Prayers & Announcements
LAST WEEK: In Acts 26:19-29, we covered Paul's 'trial' at Caesarea before Festus, the Roman procurator, and Agrippa, the last Herodian king of Judea. Through the course of the trial, after Paul described his Jewish background and his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he explained that he was only teaching how Jesus perfectly fulfilled what the OT prophets and Moses had foretold about the coming Messiah. After hearing this, Festus, accused Paul of being "out of his mind" (i.e., crazy), and that all of his great learning must have addled his brain. APPLICATION-One Simple Point: The "crazy" person lives for this present, fleeting world, whereas, the sane person obeys Jesus Christ and lives in light of eternity. The word crazy is used here in the sense of being foolish, especially foolish pride. Paul, in response to Festus' accusation that he was crazy, said, "I am not out of my mind... but I am speaking true and rational words" (v.25). Contrary to Festus' outburst, Paul was in fact the sanest man in the room. Ask: Is it rationale for a person to seek a superficial and short-lived life in this world when there is an absolutely free alternative to live a life in light of eternity? In this story, it must have felt great to Festus and Agrippa, surrounded by armed guards, to step out of their chariots in their expensive robes and wave to the common people as they went up the steps to the building. As they entered the room, all of those present probably bowed to them. Servants stood nearby to cater to their every need. To all appearances, they had it made, didn't they? Yet, those whom the world consider successful are soon forgotten. But for their names being mentioned in the Bible, no one today would know anything about either one of them. Paul, whom most people in Caesarea wouldn't have walked across the street to see, was the truly successful man in the room that day, because he lived his life in light of eternity.
THIS WEEK: We conclude our Acts study in Chapter 28:17-28, which focuses on Paul's activities soon after his arrival in Rome. We skip Chapter 27, which chronicles Paul voyage from Caesarea, which included a violet storm that caused them to be shipwrecked on an island near Malta, and the first 16 verses of Chapter 28, which describe a 3-month stay in Malta where Paul miraculously survived a poisonous snake bite and healed the father of Publius, the head man of the island, by a laying-on of hands. When Paul finally arrived in Rome, He was put under house arrest with a Roman soldier guarding him.
Read Acts 28:17-20 - Paul's Appeal to the Jewish Community in Rome
17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain."
v. 17a: "After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews" - Paul customarily began his work in a city by calling on the Jewish synagogues, but because he was under house arrest, he was forced to ask the local Jewish leaders to come to him. We can see that despite all he had suffered at the hands of Jews, Paul had not lost his burden for his people. Out of an estimated population of 1 million, Rome is thought to have had between 20,000-50,000 Jews living there at this time. (All the Jews had been expelled from Rome a few years before this but were in the process of returning.)
v. 17b: "and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans" - Paul's purpose in calling these Jewish leaders together was to defend himself and explain his position on preaching the gospel; but he also wanted to discover what they had heard about him from Jerusalem, and from this, any preconceived attitude they had toward him. Paul unequivocally declares to them that he is a good Jew, and had been faithful to the Jewish traditions. He doesn't say it directly, but he was delivered by the Jews into the hands of the Romans.
v. 18: "When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case" - "They" refers the Roman authorities who held him under arrest. The death penalty could only be sanctioned and carried out under Roman law, as we all learned from the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. He explains that after extensive questioning, these same authorities found he had committed no crime with which he could be charged. Today we would claim "false imprisonment" and file what's known as a Writ of Habeas Corpus.
v. 19: "But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-though I had no charge to bring against my nation" - Here, Paul gets to the crux of the situation. Because of Jewish objections (this is where politics comes in), he had to assert his Roman citizenship and appeal to Caesar (i.e., the Roman government) in order to exercise his legal rights. He emphasized that his case before the Roman government was not based on a charge against the Jewish Council (i.e., a counterclaim) but simply an effort to have himself exonerated of any charges.
v. 20: "For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain" - Here's the real irony: Despite all the opposition from the Jews-they locked him up-Paul still holds out hope to them, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, through this gospel that Paul was preaching and suffering for. Had it not been for his devotion to bringing this message of hope to the Jews, he would never have been here in the first place!
Read Act 28:21-23 - Reply from the Jews in Rome
21 And they said to him, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against." 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
v. 21: "And they said to him, 'We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you'" - It seems very strange that no one coming from Jerusalem had heard anything about Paul, insofar as his case was now over two years' old. In all probability, they were being diplomatically close-mouthed, not wanting to pick a fight with Paul or the Christians in Rome. They had only recently returned since Emperor Claudius' death and didn't want to get involved in a controversy that might get them expelled again.
v. 22: "But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against" - Here, we see the Jewish leaders taking a very neutral approach to Paul. They admitted to having heard much negative information about this "sect"-Christians-but wanted to hear Paul's explanation of what it was about. The Jews were surely familiar with the Christian movement by then. The first Christians in Rome are thought to have been Jewish pilgrims from Rome who had heard Peter's sermon at the Pentecost in Jerusalem in 33 A.D., which was 28 years before Paul's arrival in Rome. According to Suetonius' history of the Caesars, the Jews had been expelled from Rome by Claudius because they were rioting against the rising Christian movement, and this is alluded to in Acts 18:2 in reference to Aquila and Priscilla, both from Rome. It's apparent that these Jews knew a lot more about Christians than they were willing to admit.
