Issachar_Acts21 - The Visual Bible Explorer Series

Chapter 21 Acts 21

Paul Journeys to Jerusalem (vv. 1-16)

We said good-bye ^a to them and left. After sailing straight across, we came to Cos; ^b the next day we reached Rhodes, ^c and from there we went on to Patara. ^{d 2} There we found a ship that was going to Phoenicia, ^e so we went aboard and sailed away. ³ We came to where we could see Cyprus, ^f and then sailed south of it on to Syria. We went ashore at Tyre, ^g where the ship was going to unload its cargo. ⁴ There we found some believers and stayed with them a week. ^h By the power of the Spirit ⁱ they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. ⁵ But when our time with them was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, together with their wives and children, went with us out of the city to the beach, where we all knelt and prayed. ⁶ Then we said good-bye to one another, and we went on board the ship while they went back home.
⁷ We continued our voyage, sailing from Tyre to Ptolemais, ^j where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. ⁸ On the following day we left and arrived in Caesarea. ^k There we stayed at the house of Philip ^lthe evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen as helpers in Jerusalem. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who proclaimed ^m God’s message. ¹⁰ We had been there for several days when a prophet named Agabus ⁿ arrived from Judea. ¹¹ He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied up his own feet and hands with it, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.”
¹² When we heard this, we ^o and the others there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. ¹³ But he answered, “What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”
¹⁴ We could not convince him, so we gave up and said, “May the Lord’s will be done.”
¹⁵ After spending some time there, we got our things ready and left for Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and took us to the house of the man we were going to stay with – Mnason, ^p from Cyprus, who had been a believer since the early days.

Interesting Stuff:

^a Other versions translate this phrase as ‘after we had torn our- selves away from them’, indicating the depth of feelings that Paul and the elders had for one another.

^b Cos was a small island to the south of Miletus.

^c Rhodes was a port and the capital of a large island of the same name, Rhodes. It was once noted for its great harbour, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world (but it had been demol- ished over two centuries before Paul arrived there).

^d Patara was on the southern coast of Lycia, a province in the southern part of Asia Minor.

^e Phoenicia was a region in Syria which Paul had passed through at least once before (see 15:3). Paul changed ships from a vessel that sailed close to the shore of Asia Minor to a large merchant vessel going directly to Tyre and Phoenicia (see chap 11, note j).

^fSee chap 13, note h.

^g Tyre was a famous Phoenician seaport. A church had been established in Phoenicia, probably in Tyre, through the witness of the Hellenist Christians forced to leave Jerusalem at the time of Stephen’s martyrdom (11:19).

^h These seven days, when added to the 29 days since the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Philippi, would leave them only two weeks to arrive in Jerusalem by Pentecost.

ⁱ The Holy Spirit warned that there would be trials and hardships waiting for Paul at Jerusalem. Because of these warnings, Paul’s brothers urged him not to go on, knowing that trials lay ahead of him. However, Paul felt ‘compelled by the Spirit’ (as translated in other versions) to go (20:22).

^j Ptolemais was another ancient Phoenician seaport south of Tyre. It was one day’s journey from Tyre.

^k See chap 8, note z, and chap 10, note a for further details.

^l Philip was one of the seven men who had been appointed in the early days of the Jerusalem church to take care of the daily distribution of food (6:1-6). He had evangelised in Samaria and the coastal plain of Palestine (8:4-40), after which he apparently settled in Caesarea and had been there for some 20 years.

^m Other versions translate this as ‘prophesied’. His daughters could have been dedicated in a special way to serve the Lord.

ⁿ This is the same prophet who had been in Antioch prophesying about the coming famine in Jerusalem some 15 years earlier (11:27-29).

^o Now Luke, together with those who had travelled with Paul, joined in urging Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

^p Mnason must have been a disciple of some means to be able to accommodate Paul and a group of about nine men travelling with him. Not everyone in the Jerusalem church would have been prepared to have Paul and his company of Gentile converts as house guests during Pentecost.

