A Tale of Two Citizens Text: Acts 22:22-29
Introduction: The Sound of the Mob
We come now to a scene of raw, unadulterated human fury. Paul has just finished giving his testimony on the steps of the Antonia Fortress. He has been reasonable, respectful, and has spoken to them in their own language. He has recounted his impeccable credentials as a zealous Jew, trained at the feet of Gamaliel. And they listen, right up to the point where he mentions the word that detonates their entire worldview. That word is "Gentiles."
The moment Paul says that God sent him to the Gentiles, the crowd erupts. This is not a theological debate. This is the sound of a mob. It is the sound of a worldview having a seizure. When the foundational lies of a culture are exposed to the light of the gospel, the reaction is never polite disagreement. It is rage. It is a shrieking, garment-rending, dust-throwing tantrum. They want him dead, not because he has broken a law, but because he has spoken a truth they cannot bear to hear: that God's grace is not their exclusive tribal possession.
In this chaotic scene, we see a clash of three kingdoms. First, there is the kingdom of the mob, which is the kingdom of Satan. It is fueled by envy, pride, and murderous rage. It is irrational and incoherent. Second, there is the kingdom of Rome. It is pragmatic, powerful, and largely clueless about the spiritual realities in front of it. It seeks to maintain order through coercion and brute force. And third, we see the representative of the kingdom of God. Paul is calm, strategic, and unafraid. He knows his ultimate citizenship is in heaven, and this gives him the remarkable presence of mind to leverage his earthly citizenship for the sake of the gospel. This passage is a master class in Christian engagement with a hostile world.
The Text
And they were listening to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”
And as they were crying out and throwing off their garments and tossing dust into the air,
the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by flogging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way.
But when they stretched him out with leather straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”
And when the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported to him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.”
And the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.”
And the commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I have been born a citizen.”
Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
(Acts 22:22-29 LSB)
The World's Solution: Beat It Out of Him (vv. 22-24)
The reaction of the crowd is instructive. Their theology was so brittle, so based on racial pride, that the mere suggestion of God's grace extending to non-Jews on equal terms was enough to provoke a homicidal riot.
"Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!" (Acts 22:22)
This is the cry of every Christ-hating mob in history. It is what they yelled about Jesus Himself. When you cannot refute the message, you seek to eliminate the messenger. The throwing of garments and dust into the air was a piece of street theater, a display of impotent fury. It was a formal, public act of renouncing any association with Paul and his message.
Now, the Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, is in a bind. He has a full-blown riot on his hands, and he doesn't speak the language. He doesn't understand the theological nuances of covenant and grace. He just sees a problem that needs to be solved. And like all pagan, statist powers, his go-to solution is violence. He orders Paul to be examined by flogging. The word here refers to the flagrum, a horrific whip designed to tear flesh from bone. His logic is simple: if we beat this man nearly to death, he will tell us what he did to make the crowd so angry. This is the world's method of inquiry. It is not interested in truth; it is interested in a confession that restores order. Worldly power believes that truth is something you can extract with pain.
The Shield of Law (vv. 25-27)
Just as they are strapping him down, Paul demonstrates what it means to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. He doesn't panic. He doesn't plead for mercy. He appeals to the law.
"Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?" (Acts 22:25 LSB)
Notice the precision. He asks a legal question. He is not appealing to their compassion, but to their own rulebook. This is a crucial lesson for Christians. We are not to be pietistic doormats. God has established civil authorities and laws, and even in a pagan empire, these structures are a form of common grace that can be used to restrain evil and create space for the gospel. To be a Roman citizen was to have a set of legal protections, the most important of which was the right to a trial before any punishment could be administered. To flog an uncondemned citizen was a grave offense against the majesty of Rome.
The effect is immediate. The centurion, a mid-level officer, understands the gravity of the situation. He stops everything and runs to his commander. The commander comes down personally. The whole machinery of Roman power grinds to a halt because of one man's calm assertion of his rights. Paul is not being difficult; he is being a faithful steward. He has a mission to get to Rome, and being flogged to death in a Jerusalem barracks is not part of God's plan. So he uses the tools God has given him, in this case, his earthly citizenship.
Born vs. Bought (v. 28)
This brings us to the central contrast of the passage, a contrast that is dripping with theological significance.
"And the commander answered, 'I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.' And Paul said, 'But I have been born a citizen.'" (Acts 22:28 LSB)
The commander, Claudius Lysias, reveals that his citizenship was a commodity. He bought it. It was likely a reward for military service or a straight-up purchase, which was common during the reign of Claudius. It was something external, an acquisition. It was transactional.
Paul's response is a quiet thunderclap: "But I have been born a citizen." Paul was from Tarsus, a free city, and his father was a citizen before him. His citizenship was not something he earned or purchased; it was his by birthright. It was inherent to his identity. He didn't have to do anything to get it; he simply was one.
The spiritual parallel here is too bright to miss. This is the difference between every man-made religion and the gospel of grace. Every other religion is an attempt to become what Claudius Lysias was: a purchased citizen. It is an attempt to acquire right standing with God through good works, through rituals, through moral effort, through paying a large sum. It is a transactional relationship. "I do this, and God will owe me that."
But the gospel is what Paul was: a citizen by birth. We cannot buy our way into the kingdom of heaven. We cannot earn it. We must be born into it. "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Our citizenship in heaven is not an acquisition; it is an inheritance. It is not a wage we have earned, but a gift we have received. We are not citizens because of what we have done for God, but because of what He has done for us in Christ, making us new creations and adopting us as sons. Our status is by birthright, sealed by the blood of Christ.
The Fear of Man Gives Way (v. 29)
The result of Paul's revelation is a complete reversal of the power dynamic. The ones who held the whips are now the ones who are afraid.
"Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately withdrew from him; and the commander also was afraid when he learned that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him." (Acts 22:29 LSB)
The commander is afraid not only because he almost illegally flogged a Roman, but because he had already illegally bound him. The law was clear. A citizen could not be bound before a trial. The commander, in his haste to control the chaos, had overstepped his authority. And now he was accountable.
This is what happens when Christians, with courage and wisdom, hold earthly powers accountable to their own laws and standards. The fear of man is a snare, but when we fear God, we are freed from the fear of men. Paul's ultimate citizenship was in heaven, and that gave him the courage to wisely and lawfully assert his rights as a citizen of Rome. He knew that Claudius Lysias was not his ultimate judge. He knew that the mob was not in control. He knew that God was sovereign over the entire chaotic affair.
Conclusion: Ambassadors with Dual Citizenship
What are we to take from this? We, like Paul, are citizens of two kingdoms. Our primary citizenship, our birthright, is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). We are citizens of a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This is the source of our identity, our security, and our courage. We are not defined by our earthly nationality, our political party, or our social status. We are defined by our birth in Christ.
But this heavenly citizenship does not erase our earthly one. We are still citizens of America, or Canada, or Brazil. And we are to be the best citizens possible. This means obeying the laws, paying our taxes, and praying for our leaders. But it also means, like Paul, being wise stewards of the rights and responsibilities that come with that citizenship. It means using the rule of law, the freedom of speech, and the right to assemble, not for our own selfish ends, but as a shield to protect the church and as a platform to advance the gospel.
We do not retreat from the public square. We do not surrender our rights out of a false piety. We engage. We speak. We build. We appeal to the law when necessary. We do all this with the calm confidence of men and women who know that our true passport is from a higher authority, and that we are ambassadors for a King who has already won the war. The earthly commander may have bought his citizenship with a great sum, but ours was bought with a greater one: the precious blood of Christ. And because we were born from above, we have nothing on earth to fear.