17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. (Acts 22:17-21 KJV)
Paul’s vision in the temple
St. Paul, after telling the Jews about the remarkable way he was converted, went on to talk about how much he had wanted to preach to the Jews rather than to the Gentiles—if only God had allowed it. Paul explains how he was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles—a matter that caused much of the Jewish anger against him. He received this calling while praying in the temple, a detail that highlights his continued reverence for it. Though his enemies claimed he disrespected the temple, Paul was there praying, showing his devotion. God’s calling of Paul while he was in the temple also signaled that Paul’s Gentile mission posed no threat to it—unless the Jews, through unbelief, made it so.
He saw a vision while in a trance (Acts 22:17-18), like when he was caught up to the third heaven. His physical senses were suspended, and he saw Jesus not physically as on the Damascus road, but in his spirit. Christ spoke to him: “Hurry, and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.” Though Paul believed his background would make him the perfect messenger to Jerusalem’s Jews, Christ revealed otherwise. God, who knows hearts, knew their rejection was certain.
Paul still pleaded with the Lord, reasoning that the Jews knew how hostile he had once been to Christians. “Lord,” he said, “they know I imprisoned and beat believers in every synagogue. When Stephen was killed, I was there, consenting and holding the coats of those who stoned him.” Paul believed that such a radical transformation would convince them he was telling the truth.
But Christ responded, “No, they will not accept your message. Leave—I am sending you far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). God sometimes answers our prayers not with the thing we ask, but with something better. Paul had wanted to preach in Jerusalem, thinking his testimony would be more effective there. But Christ had a different plan. Instead of working where others had already laid a foundation (John 4:38), Paul would break new ground and preach where Christ had not yet been named (Romans 15:20).
Paul’s ambition was to serve in Jerusalem, but Christ had something greater in mind. Paul would not be sent without authority: “I will send you,” Christ said. That meant Christ’s Spirit would be with him, sustaining and empowering him for the work. Though Paul longed for Jerusalem, his calling lay far from there. His work would not disturb the Jews nearby but would reach distant nations.
If the Jews had considered all this, they would have seen they had no reason to resent Paul’s mission to the Gentiles or view it as betrayal. He did not choose it—it was a divine command that overruled his own desires.
From this we learn, first, that human reasoning often rises up in the hearts of even God’s most faithful servants, leading them to question or hesitate in obeying His commands. Paul reasoned that it made more sense for him to minister to the Jews, thinking he had a better chance of reaching them than the Gentiles, who, like Ananias at first, might be afraid of him. But Christ repeated His instruction: “Leave—I am sending you to the Gentiles.” And at that point, Paul stopped arguing and obeyed.
Second, we learn to put aside our human reasoning and empty excuses once God’s call is clear. We shouldn’t argue anymore, but obey at once. When we’re sure that God is leading the way, we can follow Him without needing to see the full path. His commands deserve our immediate and unquestioning obedience.