows their hearts. But I suspect that Satan, our true enemy, is pleased either way.
We’ll see in a moment that even after suffering this attack in the temple, Paul does not respond to his accusers in a constrained way. He is unhindered. He knows the truth. He understands that they have been blinded. He feels Christ-like compassion for them and seeks to reason with them. Everyone starts at the stage of being constrained, and the next stage shows that the process of moving forward is not easy.
Confused
We all encounter tangles. It can happen with thread, necklaces, electrical cords, Christmas lights, and even hair. Not my hair, of course! There’s not enough of it for that. But when my daughters were young, I tried to help them brush the tangles out from their long red hair. It never went well. Some tangles just feel hopeless.
That’s the challenge that we face when we move beyond a constrained worldview. We enter a stage of being confused. The world’s competing ideas and philosophies seem like a hopelessly tangled mess. Going back to a constrained outlook seems a lot safer, so that is what many people do.
In Acts 21, the attack on Paul results in confusion, and Luke tells us about one individual who attempts to sort through it. In verses 31-40, he says,
And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, "Away with him!" As 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? Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?" Paul 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." And 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:
Before we read Paul’s response, it is worth getting acquainted with this tribune. Most English translations call him a chief captain or a commander. The Greek term here is chiliarch which simply means that he oversees a thousand men. Romans used the Latin title tribune: the head of the tribe. He might have been a soldier promoted from the rank of centurion, but most tribunes were appointed from Rome’s senatorial class. Later in Acts we will learn that he purchased his citizenship and that his name is Claudius Lysias.
So, this tribune enters the fray and tries to sort out who Paul is and what he has done. But the crowd is in an uproar. Many of them want to kill Paul. The soldiers carry him away, assuming that he is some revolutionary Egyptian. But when he speaks up respectfully in good Greek, the tribune listens. He even permits Paul to address the crowd.
That simple willingness to ask questions and listen is an important step. It does not necessarily simplify matters, but it helps you see the foolishness of a confined worldview. Proverbs 18:17 makes this simple point by saying,
The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
So, don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. Seek the truth! Listen to people. As Christians, we should be willing to patiently and respectfully interact with those who are confused about what is true. We must trust that the Bible can cut through their tangled confusion. Hebrews 4:12 tells us,
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
So, Christian, do you trust God’s word? Are you willing and able to explain it with boldness, gentleness, and patience? It’s not easy. In fact, it is not how Paul started off. That leads us to a third stage at the beginning of Acts 22, a serious departure from the freedom of the truth.
Coercion
Small choices can dramatically shape the course of your life. One of the defining moments for Paul was when he agreed to watch some men’s cloaks. They laid them at his feet as they went to deal with a disciple of Jesus named Stephen. Rather than reasoning through the confusion over Stephen’s claims, they sought to enforce their constrained view by silencing him. They stoned him to death, and Paul was complicit in their coercion.
So, many years later as he addresses the mob who now want to kill him, he confesses where his complicity led him. Acts 22:1-5 tells us that he said,
"Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you." And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: "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. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as 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.
From an early age, Paul was trained to be a zealous Pharisee. But his response to the Way of Jesus went beyond that of his teacher. Acts 5:35-39 tells us that Gamaliel advised the elders of Israel to leave the disciples of Jesus alone in case their movement was genuinely of God. Gamaliel allowed for that possibility, but Paul did not. After watching Stephen’s death, he concluded that the best way to handle confusion is with coercion. So, he took the lead in persecuting Christians.
The power to force people to accept your point of view is tempting. It takes a variety of forms, ranging from yelling and emotional manipulation to physical threats and government legislation. As people ratchet up the pressure, they keep assuring themselves that it’s all for a righteous cause. So, Jews persecuted early Christians. In time, the Roman government would also do so. But after several centuries, we find that people who profess the name of Christ start using the same coercive tactics against Jews and others.
The temptation to exert coercive power continues today, but there are obvious problems with it. First, outward conformity is not the same as personal belief. As the old saying goes, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” People are stubborn. The harder you push the more they resist. In fact, using pressure tactics suggests that your view is not strong enough on its own to persuade anyone.
For Christians, the biggest problem with resorting to pressure tactics is that they contradict the character of Christ’s ministry. In Matthew 11:28-30, he says,
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The truth that sets people free must be communicated in gentleness and humility. But that does not mean that it is weak. It carries a different kind of power that comes out in a fourth stage in the process.
Confronted
When you step out of darkness into the full light of day, the intense brightness is painful and disorienting. It takes a while for your eyes to adjust. But once they do, you see vibrant colors and beauty unlike anything in the shadows.
The experience is similar when you are confronted by the truth, particularly in Paul’s case. In Acts 22:6-11, he describes it by saying,
"As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.' Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And 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.' And 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.
