When Paul describes his situation in Acts 28 to local Jewish leaders that he had called together, I think that we should give his audience some credit. They had heard rumors about opposition to the message that Paul preaches, but they were willing to give him a chance to speak for himself.
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.”
Acts 28:21-22 NIV
In our world that seems to be more and more opposed to polite discourse, where mere hints of disagreement are shouted down (or “canceled”), it is refreshing to see this example of open-mindedness.
Do you remember what Jesus said about a prophet being without honor in his own town? (See Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4, for instance.) Let’s remember that Paul used to be a budding Pharisee: we might call him an “up-and-comer” or a “fast-tracker”. As a result, imagine the disappointment from the rest of the Pharisees when Paul turned to follow Jesus and began preaching a message of grace and freedom, rather than the Pharisaical message of winning God’s favor by following a bunch of rules.
So, it’s probably not surprising that Paul met resistance in Jerusalem. However, here in Rome, thousands of miles (or kilometers) away, the people aren’t already set against him. This is kind of like those growing up in a small town who move to another state, including my wife and I, where everyone doesn’t know what you did as a kid.
On the other hand, just as those in Rome who had heard rumors about followers of Jesus could have walked out on Paul without listening to what he had to say, Paul also had the opportunity to harbor grudges. He could have chosen to not put the past behind him.
Have you ever seen a movie where someone has been hurt by a villain, and has carried the pain and suffering with them for years, but when they finally come face to face with the person who hurt them, the villain doesn’t even remember them? This is a good reminder that forgiveness is important. Not only have we been forgiven by God, and must do the same for our fellow human beings, but unforgiveness often hurts us much more than the person we don’t forgive.
In the same way, Paul could have harbored bitterness towards Jewish leadership in general, and transferred this onto the Jewish leaders in Rome (even though those in Rome were open to hear from him). Instead, as near as we can tell, Paul offers a fresh explanation of the gospel – the good news about Jesus – without judgment. Paul is willing to speak to anyone about his Lord Jesus Christ, it seems, and he apparently doesn’t care who they are or whether they are likely to repeat the various harms that had been done to Paul in the past.
So, Paul is facing an audience of his fellow Jewish men who don’t appear to have any of the bias that caused trouble for Paul in Jerusalem. And, Paul gives them a chance to hear the gospel. This is a clean slate – a fresh start – for both parties, and Paul likes to speak to his people about Jesus Christ. This was a conversation worth listening to.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for November 26, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, November 19, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 