CURIOSITY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.”

Acts 28:21-23

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul had only been under guarded house arrest for three days when he called for a meeting with the Jews leaders who lived in Rome. In yesterday’s message, we found him addressing his audience by letting them know several things about what had transpired in the years before he ended up where he was.

First, Paul wanted the Jewish leaders to know that he didn’t view them as his adversaries. Rather, he sought to associate with them calling them “brothers” because you’ll recall that Paul was a Jew at his core.

The next thing Paul wanted the Jewish leaders to know was that although he was under guarded captivity, he was innocent. He had done nothing wrong against the Jewish leaders or the customs of their ancestors, and certainly, there was no crime he had committed that would have warranted the death penalty. So the Roman authorities who had conducted hearings in Caesarea found no reason why Paul should be held and wanted to release him.

This led to the third main point Paul wanted the Roman Jewish leaders to know, that the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem rejected the notion that he should be set free and so seeing no other option available, he appealed to have his case heard by Caesar. And that was why Paul was there.

How did the Roman Jewish leaders respond to Paul’s message?

We see in today’s passage from verses 21 through 23 of Acts 28. Look again at those words here:

They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.”

Acts 28:21-23

Although there had been a buzz around Rome that Paul was coming there, something we know based on people who had come to greet him upon arrival, it came as somewhat of a surprise I’m sure for Paul to learn that the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem had not sent any correspondence to Rome, trying to smear and discredit him before he arrived. Further, we learn that there was a contingent of Jews who had relocated to Rome from Jerusalem and none of them had spoken badly about Paul either.

For Paul, it had to be a comfort to hear what the Roman Jewish leaders had to say given how he seemingly faced Jewish opposition almost everywhere he tried to bring the Gospel. This comfort had to shift toward joy after what he heard next. For the scriptures tell us that the Roman Jewish leaders were curious about Paul’s religious views and wanted to hear them. They had heard people talking badly about Christianity, the “sect” mentioned here but they weren’t going to prejudge without hearing Paul out for themselves.

And so we read where there was an arrangement made. The Jewish religious leaders would meet with Paul “on a certain day” and when they returned, they had people with them. The larger crowd came to the place where Paul was under house arrest, all eager to listen to his views and Paul did not leave them for want. For the scriptures tell us he more than satisfied their curiosity while witnessing to them “from morning till evening”.

What did he speak of as he witnessed?

We read where he explained “about the kingdom of God” as well as “from the Law of Moses” and “from the Prophets”, using Old Testament law and prophecy to try and persuade the Jew s who were assembled to receive the good news about Jesus Christ.

What an opportunity this was for Paul and I’m sure he reveled in the opportunity that God had brought to him.

Would he have success in converting the Roman Jews to Christianity?

We’re going to answer that question in tomorrow’s message, the next to the last devotion as we finish up our study of Acts.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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