As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”40And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
22:1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
I was standing in the registration line at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri. Next to me was Alan, and I struck up a conversation with him. Somehow I had learned a bit about him and asked, “You were Jewish, weren’t you?” “I am a Jew,” he replied. No uncertain terms. Clearly his identity was as a complete (his words) Jew.
Paul’s opening words of defense to this clamoring crowd are, “I am a Jew…” In other words he claims his identity as one who would know about temple etiquette. More important, he identifies as a Jew because he had no idea that this faith he was expressing and teaching was anything other than the Jewish faith – fully realized. Jesus’ teaching, life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection was the completion of all that the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament looked toward. This isn’t a new religion. This is what the Jewish faith was looking toward since God called Abraham to be the father of a nation of blessing.
I’m remembering, also, the encounter years ago with a server, who learned that she was serving a group of pastors, thought it necessary to tell us that she was a lesbian. Perhaps we had set it up for her by saying we were a group of pastors. And before I make too much of her need to identify herself as she did, I might think about how we identified ourselves.
Perhaps the lesson for us who follow Jesus is how we might best identify ourselves to others. Once I heard a pastor cleverly identify himself to his airplane seat neighbor as being in fire insurance. I’ve heard some other clever ways of identifying themselves to others. But my favorite is one Diane used in speaking with the woman in the plane seat next to her, “I am a follower of Jesus, and I worship in a Lutheran community.”
Paul used his identity to defend himself in the face of those who were accusing him of desecrating the temple. We best claim our identity to remind ourselves of who we are and whose we are, and to offer to others a grace-filled way for others to think of us, and to point them to Jesus.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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