Chapter twenty-two records Paul’s speech to the mob. Essentially, he just told them his story – who he was and where he came from (Acts 22:1-21). His pedigree was thoroughly Jewish, a student of the famed Gamaliel, and an ardent follower of the Law. He was so zealous that he used to persecute followers of The Way with his own hands. People in Jerusalem could still vouch for him as he spoke. However, he was confronted by Jesus himself and became a believer. He was baptized and became an outspoken witness for Jesus. However, Jesus warned him that the Jews would not accept his message, and he would preach to the Gentiles instead.
This, of course, was the whole issue for the Jews – Paul’s proximity to the Gentiles, so they began to riot again (Acts 22:22-29). Once again the Roman soldiers rescued him, but this time they intended to determine why he caused such volatility among the crowd since they did not understand the Hebrew language Paul spoke. As they prepared to beat his confession out of him, he nonchalantly asked if they should be doing that to a Roman citizen without a trial. From this point on they were afraid to do anything with him.