Questions:

Give a brief account of Paul’s journey till his arrival in Tyre (vv. 1-4).

Describe briefly Paul’s stay in the city of Tyre (vv. 4-6).

2. Relate what happened in the house of Philip the evangelist in Caesarea (vv. 7-15).

Mention the other incident when Agabus made a prophecy that was fulfilled.

Give two meanings of the word ‘prophet’ as used in the book of Acts, giving an example in each case.

3. Where did Paul and his companions go when they left Caesarea (vv. 15-16)?

Summary of Section:

Paul and his friends said goodbye to the elders of Ephesus and sailed off to Cos, then to Rhodes and from there to Patara.
At Patara, they found a ship that was sailing to Phoenicia. They boarded it and sailed off to Tyre in Syria. In Tyre, they found some believers and stayed with them for a week.
The believers told Paul by the power of the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem.
When Paul and his friends left, the believers together with their families, went out of the city to the beach and there knelt down and prayed with them.
They said goodbye and sailed to Ptolemais. There they met some believers and stayed with them for a day.
The next day they left for Caesarea. There they stayed with Philip the evangelist who had four unmarried daughters who proclaimed God’s message.
A prophet named Agabus came from Judea. He took Paul’s belt and tied up his own feet and hands with it. He then prophesied that the owner of the belt would be tied in the same way by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles.
Everyone there including Paul’s friends begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. He, however, told them not to cry like that and break his heart. He said that he was ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.
Since they could not convince him, they gave up and asked that God’s will be done.
After some time, they left for Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with them. They took them to the house of Mnason, a Cypriot who had been a believer since the early days.

Nuggets of Wisdom

Paul’s farewell speech at Miletus marks the end of his missionary work. From there he journeyed to Jeru- salem where he was to be arrested and imprisoned, subjected to various trials and finally sent off to Rome to appear before the emperor.
Some think that Luke seems to describe Paul’s trip to Jerusalem in terms of Jesus’ going up to Jerusalem to die. He seems to sketch out Paul’s journey to Jerusalem in terms that roughly parallel that of Jesus. There was a similar plot by the Jews, a handing over to the Gentiles, prophecies concerning his suffering, arrest and trials and a steadfastness to fulfill God’s will.
This is the third of Luke’s ‘we’ sections. Luke was thus a part of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem.
By this time, the gospel had been around for some 20 years. Philip had gone up to Caesarea (see 8:40) presumably after his evangelistic efforts in Samaria and along the coast of Palestine and then settled there. Now he had a family and four unmarried daughters.
What probably encouraged and strengthened Paul on his journeys was the Christian fellowship which he and his companions experienced in every port. In Tyre, they stayed with the disciples for seven days; in Ptolemais they stayed for a day; in Caesarea, they stayed with Philip and his family; and in Jerusalem they had the fellowship of the Caesarean disciples going with them to stay with Mnason, a believer.

Paul Goes to See James and the Jerusalem Church Elders (vv. 17-26)

¹⁷ When we arrived in Jerusalem, ^q the believers welcomed us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day Paul went with us to see James; ^r and all the church elders were present. ^{s 19} Paul greeted them and gave a complete report ^t of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his work. ²⁰ After hearing him, they all praised God. Then they said to him, “Brother Paul, you can see how many thousands of Jews have become believers, and how devoted they all are to the Law. ²¹ They have been told that you have been teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries to abandon the Law of Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow the Jewish customs. ²² They are sure to hear that you have arrived. What should be done, then? ²³ This is what we want you to do. There are four men here who have taken a vow. ^{u 24} Go along with them and join them in the ceremony of purification ^v and pay their expenses; ^w then they will be able to shave their heads. In this way everyone will know that there is no truth in any of the things that they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in accordance with the Law of Moses. ²⁵ But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent them a letter ^x telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been strangled, and that they must keep themselves from sexual immorality.”
²⁶ So Paul took the men and the next day performed the ceremony of purification with them. Then he went into the Temple and gave notice of how many days it would be until the end of the period of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for each one of them.

