The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. Acts 22:24
That the Romans were barbaric is unquestioned. To cut to the chase, to answer why the Jews so vehemently reacted to Paul’s speech, the commander decided to string him up or spread him out on the ground and “examine him by scourging.” This time he would not receive spastic punches from a Jewish mob, 39 lashes, or blows from rods, but flagellation with the same tool of torture used on Christ. You would think that a simple strong-armed interrogation would be in order, away from the jeering crowd, but this was the Roman way.
With arms stretched tight with leather thongs and his already tenderized flesh taunt and vulnerable, Paul finally played the ace up his sleeve, questioning the presiding centurion if it was lawful to scourge an uncharged Roman citizen. This came as a shock to the officer and he reported back to the commander who immediately questioned Paul as to the legitimacy of his claim, because the commander himself had bought his citizenship with a large sum of money. But it was true, in God’s sovereignty, Paul was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus, and they released him in the nick of time so that the commander would not be charged with violating the rights of a citizen.
But it did not get any better for Paul, as he was released to face a council of his accusers, the Sanhedrin. As we will see as this drama progresses, our “salvation” can seem to be incumbent upon our use of our wits and the shrewd employment of any means by which to gain an advantage, “yet without sin.” But the truth is, our extrication from the strong arm of evil and death is only possible by the power and forethought of God. Paul used his Roman citizenship, his past prestigious positions, and the predictable involuntary reactions of the Jews to words like “Gentiles” and “resurrection” to his advantage, all of which were teed up by God’s hand. We remember Jesus was also “coy” with Pilate in a way, being ridiculously superior in terms of wisdom, logic, knowledge, and power.
While it appeared that Paul was desperate, with his background and intellect, you’d expect such tactics. He was in character, but not in violation of the constraints of righteousness. Remember, he had been unmercifully accused and beaten, threatened with brutal scourging, and later struck in the mouth at the instruction of the high priest. Let’s not criticize the use of our God-given resources “to be shrewd as serpents.” (Matthew 10:16) Only Jesus was to be the Silent Lamb led to slaughter in order to complete his mission to save us all.
Paul was not only tapped on the shoulder to share this truth to the ends of the earth by any means afforded to him by his Lord and Master, but to be shown by the Lord “how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:16) About this calling Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23:
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
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