I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. – Acts 22:3

Today's Scripture Reading (May 13, 2024):  Acts 22

One of my struggles with our contemporary understanding of heritage is trying to figure out where I fit in. My last name indicates a connection with Ireland. And I make the most of my Irish heritage, but the truth is that I am not Irish. I have never even set foot on the Emerald Isle, although I would like to visit the island of my ancestors someday. I also have English, Scottish, and Dutch heritage and am of German descent through my mother's family. But I am none of these things. My family emigrated to North America generations ago. I am not a member of the First Nations, but my family was among some of the first Europeans to appear in the New World.

I was born in the Eastern portion of North America but traded the east for the west very early in my life. As a result, I identify as a Westerner. Western values and morals have influenced my political and social beliefs. My ancestors lived in the United States when it was still a British colony and moved north to Canada before Canada was an independent nation. My family has lived on the North American continent for the better part of four centuries. Who am I? Sometimes, I am unsure if I have an answer to that question.

Paul admits that he was not born in Judea. He was born in Tarsus, a city in what today is Southern Turkey. But he identified as a Jew. He argues that he was brought up in Jerusalem and not in Turkey. He studied at the feet of Gamaliel, one of Israel's most respected rabbis and teachers. And he was zealous for the God of the Jews. He needs to make the point that he was as much a Jew as anyone who was sitting in judgment over him. Paul is saying, I am not a foreigner; I understand and follow the same laws you follow.

All of this goes to the heart of the charges made against Paul.

When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, "Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place." [They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple] (Acts 21:27-29).

Paul responds that none of this is true. He might have been born outside of Israel, but he identifies as a Jew. Who Paul is at the core of his being is a Jew, and everything that Paul did as an apostle of Christ, Paul does as a Jew. Therefore, he is innocent of the charges brought against him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 23