22:22
These last words from Paul, about going to the Gentiles, enraged the crowds. The crowd had a vehement hatred of the Gentiles, considering themselves better than the Gentiles, and so they hated Paul because he was taking God’s message to the Gentiles. There is something very important that we need to note, and that is that Paul’s message was one of repentance. He went to the Gentiles not to say “you are doing OK and God loves you”, but to call them to repentance because God loves them. This is a crucial difference.
22:23-25
The Roman commander wanted to avoid any trouble, so he had Paul taken away as he was stirring up trouble. Also, he did not understand why the crowd were so incensed at Paul. So he ordered Paul to be flogged. The Romans seemed to flog people at the drop of a hat. Just as they were getting ready to flog him Paul reminded them that he was a Roman citizen. This put a whole different complexion on the matter, for a Roman citizen could not mistreated lightly.
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