“May I speak to you?" and then "to the people?”

Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people." So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
Acts 21:37-40

These few verses have quite a “back story.”  It is more historical than spiritual, but if you will indulge me, let me relay a bit of it.

Paul was being led into the jail, not merely for his incarceration but for his protection from the mob.  Paul asked the commander, “May I speak to you?”  Paul, a highly educated man, was speaking excellent Greek, which surprised the man in charge.  He thought Paul may have been a Jewish Egyptian, and a criminal who had led a revolt some time earlier.

Who was this rebel that the commander supposed Paul may have been?  According to the historian Josephus, there had been a Jewish Egyptian who claimed to be a prophet and led a band of 30,000 people from the desert to the Mount of Olives.  He claimed that at his word the walls of Jerusalem would fall and the Roman forces occupying Israel would be overthrown.  Using military force, the Roman governor at that time squashed the ill-fated uprising, killing many Jews and arresting many others. The Egyptian leader of the rebellion, along with some of his devotees, escaped.

The commander mistakenly thought Paul may have been that man.  Once the commander realized Paul was not that man, he was curious to learn who Paul was and where he was from.  Paul’s proper Greek fueled  the commander’s curiosity.

Let me interject at this point of the story that people claiming to be political “deliverers” were not uncommon.  Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 about “wars and rumors of wars… many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” 

Paul identified himself simply saying, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city [in that day Tarsus was considered as important as Athens]; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people."  Why did Paul want to speak to the mob that moments earlier wanted to kill him?  Because like his Savior, Paul was concerned for the lost—especially lost Jews!  This causes me to wonder if it had been me, would I be more interested in saving myself, or for the salvation of the lost who want to kill me?  Something to consider.

The commander gave Paul permission to speak.  Switching from Greek to Hebrew Paul addressed the mob.  We’ll consider what he said to them in chapter 22, next time.