Study Notes ACTS: The Divine Power Unleashed The Most Dangerous Place to Be (Acts 28:17-31) October 19, 2014 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." 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. 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." 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. 28:17. The “leaders of the Jews” (NIV) are leaders of different synagogue communities; no single body ruled over the whole Jewish community in Rome. The Jewish congregations in Rome were all autonomous, and Christians could spread their views among the various synagogues with relative freedom. The Jewish community there had also made many Roman converts and sympathizers (to the chagrin of many male Roman aristocrats). Many of these sympathizers would be happy to embrace a version of the Jewish faith that accepted them fully without circumcision. 28:18–20. Imprisonment and chains were not used as punishments but as a means of detention until trial. Paul continues to emphasize the continuity between the Old Testament message and his own; this point would be important to Jewish leaders and also 1 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org Study Notes to Roman readers, who needed to understand that the Jesus movement was rooted in an ancient religion worthy of toleration (even if, after 70, Judaism was unpopular in some circles). 28:21–22. Unable to win their case in Judea, Paul’s accusers would have even less chance in Rome. By A.D. 62, the Jewish community in Rome had an advocate with the emperor in his wife (former mistress) Poppaea Sabina—until Nero kicked her to death while she was pregnant. It is by no means clear that the Roman Jewish community was uniformly hostile to the Christian movement (28:24), but they naturally had questions, especially if their previous expulsion in 18:2 was due to Christian teachings. 28:23–27. Paul’s citation of Isaiah 6 climaxes a theme throughout Acts: that most of God’s own chosen people reject their Messiah while Gentiles accept him is not amazing but the fulfillment of Scripture. 28:30. At the end of two years, if no accusers had arrived and no charges had been sent against him (28:21), Paul would normally be automatically released. Paul was later arrested again and beheaded, but Luke wishes to end on a note of positive legal precedent, before the corruptions of Roman law introduced by Nero’s tyranny. A number of ancient works had sudden endings; and following the pattern of other Jewish and Christian works (but in contrast to many Greek works), Luke wishes to end happily. 28:31. That Paul could preach under the very nose of the Praetorian Guard suggests that, before Nero instituted his persecution against Christians for political reasons, they were tolerated under Roman law. Luke’s defense of Christianity on legal and philosophical grounds paved the way for second-century defenders of Christianity and points the way 1 for Christian lawyers, statespersons and others to work in society today. 28:25–27. The disagreement among the Jewish leaders in Rome about Paul’s message showed that they were not amenable to the gospel. With prophetic insight Paul applied the words of Isaiah (6:9–10) to his own contemporaries. Obstinate refusal to believe results in calloused hearts, deafened ears, and spiritually blinded eyes. This had happened to Israel both in Isaiah’s day and in Paul’s (cf. Rom. 11:7–10). Interestingly Paul ascribed Isaiah’s words to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 4:25). 28:31 “the kingdom of God” This was the subject of Jesus’ preaching. It refers to the reign of God in man’s hearts now that will one day be consummated on earth as it has been in heaven. This passage also shows that the topic is not only for Jews. See Special Topic at 2:35. “the Lord”“Lord” is the translation of the Hebrew term adon, which meant “owner, husband, master, or lord.” The Jews became afraid of pronouncing the sacred name YHWH lest they take it in vain and break one of the Ten Commandments. Whenever they read the Scriptures, they substituted Adon for YHWH. This is why our English translations 1 Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (Ac 28:17–31). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org Study Notes use all capitals LORD for YHWH in the OT. By transferring this title (kurios in Greek) to 2 Jesus, the NT authors assert His deity and equality with the Father. 17–20 Another limit to Paul’s freedom is perhaps seen by the way that the Jewish leaders visited him rather than his visiting the synagogue. The claim made by Paul that the Romans wanted to release him (18) was a bit of a simplification, although it is true that except for hopes of a bribe (24:25) and a desire to please the Jerusalem Jewish leaders (24:26), Paul probably would have been freed. Agrippa, too, felt that Paul could have been freed had he not appealed to Rome (see 26:32). Paul’s desire to speak to the Jews in Rome concerns this certainty on his part that Jesus was the hope of Israel. Despite the fact that in city after city, preaching to the Jewish communities led to some conversions from the people but also much opposition, Paul was aware that his was a Jewish message in the first instance, and each new Jewish community was given a fresh opportunity to respond. 21 Some are surprised that the Roman Jews would not have heard from Jerusalem regarding this trouble-maker. But the Jerusalem Jews may have decided not to press their case in Rome. The case against Paul might have been strong in Palestine before officials who felt they had to pacify the Jews, but in Rome the religious accusations of a bunch of provincials against a cosmopolitan Roman citizen were almost certain to fail. 22 It is even more difficult, however, to understand the Jews’ protestations of ignorance about Paul’s views. The implication is that, despite the presence of a Christian community at Rome (as evidenced by Paul’s letter and 28:14–15), these people had only heard rumours. But the Jewish community had been expelled from Rome for a time by Claudius (see 18:2). In the interim, the church would have become predominantly Gentile in make-up, and the recently returned Jewish community may have had no contact with them in this big city. 23–24 Paul and the Jewish leaders arranged a time to get together, at which Paul’s attempts to evangelize them met with only mixed success. 25–27 Paul expressed his frustration and disappointment by quoting from Is. 6:9–10 (cf. Mk. 4:12 and parallels), part of which he had previously referred to in his letter to the Roman Christians (Rom. 11:8). 28 His conclusion—I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!—is, due to its placement so near to the end of the book, easily misread as closing the possibility of further mission to the Jews. But this passage must be read in the same spirit as the similar declaration in 13:46.