Interesting Stuff:

^q They arrived no more than a day or two before Pentecost.

^r See chap 12, note l and chap 15, note f for other details. James was now the resident leader of the Jerusalem church. Sharing with him in the administration of the church was a body of elders, who were also there to meet Paul and his colleagues.

^s Presumably they were also there to receive the collection that Paul had brought from the churches in Macedonia, Asia, Galatia and Achaia. Paul mentioned later in his trial before Governor Felix (see 24:17) that he had come to Jerusalem to take some money to his own people.

^t As on previous occasions, Paul reported back to the church about his missionary work and related in detail how God had blessed his work among the Gentiles.

^u See chap 18, note r. The fact that this involved shaving their heads indicates that this was a Nazirite vow. The ending of their vow would be accompanied by the offering of a sacrifice on their behalf.

^v In some instances, the ceremony included the offering of sacrifices.

^w Paul’s part in paying for them would include: (i) paying part or all of the expenses of the sacrificed animals (ii) going to the Temple to notify the priest when their days of purification would be fulfilled so the priests would be prepared to sacrifice their offerings.

^x This was the decision reached by the Jerusalem Council (15:20-21) to enable the Jewish and Gentile believers to live and fellowship in harmony. Having urged Paul to follow the Jewish Law, the leaders of the Jerusalem church wanted to assure him that they still agreed by the decision sent to the Gentiles that they only had to follow the four conditions laid down for them.

Questions:

What did Paul do when he arrived in Jerusalem (vv. 17-19)?

2. Describe briefly what the elders of the church told Paul (vv. 20-25).

3. What did Paul do in response to their request (v. 26)?

Summary of Section:

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were warmly welcomed by the believers.
The next day, they went to see James and all the church elders were present. Paul greeted them and gave a complete report of everything God had done among the Gentiles through him.
After hearing him, the elders praised God. Then they told Paul that there were thousands of Jews who had become believers and who were devoted to the Law. These people had been told that Paul was teaching Jews living in Gentile countries to abandon the Mosaic Law and not to circumcise their children or to follow the Jewish customs.
The elders said that these Jews would definitely hear of Paul’s presence in Jerusalem.
They thus asked Paul to take four of their men who had taken a vow and accompany them to perform the ceremony of purification and pay their expenses. In that way, he would show these Jews that there was no truth in the rumours and that he was a Law-abiding Jew himself.
With regards to the Gentiles, the elders had already sent a letter telling them to abstain from eating blood, food offered to idols, animals that had been strangled and from sexual immorality.
Paul took the men the next day and performed the ceremony of purification. He went into the Temple and gave notice of the number of days needed until the end of the period of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for each of them.

Nuggets of Wisdom

After verses 17 and 18, the third ‘we’ section of Acts concludes, though Luke may have remained in Palestine for a longer time. Paul is now the focus of the story, particularly in his discussion with the leaders of the Jerusalem church, his arrest in the Temple, and his five speeches of defense at Jerusalem and Caesarea.
James had now assumed the leader- ship of the Jerusalem church and sharing with him in the administration of the church was a body of elders, who were also there to meet Paul and his colleagues. Undoubtedly Paul also presented the collection from the Gentile churches to James and the elders (see 24:17) for that was his chief motive for going to Jerusalem.
James and the elders responded to Paul’s report and the gift from the churches by praising God. Yet they also urged Paul to join with four Jewish Christians who were fulfilling their Nazirite vows and to pay for their required offerings. Thus they were protecting themselves against the accusations of the Jews while at the same time affirming their connection with Paul and his mission. And, as they saw it, they were providing Paul with a way of protecting himself against a slanderous accusation floating about that he was teaching Jews to reject Judaism.
The fact that Paul was being asked to behave in this way did not imply that similar demands would be made on the Gentiles. Their freedom had been established at the meeting described in chapter 15, the Jerusalem Council. James and the elders now reaffirmed the decisions made there to maintain fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers. Having urged Paul to follow their proposed course of action, the leaders of the Jerusalem church went on to assure him that this in no way cancelled their earlier decision to impose nothing further on Gentile converts than the four conditions given for the sake of harmony within the church and in order not to hinder the progress of the Jewish Christian mission.

Paul Is Mobbed in the Temple (vv. 27-36)

²⁷ But just when the seven days ^y were about to come to an end, some Jews from the province of Asia ^z saw Paul in the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul. ²⁸ “Men of Israel!” they shouted. “Help! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone against the people of Israel, the Law of Moses, and this Temple. And now he has even brought some Gentiles into the Temple ^a’ and defiled this holy place!” (²⁹ They said this because they had seen Trophimus ^b’ from Ephesus with Paul in the city, and they thought Paul had taken him into the Temple.)
³⁰ Confusion spread through the whole city, and the people all ran together, grabbed Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. At once the Temple doors were closed. ^{c’ 31} The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander ^d’ of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting. 32 At once the commander took some officers ^e’ and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw him with the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ The commander went over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. ^f’ Then he asked, “Who is this man, and what has he done?” ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing, others something else. There was such confusion that the commander could not find out exactly what had happened, so he ordered his men to take Paul up into the fort. ³⁵ They got as far as the steps with him, and then the soldiers had to carry him because the mob was so wild. ³⁶ They were all coming after him and screaming, “Kill him!”

Interesting Stuff:

^y These were the number of days required for purification, shaving their heads at the altar, the sacrifice of a sin offering and burnt offering for each one of them, and announcing the completion
to the priests (cf. Nu 6:9).

^z Paul’s troubles were caused in the end not by the Jews from Jerusalem but by those from Ephesus in Asia who had probably come to Jerusalem as pilgrims at Pentecost.

^a’ Archaeologists have found inscriptions in both Greek and Latin in the Court of the Gentiles outside the Temple proper that read: ‘No foreigner is to enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his death which follows.’ Even the Roman authorities supported the Jews over this matter and imposed the death penalty for any Gentile, even a Roman citizen, caught going beyond the balustrade or railing.

^b’ Trophimus was a member of Paul’s team that left Ephesus for Jerusalem. See chap 20, note j. Paul probably did not take him into the forbidden area. If he had, they would have attacked Trophimus rather than Paul.

c’ The doors were closed by the Temple police who patrolled the area and stood guard at the gates leading into the sacred inner courts. They did this to prevent the inner courts from being defiled by the tumult and possible bloodshed. The Temple police were Jews themselves, drawn from the ranks of the Levites.

^d’ The Roman fort or barracks was stationed in the Fortress of Antonia (refer to ‘The Temple’, p. xxvi) which Herod the Great had built at the northwest corner of the Temple. It usually consisted of a thousand men. In charge of them was the commander or tribune who was in charge of 1000 soldiers (regiment). The commander at this period of time was Claudius Lysias.
See 23:26 for further details.

^e’ These were the centurions. Most likely at least two were involved, and thus at least 200 soldiers with them.
^f’ Probably Paul’s hands were chained to a soldier on either side.

Questions:

Describe what happened when Paul went into the Temple to perform the ceremony of purification (vv. 27-31).

2. What saved Paul from being killed by the mob (vv. 31-36)?

Summary of Section:

When the seven days were about to end, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul.
They shouted that he was the man who went everywhere teaching everyone against the people of Israel, the Law of Moses and the Temple. They accused him of bringing Gentiles into the Temple and defiling it. This was because earlier they had seen Trophimus, a Gentile, in the city with Paul, and they thought Paul had brought him into the Temple.
Confusion spread through the whole city. The people all ran together, grabbed Paul, dragged him out of the Temple and tried to kill him.
A report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting.
The commander immediately took some officers and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw them, they stopped beating Paul.
The commander had Paul arrested and bound with chains. He then asked the crowd who Paul was and what he had done.
There was such confusion because different people shouted different things. The commander could not find out exactly what had happened, so he ordered Paul to be brought to the fort.
They got as far as the steps and then the soldiers had to carry Paul because the mob was so wild. They came after Paul, screaming, “Kill him!”

Nuggets of Wisdom

The elders’ strategy of having Paul join in the purification ceremony did not prove successful. Probably nothing could have appeased those whose minds were already prejudiced against him. The Jews from Asia who had come to Jerusalem for Pentecost were determined to take more effective action against him than they had at Ephesus. So towards the end of Paul’s seven-day purification, they instigated a riot under the pretense that he had brought a Gentile into the Temple.
It would not take long for news of the disturbance to reach the Roman fort in the city. It was located in the Fortress of Antonia at the northwest section of the Temple and was high enough to enable a constant watch to be kept on disturbances below. It was also connected by two flights of steps to the court of the Gentiles.
The doors closed by the Temple guards were probably the doors separating the inner courts from the court of the Gentiles, rather than the outer doors of the whole Temple complex.

Paul Makes His Defense (21:37-22:21)

³⁷ As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the fort, ^g’ he spoke to the commander: “May I say something to you?”
“You speak Greek, do you?” the commander asked. ³⁸ “Then you are not that Egyptian fellow ^h’ who some time ago started a revolution and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?”
³⁹ Paul answered, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus ^i’ in Cilicia, ^j’ a citizen of an important city. Please let me speak to the people.”
⁴⁰ The commander gave him permission, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand for the people to be silent. When they were quiet, Paul spoke to them in Hebrew: ^k’
“Brothers and fathers, listen to me as I make my defense before you!” ² When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even quieter; and Paul went on:
³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem ^l’ as a student of Gamaliel. ^m’ I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. ⁴ I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. ⁵ The High Priest ^n’ and the whole Council ^o’ can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, ^p’ so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.
⁶ “As I was travelling and coming near Damascus, about midday ^q’ a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ⁸ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,’ he said to me. ⁹ The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ and the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.’ ¹¹ I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
¹² “In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. ¹³ He came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. ¹⁴ He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, ^r’ and to hear him speaking with his own voice. ¹⁵ For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be bap- tised ^s’ and have your sins washed away by praying to him.’
¹⁷ “I went back to Jerusalem, ^t’ and while I was praying in the Temple, I had a vision, ¹⁸ in which I saw the Lord, as he said to me, ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your witness about me.’ ¹⁹ ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when your witness Stephen ^u’ was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.’ ²¹ ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

Interesting Stuff:

^g’ The Fortress of Antonia was connected to the northern end of the Temple by two flights of steps. The tower of the fortress over- looked the Temple area.

^h’ Josephus, a famous Jewish historian, tells of an Egyptian Jew who three years earlier had appeared in Jerusalem claiming to be a prophet. He led a large band of followers into the wilderness and then to the Mount of Olives in preparation for the messianic overthrow of Jerusalem. Roman soldiers killed hundreds of his followers, but the leader escaped.

^i’ See chap 9, note o. Tarsus was an important commercial centre, university city and the crossroads of travel. It was not only a prosperous city but it was one of the great university cities of the Roman world, famous for its learning.

^j’ See chap 6, note r.

^k’ More likely Paul spoke in Aramaic rather than Hebrew since Aramaic was the most commonly used language among the Palestine Jews.

^l’ Paul must have come to Jerusalem at an early age, probably when he was old enough to begin training under Gamaliel.

^m’ See chap 5, note t. Gamaliel was also one of the most honoured rabbis of the first century.

^n’ Caiaphas, the high priest over 20 years earlier, was now dead, and Ananias was high priest (see 23:2). The records of the high priest, however, would show Paul’s testimony to be true.

^o’ This refers to the Sanhedrin.

^p’ See chap 9, note c.

^q’ Paul did not mention this detail in his earlier account (9:1-22).

^r’ To see the resurrected Christ was a life-changing experience for Paul. It was this experience that convinced him of the truth of the gospel and that became the foundation of all that he taught and preached.

^s’ Baptism does not physically wash away our sins but it is the out- ward sign of an inward work of grace, the forgiveness of our sins.

^t’ This refers to the visit described by Paul in 9:26.

^u’ See 7:59-8:1.

Questions:

What did Paul ask the commander as he was being taken into the fort (v. 37)?

2. What was the immediate response of the commander (vv. 37-38)?

3. What was Paul’s reply to him (v. 39)?

4. Summarise briefly Paul’s speech to the crowd (22:1-21).

Summary of Section:

As the soldiers were about to take him into the fort, Paul asked the commander in Greek whether he could say something to him.
The commander thought Paul was the Egyptian that led a revolt sometime ago. Paul told him that he was not. He was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, citizen of an important city.
He then asked for permission to speak to the people. He stood on the steps and motioned for the people to be quiet.
When he started to address them in Hebrew, they became even quieter. He started by telling them that he was a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in Jerusalem as a student under Gamaliel.
He received strict instruction in the Law and was as dedicated to God as they were. He even persecuted to death the people who followed the Way, going all the way to Damascus with the approval of the High Priest and the Council to arrest them.
It was on his way to Damascus that a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around him and blinded him. Jesus spoke to him, asking Paul why he was persecuting him. Jesus then told him to go into Damascus where he would be told everything that God had planned for him.
The men with him saw the light but did not hear the voice. They then led Paul into Damascus because he was blind.
In Damascus, a religious Jew named Ananias came to pray for him and to restore his sight. He then told Paul that the God of their ancestors had chosen him to know God’s will, to see His Righteous Servant Jesus and hear his voice. God had chosen him to be His witness to tell everyone about what he had seen and heard.
Ananias then asked Paul to get up and be baptised and have his sins washed away.
Paul went back to Jerusalem and he had a vision while praying in the Temple. He saw Jesus who told him to hurry and leave Jerusalem because the people there would not accept his witness about Jesus.
Paul told Jesus that the Jews knew he had persecuted those who believe in Jesus before and had even approved of Stephen’s murder. Jesus told Paul, however, that he was sending him far away to the Gentiles.

Nuggets of Wisdom

Luke notes how Paul spoke with great sensitivity and appropriateness before the hostile crowd. His sensi- tivity is seen both in his polite address to his audience as ‘brothers and fathers’ and in his choice of the Aramaic language, which in itself was enough to make the audience more attentive.
This was the second time Luke has given his readers an account of Paul’s conversion. Previously he gave it in his own words but now he gives it in Paul’s words. In each case, the outline is the same but the particular emphasis is well fitted to its context. Here Paul stressed his personal loyalty to his Jewish origins and faith because the angry crowd’s complaint was that he was teaching people everywhere against the Jews, the Law and the Temple.
The threefold pattern of birth, upbring- ing, and training was a conventional way in antiquity of describing a man’s youth. Paul wanted them to know that his Jewishness cannot be disputed and he insisted that with such a background, he was as zealous for all that Judaism stands for as any of those in the crowd before him.
We can see two major points that Paul seemed to emphasise in his defense. One is that he was not only a loyal Jew by birth and education but he was still one now and had not broken away from the God of his ancestors or his ancestral faith. His second point is that those features of his faith that had changed, especially his acknowledgement of Jesus and his Gentile mission were not his own ideas but revealed to him from heaven itself. Indeed nothing but a heavenly intervention could have so completely transformed him from a persecutor to an apostle of the faith.