28:24-27
As is normal, there was a mixed response, some believed, others would not. Notice the terminology, “would not believe”. In Romans 1 Paul talks about people suppressing the truth. They also disagreed among themselves. Paul then left them on a very strident note, quoting from Isaiah 6:9,10 about the hardness of the heart of the people, and their refusal to see the truth. At this point the Jews began to leave. Note that Paul refers to the Holy Spirit speaking the words of the Old Testament.
28:28-31
This is given as the key dividing point, that much of Acts has been leading up to. The Jews have had ample opportunity to receive the gospel, but have persistently refused to do so. So God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. Now we need to remember what Paul says in Romans 9-11. This is not the end of the story, not the end of God’s plan. It is part of His plan to save the world, and part of His plan to save Israel.
So Paul stayed in Rome for two more years, seeing people, teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ, and boldly proclaiming the gospel. We would have liked Acts to finish with what happened to Paul, ie how did he die, was he indeed martyred. But this is not what we get. This is because it is not about Paul, it is about Jesus and the gospel. Paul is one of the most influential people in history, and the working of God in his life teaches us much, but it Christ and the gospel that is the focus, and Acts, like all other books in the Bible, was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is God-breathed, so it tells us what God wants us to know, not what we think we’d like to know.
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