Paul asked permission of the Roman commander to speak to the people (v. 39). When the commander had given him permission, Paul addressed the people in the Hebrew dialect. This dialect was Aramaic, the language then spoken in Palestine.
In 22:1 Paul said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, hear my defense which I now make to you.” Paul faced his opponents in a way different from Christ. Christ was a lamb brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep dumb before its shearer for the accomplishment of His redemption, He did not open His mouth when judged by men (Isa. 53:7; Matt. 26:62-63; 27:12, 14). But Paul, a faithful and bold apostle sent by the Lord, needed to make a defense and to exercise his wisdom to save his life from his persecutors so that he might fulfill the course of his ministry. Although he was willing and ready to sacrifice his life for the Lord (20:24; 21:13), he still endeavored to live longer that he might carry out the Lord’s ministry as much as possible.
In 22:3 and 4 Paul went on to say, “I am a man who is a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been trained according to the strictness of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. And I persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering to prisons both men and women.” As we have seen, “this way” denotes the way of the Lord’s full salvation in God’s New Testament economy.
In verse 5 Paul continued by saying that the high priest and all the council of the elders could testify for him. The Greek word for “council” here is presbuterion, presbytery, eldership (of the Sanhedrin), hence the Sanhedrin, the highest court of the Jews composed of the chief priests, elders, lawyers, and scribes.
In 22:6 and 7 Paul says, “Now it came about that as I was journeying and drawing near to Damascus, about midday, suddenly a great light shone out of heaven around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Literally, the Greek word for “great” in verse 6 means considerable. As we have pointed out, the “Me” in verse 7 was a corporate Me, including Jesus the Lord and all His believers, all the members of His Body. From that time he began to see that the Lord Jesus and His believers are one great person, a wonderful “Me.”
Verse 8 continues, “And I answered, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.” Even without knowing the Lord Jesus, Paul called Him Lord. Then the Lord indicated that Paul, by persecuting His followers, who were united to Him through their faith in Him, was actually persecuting Him.
In verse 9 Paul says, “And those who were with me beheld the light, but did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.” To say that they did not hear the voice means that they did not hear in the sense of understanding, as in Mark 4:33 and 1 Corinthians 14:2. They heard the voice (Acts 9:7), but they did not understand it, just as they beheld the light, but beheld no one.
According to verse 10, Paul went on to say, “What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Rise up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you concerning all things which have been appointed for you to do.” Here we see that the Lord would not directly tell Paul right after his conversion what He wanted him to do, for the reason that He needed a member of His Body to initiate him into the identification with His Body.
Acts 22:11 says, “And as I could not see because of the glory of that light, I was led by the hand of those who were with me and came into Damascus.” This was the Lord’s dealing with Paul who, prior to his conversion, considered himself knowledgeable concerning man and God.