Acts 28:17-22
English Standard Version (ESV)
17 After three days he called together the local
leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, (A)though I had done nothing against our people or (B)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 (C)wished to set me at liberty, (D)because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But
because the Jews objected, I was compelled (E)to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against (F)my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see
you and speak with you, since it is (G)because of (H)the hope of Israel that I am wearing (I)this(J)chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no
letters from Judea about you, and none of (K)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 (L)sect we know that everywhere (M)it is spoken against.”
Where was the first place Paul
went when he arrived in Rome? He went to
his Jewish brothers. By now I would have
written the Jews off. I would have said, “Forget about them, I will
go to someone who will appreciate my message and accept it.” But Paul had a heart for his fellow Jewish
brethren and he wanted to win them over to Christ.
As you read this scripture you
will see that Paul is gracious to his accusers. He explains the situation but
he doesn’t try to paint a dirty picture of them , he merely explains why he is
in Rome. By doing this he at least gives
these men the opportunity to listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He sparks their attention to the point that
they want to hear more.
I think that it is a little odd
that the Jewish people had not gotten word and false testimony regarding Paul
since they were so adamant that he be killed.
They would have known that he was being sent to Rome and you would have
thought they would have been telling the Roman Jews about Paul’s” wayward
actions”. I believe that even if they
had written a letter, God did not allow that letter to arrive in Rome. It is always so much better for the person
that gets the first word. If they would
have received these false accusations first then these Jews would not have been
open to hearing what Paul had to say.
But because of the delay of their information they could come to Paul
with somewhat open minds and hear about Jesus.
God is at work. We can see it every day if we will just look
around. When we realize that everything
happens for a reason and that God is that reason, it makes the pressures of
this life easier to handle and reminds us that He is in control. As you seek Him today, thank Him for taking
care of you, for guiding, for intervening, thank Him for just being Him.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment