Daily Scripture Reading Acts 22:6-29
The word “Lord” appears frequently in the Bible and today many Christians often refer to Jesus as Lord. Unfortunately, many Christians miss the impact of the Biblical meaning of the word Lord.
In the Old Testament, God’s name is often translated as Lord; thus, when Christians refer to Jesus as Lord, many times they are simply using the word Lord as a name for Jesus. Also, the usage of the word Lord in the Bible gives many Christians the mindset that the word Lord is a synonym for the word God. Thus, when they talk about the Lord, they are simply referring to God.
In today’s passage, we will see two statements where Paul referred to Jesus as Lord. This passage helps us understand the Biblical concept of Lord so that we can accurately apply the word Lord in our lives.
In the first 5 verses of Acts 22, Paul started telling his life story. He was a Jew from Tarsus, but had been raised in Jerusalem and learned the Law from Gamaliel. As a young man, Paul persecuted the church and received letters to go to Damascus in order to arrest those who followed Jesus.
Acts 22:6 ¶ “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,
Acts 22:7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
Acts 22:8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’
Note the word “Lord”. The word “Lord” is a translation of the Greek word “kurios” which means master or owner. Right away, Paul recognized that Jesus was more powerful than himself and was his master.
Many Christians today miss the impact of the word “Lord”. In modern times the word “Lord” is often used as a synonym for God or as God’s name. When Christians call Jesus Lord, their mental image is Jesus is God.
Biblically, God and Lord are two different concepts. God is the idea that there is a living being out there somewhere who transcends life on earth. A lord is someone who has authority and must be obeyed. It is possible to believe in God without believing God is Lord, or without making God Lord of your life.
A repeated theme in the New Testament is that Jesus is both God and Lord. The word Lord is not a name and it is not a synonym for God. Instead, the word Lord captures the idea that Jesus is our master and must be obeyed. In order to be saved, Jesus must be both God and master.
Acts 22:9 And those who were with me beheld the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
Acts 22:10 And I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been determined for you to do.’
Once again Paul acknowledged Jesus as his Lord. Furthermore, Paul asked what he should do. Paul did not seek an emotional connection with Jesus. He asked for direction.
Modern society is so focused on feelings and emotions that many Christians think the point of Christianity is to have an emotional connection with Jesus. However, Jesus is Lord. He is our Master. We should go to the Bible seeking to obey Jesus, not to have feelings for Him.
Acts 22:11 But since I could not see because of the glory of that light, being led by the hand by those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
Acts 22:12 ¶ “Now a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
Acts 22:13 came to me, and standing near, said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that very hour I regained my sight and saw him.
Acts 22:14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from His mouth.
Don’t miss the word “appointed”. Paul did not choose Jesus. God chose Paul to serve Jesus.
There is an ongoing debate in Christianity over whether people are elected by God for salvation or whether man has free will to choose to follow Jesus. In the case of Paul, God had chosen Paul and intervened in a miraculous way to bring Paul to salvation. That doesn’t mean people are not free to choose, but it does mean sometimes God appoints people to become His servants.
Acts 22:15 For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:16 Now why do you delay? Rise up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
As we have seen multiple times in the book of Acts, baptism happened immediately, not weeks or months later as often happens today.
Acts 22:17 ¶ “Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance,
Acts 22:18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your witness about Me.’
Acts 22:19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.
Acts 22:20 And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and guarding the garments of those who were slaying him.’
Acts 22:21 And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Notice the word “Gentiles”. There are multiple verses in the book of Acts that refer to Paul being a witness to the Gentiles. When Paul traveled to new cities, he often started by preaching in the local synagogue, but he also spent much time preaching to Gentiles. His primary mission was to proclaim Jesus to non-Jews.
Acts 22:22 ¶ 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!”
The mention of the Gentiles is what caused them to stop listening.
Acts 22:23 And as they were crying out and throwing off their garments and tossing dust into the air,
Acts 22:24 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.
Acts 22:25 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?”
The answer to the question was no, it was not lawful.
Acts 22:26 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.”
Acts 22:27 And the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.”
Acts 22:28 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 22:29 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.
As a Roman citizen, Paul had certain rights and the commander had violated his rights.
When Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he recognized Jesus as his Lord. A Lord is someone with authority who must be obeyed.
To what extent have you been confused about the Biblical definition of the word “Lord”?
When you use the word “Lord”, do you think it is God’s name, a synonym for God, or an acknowledgment that Jesus is your master?
How does the Biblical definition of Lord, which means Jesus is our Master, affect how we evangelize?
What mistakes are being made in evangelism when the word “Lord” is treated as God’s name or a synonym for the word “God”?
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.
“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”