Scripture: Acts28:17-31
Today will be lesson #17,
our last from the Book of Acts, and it takes us to the last entry in Luke’s
report on Paul and the ministry that he had carried to the Gentile world. But while this may be the end of this Book,
it is only the beginning of the Christian Church. Within a very few years, the Way of Jesus
Christ would have to separate from Judaism; persecution would transfer from the
hatred that the Jews had for Jesus, to the perfected forms of oppression and
torture that the Romans had become known for; and in spite of it all, the word
of Jesus would begin spreading beyond all measure.
But the greatest aspect of
the Christian faith would be the strength and commitment that resided in all
who believed in Jesus Christ. Neither
hardships, nor hatred, nor lies, nor cruelty could stop the word from touching
lives from Asia, to India, to Spain, and beyond. And the Holy Spirit would be at work through each
and every one who came to believe.
In our lesson for today,
we find the apostle Paul – the one who followed the LORD’s
call to minister to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:5-6
& Acts 9:15-16) –
under Roman control, awaiting his own execution. There was a day when Paul was the hater and
oppressor of Christians, and soon, he would suffer the same fate as he had
subjected others to.
But until that day and
moment arrived, he was still the apostle of Jesus Christ, and would do nothing other
than share Jesus with all who would listen.
Read Acts 28:17-20
Paul was under arrest in Rome, but as a
Roman citizen, he was allowed to stay in a private residence, under the promise
that he wouldn’t escape! And it gave him
the opportunity to minister in a city that he had never been to before. And as his custom, he began with the Jewish community
that had grown up in Rome. He would
explain the reason for his being there, but that he was innocent of all charges,
both those that the Jews accused him of, and those that brought him to Rome.
And he tells the leaders
of the synagogues that he comes to speak to them because of the “hope of Israel”
that has bound him with a chain. What is
he talking about? First, the “hope” that
he mentions is God’s promise of Messiah’s redemption of Israel. It wasn’t that Israel didn’t believe in the prophecy,
it’s just that few could see that it was being fulfilled through Jesus! The second issue is that the “chain” he
mentions is his faith in Jesus Messiah, and it includes his commitment to lead
others to the faith that can be their hope, too.
Have you ever thought of
faith as being as strong as a chain – not like a slender, ornamental chain, but
like a huge, strong logging chain – unbreakable, powerful, and indestructible. That is what is holding Paul to Jesus and the
leading of the Spirit of God, and this is the same glorious power that will show
us the way to serve in the name of our LORD.
Read Acts28:21-24
These Jewish leaders
respond to Paul in an unexpected way. First,
that they haven’t received any guidance from Jerusalem regarding Paul and his
new ideas. As a matter of fact, they
haven’t even heard any rumors that new arrivals from Jerusalem had brought with
them. It’s hard to believe, but it’s
possible. And second, they actually want
to hear more about this new faith from Paul because they are hearing a lot of
negative comments about Jesus, and they are wondering if there is any merit to them.
Apparently, they hadn’t
heard any details about The Way, even though the rumors were all negative. So they want to get it straight from the “horse’s
mouth”, so to speak. They pick a date to
meet with Paul, and on that day, not only do the leaders come, but many others join
in to hear the Good News of Jesus. The
meeting lasted all day, while Paul made the connection between the kingdom of God
and the coming of Jesus; he explained how Jesus has fulfilled the Law of Moses
(not all of the additions and clarifications that had been added through the
years though); and how the prophets had spoken about him over and over again.
And as had happened many
times in the past, some listened to Paul and accepted the truth of Messiah,
while others decided to remain in the old ways.
And I expect that each of us have had that same experience – that some
will listen to our words about Jesus, and what faith in Him has meant for our
lives, but that others either refuse to even listen, or actually ridicule us
for even believing that God could ever be that personal.
And how do we react to the
disappointing response? Do we persevere
and keep on trying with other people? Or
do we decide that it’s too embarrassing to share Jesus, so we never try it
again? The next time you find yourself
in a similar situation, ask yourself, “What would Paul or Peter do about these
folks? Would they quit? Would they give up? Would they turn tail and run?” Let’s see how Paul reacted.
Read Acts28:25-27
He got right in the face
of the doubters, didn’t he! He even
pulls the words of the prophet Isaiah down upon them! The Prophets were special in the life of
Israel, and their words were always recognized as commands from their precious Jehovah
God. And these words would have struck
very close to home for these Jews. (Isaiah 6:9-10)
Had they truly closed
their ears to the word of God? Had their
vision blurred to all that Jehovah had done for them? Had their hearts turned to stone? And then, Paul’s next words must have pierced
even their hardened hearts!
If they had seen with
their eyes and understood what God was truly all about; if they had heard
His words with their ears and accepted the truths that had come to them through
the Prophets, and through Jesus; if their hearts had embraced the
great gift of redemption that Jesus had won and paid for by his love, Paul says
that they would have turned away from the lies that they had followed in the
past, and the great Messiah Jesus would have healed their lives, and would have
restored them to God’s glory.
It almost sounds as if Paul
is washing his hands of the Jews. Of course
the LORD never
will, but He tells us, in Mark 6:10-12, that
if a people won’t welcome us or our words, then we are to shake the dust from
our feet as we leave, that we are to take nothing of them or their community
with us. We have to admit that the stubbornness
that settles upon others does cause a great deal of frustration in us! But we also need to remember that perseverance
is a gift from God. In Romans 5:1-5, we read that the struggles that come our
way bring, first, perseverance, then character, then the hope of God that will never
disappoint us. In other words, if we
stay the course, God’s hope will thrive within us.
Read Acts28:28-31
Paul tells the Jews that
if they won’t relax their grip on the law, and begin holding on to the hope of
Jesus, then he’ll turn to the Gentiles, and offer them the hope of
Christ. And for two more years - Paul’s final two years of life - he continues
the Gentile mission that his LORD Jesus Christ had called him to (Acts 9:15-16).
Everyone would be welcome to come and hear him proclaim the truth of God,
just as it had been revealed in the life, sacrifice and resurrection of Christ.
And the final lesson that
Paul offers us is this – never give up, never fear the mission and ministry
that God calls you to, never stop sharing Jesus with others, never doubt that
your efforts will make a difference in the life of someone else, and never believe
that someone else could do far better than you could.
Remember Jesus’ words to
Thomas – “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27).
