Acts 22:22-29 22And they listened to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Take away from the earth such a person, for it is not proper for him to live!” 23And as they were shouting and ripping off their cloaks and throwing dust into the air, 24the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging in order that he might come to know why they were shouting against him like this. 25But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26When the centurion heard this, after going to the tribune, he said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27So after coming, the tribune said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28The tribune answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29Then immediately, those who were about to examine him withdrew from him, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
This passage marks a significant turning point in the events surrounding Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem. The crowd had been listening to what Paul said. Most of what he said, they could accept. Some of his accounts they could even celebrate. However, their anger grew the further Paul went until it exploded when he said Gentiles in verse 21. Why these Jews were so against non-Jews can be surmised from their response and the historical context. They had become highly nationalistic, perhaps getting tired of Roman domination, which had lasted almost a century, since Pompey conquered the Hasmoneans in 63 B.C. This nationalism would reach a fever pitch in less than ten years after Paul’s arrest. The crowd returned to a mob when they heard Gentile and wanted to kill Paul and get him from the earth. They turned into monsters by throwing their clothes and dirt in the air.
Things were getting out of hand again, so the tribune stepped in and ordered Paul flogged in the barracks. One of the ways Romans punished people was by flogging, which was a cruel and debilitating form of physical abuse. Roman scourging was done by with a leather whip with bits of bone or metal tied at the ends. It could even kill a person or leave the person severely maimed. At this point, the tribune likely did not know what was happening unless he was fluent in Aramaic and had a keen understanding of the fine nuances of legalistic Judaism, both of which were unlikely for a Roman soldier. The best way in his mind was to beat it out of Paul.
Paul’s quick thinking again saved him from severe punishment. Just when the Roman soldiers were about to whip him, he asked a simple question that changed his whole situation. It was illegal for a Roman citizen to be punished in this way. Roman citizenship was a high privilege that afforded people a trial. And then, if found guilty, only certain forms of punishment could be given. If a Roman soldier did whip a citizen, he could be punished himself. The centurion in charge of Paul’s punishment knew Roman law and acted quickly to intervene and stop the situation. The centurion did not just blindly follow orders but was brave enough to go to his superior, the tribune, and confront him with what he had ordered.
The ball was now in the tribune’s court again. He did a quick interrogation of Paul and how he got his Roman citizenship. The tribune was also a citizen, but it cost him a lot of money. No other details about this are given, but there are hints from the historical context that during the reign of Claudius, people could buy their citizenship. Since the tribune was named Claudius Lysias, he may have risen in rank in the military and, at some point, bought his citizenship. To be a tribune took significant dedication, hard work, and recognition by superiors, possibly including the emperor himself. Paul, however, was born a citizen, which would have been an even higher privilege. There has been considerable speculation about how Paul’s family acquired citizenship in Tarsus, but there is no clear evidence of how this occurred. That he was a citizen at this point became crucial for his safety. He must have known the laws of Rome well enough to make his appeal, which set the direction for what happened to him from this point until the end of his life. The tribune was aware of the honor and privilege of citizenship, which was likely rare in the province of Judea. He also knew the danger he himself could be in by arresting Paul without any form of trial. He needed to gather more information about this man. Even though this passage is highly historical and strategic in Luke’s overall narrative, one lesson we can learn is that there is a time and place to use our political situation for our safety and to be a witness to the gospel.