Jesus revealed his glory to Paul, and it was painful. Paul realized that he had chosen the wrong side. He had been opposing God. His whole outlook had to change. So, as he began to see the light spiritually, he stumbled into Damascus as if he was physically blind.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus was unique, but the pain of being confronted by the truth is universal. Jesus described it in John 3:19-20 by saying,
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Jesus claimed to be the Light of the world. His life and teaching exposed both overt immorality and religious hypocrisy. He leads us to see that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). We might not be guilty of the same sins as Paul, but we’ve ignored the heart of God’s commands. We haven’t loved God as he deserves or loved our neighbor as ourselves.
As Jesus said, people do everything that they can to avoid the light. Ultimately, God must intervene in our hearts. Paul describes that experience in 2 Corinthians 4:6, by saying,
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
In his amazing grace, God opens our eyes to see in Christ a beauty unlike anything in the shadows, and that leads to a fifth stage.
Cleansed
Once we have been confronted by the light, we begin to see what we have been walking through. It’s not pretty. Our sins stick to us like mud. We track them everywhere, and they spoil everything. We’ll never find freedom until we’re cleansed.
The Old Testament Law taught that cleansing requires sacrifice. Blood must be shed, but animal sacrifices were never enough. So, Jesus gave his life as the one true sacrifice (Heb 9:13-14). In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul describes his powerful cleansing work by saying,
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
No matter what your background may be, anyone can be saved through faith in Christ. He washes us from the stain of our sin. He sanctifies us, making us holy and sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. He also justifies us, making us righteous in God’s eyes.
Paul probably did not grasp all those ideas immediately after he was blinded on the road to Damascus. But in Acts 22:12-16, he recounts to the mob in Jerusalem the next stage in his journey. He says,
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came 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. 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; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
Paul accepted the truth about Jesus. He called upon his name and expressed his faith by being baptized. He then began to experience the freedom of having his sins washed away. That same opportunity is available to all who believe in Christ.
It’s interesting that seeing Jesus on the road was not enough to bring this about God chose to send Ananias to communicate the gospel to Paul. That leads us to one more stage in finding the freedom of the truth.
Commissioned
When water flows into a space and sits, it becomes stagnant. Unhealthy bacteria begin to grow. It becomes a breeding ground for parasites and mosquitoes that transmit disease.
When someone believes in Christ but keeps the gospel to themselves, something similar happens. They become spiritually stagnant, absorbed in their own feelings and desires. To experience the full freedom of the truth, it must flow through us. We must live as those who are commissioned to serve the Lord and others.
As we just saw in Acts 22:15, Ananias told Paul that he would be a witness, and according to Acts 9:20 he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus. But as Paul stands before the Jewish mob, he jumps ahead to another unique encounter with the Lord. Acts 22:17-20 tells us that he said,
When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And 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.'
His words show how much his heart has changed. He knows from personal experience that the Jews in Jerusalem have a tightly confined view of truth and are willing to coerce others to comply with it. He had already been chased out of Damascus by the Jews there, but he is not bitter or cynical. He wants his countrymen to understand the gospel, and he believes that his testimony of the dramatic change in his life will make a difference. But in verse 21, he says,
And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"
With the zeal that Paul previously had for Judaism, he is the last person you would expect to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. But the Lord commissioned him for this purpose. He spread the gospel through Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia. He had plans to go to Rome and Spain (Rom 15:24). But first, the Lord leads him back to Jerusalem to stand before this mob who wants to kill him. Nevertheless, he still feels the freedom to take this opportunity to explain the truth to them that some might be saved.
You might assume that this mission only applies to church leaders, but every Christian should live this way. Later while he is in prison, Paul writes Philippians 1:27 and says,
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
This healthy focus on serving the Lord and reaching out with the gospel unifies us and helps us overcome our tendency to become self-absorbed. We experience the full freedom of the truth, when we let it flow through us.
__________
We only find the freedom of an unhindered life when we allow the truth of the gospel to lead us through these stages. We must leave behind a spiritually confined view and risk being confused. Rather than coercing others, we must allow ourselves to be confronted with the word of Christ, so that we can be cleansed of our sins and commissioned to serve.
Where do you stand in relation to the truth? If you have never done so, I encourage you to start abiding in Christ’s word. Let it be your guide, leading you to repent and believe in Jesus. That is how he sets us free. If you want to learn more about spiritual freedom, John 8 would be a good chapter to read.
If you’re a believer, are you falling back into a confined or even a coercive outlook? If so, I urge you to repent. Those approaches contradict the joy and freedom of the gospel. We need to share Christ’s word and trust his power to change lives. May the gospel flow through us for the glory of God!
Reflect
Which stages have you experienced in your life? How did God lead you to where you are at now?
How does your outlook differ from Paul’s commissioned mindset? What could you do to change your thinking?
How should an understanding of this process shape our interaction with people who do not yet believe?