ACTS 28:17

In this part of the book of Acts Paul has just arrive in the city of Rome. The Bible says in Acts 28:17-22, “And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together; and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

Paul had a good reason to call the Jewish leaders in Rome together. Other Jews in other communities from around the Roman Empire had pursued Paul, seeking his death. Paul was proactive. He wanted to get the truth out before these people were corrupted by false ideas. That is a good way to look at things. It is much more difficult to see someone converted or straightened out who has been entrapped by false ideas, than it is to instruct someone who is not already biased or bound by such contrary ideas. That is why false teachers and false ideas are so horrible, and that is why the devil works so hard to spread that which is false. The devil knows that once someone is trapped in their minds, it will be much harder for the truth to get to them. Second Timothy 2:26 speaks to this situation and says, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” This same principle is one of the reasons that it is good for children be saved as early as possible. The longer that it takes for someone to come to know Christ and to walk with Him, the more likely it is that some idea of the world or some false teaching will get a hold of them and make it that much harder for the gospel of Christ to reach them.

Paul wanted to make sure that the Jews in Rome knew the truth about any accusations that Paul was certain would be made against him from other Jews. The amazing thing is that it just had not happened, at least not yet. Sometimes when we are concerned about things that might go wrong, those things do not happen. In fact of all the things that might go wrong, most of them never do happen. What happened in Paul’s case here is that things worked out quite well. Not only had the Jews heard nothing against Paul, but actually they were curious to hear what Paul had to say about Jesus Christ.

They said to Paul in verse 22, “But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” That is the perfect question to ask a Christian who is walking with the Lord. “I have heard some things about being born again and about the teachings of Christ. Tell me more about it, if you would please.” These types of situations are what witnessing Christians pray for and hope for. They do happen. That is why the Bible says in I Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

It says in Acts 28:23-24, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging: to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” Paul spoke to these Jewish people on two principle subjects: the kingdom of God and Jesus. We can understand why it was important for Jewish people of the first century to be properly taught concerning the kingdom of God. Just like the apostles once thought, most Jews were looking for the Messiah to come and establish the kingdom of God on earth. They were well aware of the Old Testament promises on that subject.

Zechariah 14:9 says, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.” Zephaniah 3:16-17 says, “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thy hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Joel 3:20 says, “But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.” Amos 9:11 says, “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.”

Of course, all of these promises from the Old Testament about the future kingdom are true, but the Jews of the first century tended to misunderstand them because of not understanding that there are two advents for the Messiah. The suffering Messiah had to come and die for the sins of the world before He would come back a second time to establish the throne of David on earth. The kingdom of God is primarily a spiritual kingdom. That is why Jesus said in His first coming, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Those who interpret the Old Testament simply based upon the kingdoms of this world and how they interact will never understand the nature of the Messianic kingdom.

When Paul spoke to the Jews in Rome about Jesus, Paul spoke to them “out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets.” One of the things that is very prominent in the law of Moses is the establishment of the great sacrificial system. The priesthood, the temple, the feasts: all had to do with sacrifices: sacrifices for the sins of the people. What did these sacrifices accomplish, and what did they mean in regards to the Messiah? The book of Hebrews goes into great detail on this subject. This is one of the reasons that we think that the Apostle Paul may very well have been the author of the book of Hebrews. It was a subject that Paul was intimately familiar with, and we know that he spoke on that same subject right here to the Jewish people in Rome. Comparing Jesus to the priests that were established by the Mosaic law, Hebrews 7:23-25 says, “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continues ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Comparing Jesus and the New Testament to the Old Testament covenant of the law, Hebrews 8:6-7 says, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” Comparing Jesus and the Old Testament sacrifices that were established by the law of Moses, Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood and goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Paul preached Jesus unto them out of the law of Moses and also out of the prophets. Micah 5:2 speaks of the birth of the Messiah and says, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Isaiah spoke of the suffering Messiah, who was Jesus, and it says in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” David spoke of the resurrection of Christ and said in Psalm 16:10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Paul spoke probably for twelve to fifteen hours. It says that he spoke “from morning till evening.” When he finished speaking, he had the same results as others have who walk with the Lord and preach the Word in spirit and in truth. Acts 28:24 says, “And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.” These Jewish people were all from the same background. They all needed to be saved. They all heard the same message from Paul. But not all of them believed. Why is that? Because everyone must make their own individual choice concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. How sad it is that some make the wrong choice and doom themselves forever.

The Bible says in Acts 28:25-27, “And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Concerning the Jews who did not believe in Jesus, Paul knew that the very event of Jewish people not believing had been told beforehand. God knows the end from the beginning. That is why there are prophecies in the Bible. God knew what would happen before it happened.

We might say that it is a strange thing that so many Jews who claim to believe in the one true God, yet do not believe in His Son Jesus Christ. We should not be surprised because 2500 years ago the book of Isaiah was written and it says, “Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed.” The spiritual principle is this: if God gives you light and seeks to guide you further on the path of light, and you turn away from it, then the very light that He had once given to you will even be taken away. Some people have no light because they turned away from the light that God had offered them. Jesus is the Light of the world. Anyone who turns away from Jesus has turned away from everything.

One of the great purposes of God is to bring light where there is currently darkness. God did that at creation. He said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” God did it when He sent Jesus into the world. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Find a place where there is darkness, and it may very well be that such a place is exactly where God wants the Light to shine. Every Christian has a light to shine, because every Christian has Christ within them. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let your light shine before men.” If someone or some group of people do not want the light that is offered to them, then undoubtedly in this world of darkness, there are others who will gladly turn to the light when their chance comes. That was the situation among some of the Jewish people in Rome that Paul had spoken to. And so Paul said in Acts 28:28, “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”

The Bible says in Acts 28:29-31, “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” Paul finished his Christian life the way that he started it: as a witness for Jesus Christ. Once Paul was saved by Jesus on the road to Damascus, he began to tell others about Christ. Many years later and many obstacles, sorrows, persecutions, and distresses later we find Paul still witnessing for Christ, teaching about the kingdom of God and the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul was a prisoner, and yet at this point in his imprisonment there was very little restraint put upon him to keep him from doing what he has always done in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without a doubt that is because the Lord opened the door of opportunity for Paul even in this situation. If God has something for you to do, no man can be against you to keep you from doing it, if you continue to walk with the Lord. Just make sure that you keep the same purpose that Paul had: to teach about the kingdom of God and the things that concern the Lord Jesus Christ.

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