v. 23: "When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets" - In a second, more official meeting, a larger contingent of the Jewish leaders met with Paul at the house where he was being held. It turned into an all-day encounter in which Paul used this opportunity to present the gospel in his normal manner when preaching to a Jewish audience. As this verse indicates, Paul spent an entire day explaining how the Law of Moses and the Prophets all pointed to Jesus Christ. His intention was to prove to them, as Jews, that Jesus had perfectly fulfilled all of the prophecies foretold in Scripture and that he was the Messiah and king of the kingdom they were expecting. While Luke didn't report the specific details of what Paul said to the Jewish delegation, we can deduce that it must have been similar to his earlier speeches, such at the one in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch reported in Acts 13:17-41. Notice that Luke emphasized that Paul, as he preached, explained the meaning of the Kingdom of God. In his gospel, Luke had begun Jesus' ministry with His assertion, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God...because this is why I was sent" (Lk. 4:43). So, from the beginning of his account to the very end, Luke told his readers that the gospel message included an understanding of the true nature of God's kingdom.
Read Acts 28:24-28 - The Jews Reject the Gospel Again
24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 "'Go to this people, and say, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." 27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."
vv. 24-25a: "And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25a And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement:" - In disagreement with each other and confused by Paul's message, the Jewish leaders began to depart. Similar to virtually every other city in which Paul preached, the vast majority of the Jews rejected the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. While some of them seemed outwardly interested at first, Luke gave no indication that any of them were actually persuaded to seek repentance and baptism, nor does it appear than any returned at a later time to seek more instruction. Close-minded pride, inability to change. Even if a person is interested, it's always easier to simply do nothing, stay the same. That's why so many churches are closing their doors today-stubborn, prideful resistance to change.
vv. 25b-27: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 "'Go to this people, and say, "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." 27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them"' - The "one statement" referred to above, was a sharp rebuke Paul quoted from Isa. 6:9-10. He said the Holy Spirit had spoken this truth to their forefathers-"hearing but never understanding, seeing but never perceiving (recognizing)." Luke paints a picture of Paul that resembles the OT prophets who spoke out and warned the Jewish people. Jesus had used these same words to describe the Jews' response to His message (Mt. 13:13-15; Mk. 4:12; Lk. 8:10; Jn. 12:39-40). The Jews rejection of Paul's invitation was, in effect, a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.
v. 28: "Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen" - In Luke's view, this rejection of Paul's message by the Jews of Rome was a definitive event for the future of the gospel. Paul's ending words-"they will listen"-carried a note of finality.
Postscript (vv. 29-31+): Paul remained in Rome two more years, proclaiming the gospel to all who came to him. During this time he wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon (note, he wrote 1 &2 Cor., Galatians, and Romans earlier in 57 and 58 A.D.). When released by the Romans in 62 A.D., Paul is known to have preached in Macedonia and Aisa Minor. From 63-66 A.D., Paul reportedly ministered in Iberia (Spain). In 66 and part 67 A.D., Paul spent time in Macedonia (Philippi), Ephesus, and Nicopolis (wrote 1 Tim. & Titus). In 68 A.D., during Nero's reprisals, Paul was arrested and jailed in Rome (wrote 2 Tim.) and put to death the summer of that year.
APPLICATION-All are invited but few are chosen (Parable of the Wedding Feast, Mt. 22:1-14). The Jews of Paul's time had heard the gospel and seen the Messiah (many saw Him in the flesh)-i.e., received the invitation-but as predicted by Isaiah hundreds of years before, they refused to believe His message or recognize Him for who He was. They were blinded by their stubborn pride and arrogance. People today are similar. Like the 1st Century Jews, they have a "religion" (some even call themselves Christians, others worship science and nature, and other things) which, in any case, doesn't require them to repent and ask for forgiveness of their sin from a holy and righteous God or require them to change their lives in any significant way. They choose not to believe for moral rather than the intellectual reasons they often profess because, at the base of it, they want to be the lords of their own lives. Ask: Does that mean we should give up on them-stop issuing God's invitation to live with Him in eternity? Absolutely not! Paul explained it this way: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. * * * Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." 2 Cor. 9:6, 10.
PRAYER: LORD GOD, our Father and Creator, we come before Your throne this morning with humble and grateful hearts, praising and worshiping for the love Your show us, the mercy You demonstrate toward us, and undeserved grace You grant us as children of Your eternal kingdom. We thank you, Father in heaven, for this good church where we are free to assemble and fellowship with one another. I pray that every person listening-in right now to this final lesson in the book of Acts will take inspiration and direction from these words penned by your great apostle Paul. Help all of us to strive hard to meet the high standards this lesson proclaims. Paul tells us that if we sow abundantly by sharing the gospel with the people around us who don't know You, that we will also reap abundantly. Please help all of us not to be discouraged by a world that seems to be largely opposed to You and Your work. Strengthen us to be bold witnessed for Jesus Christ in the face of any opposition or rejection we might encounter. We need Your strength, Your power, and Your Spirit to fight this fight. In the name of Jesus Christ, the perfecter and finisher of our faith, I ask these things, AMEN.
