Sunday, November 4, 2018

The defence by Paul— Acts 28:17-23.



This meeting took place three days after arriving in Rome. Paul initiated the contact. Rome had a high presence of Jews (50,000),[1] and even in the Army, they had basically their own region known as the Trans Tiberim.[2] Larkin tells us that a number of Synagogue names have been recovered.[3] Luke records the conversation. This, like others since Paul is a prisoner, is a defense speech being made to the Jews at Rome. Some has made note of the echoing of Jesus trail language in this defense.[4] This meeting affirms five things:

(1) First, is Paul’s declaration of innocence. He “had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers” (28:17). He is identifying with his people by the use of the word our. This is also reinforced by calling them brethren, meaning fellow Jews. He wants his fellow countrymen to know he did nothing against his people or the customs.

(2) Second, His innocence was recognized by the Romans. He informs them that the Romans “were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death” (28:18). This is a common theme in the last half of Acts (23:29; 25:18-19, 25; 26:31-32).

(3) Third, because of the Jews objection, “I was force to appeal to Caesar” (28:19a cf. 26:11).  It is clear that he made the appeal for his own protection. The irony is that he is still held and faces charges in spite of his innocence.

(4) Fourth, He wants them to know he does not have any accusation against Israel (28:19b). The word for accusation is a legal term meaning to have legal cause. This may well be said because a counter-suit may have been on the Jewish minds. Paul had no intent to punish the Jews, nor that he held ill-will toward them. He only wanted to be acquitted.

(5) Fifth, He is a prisoner “for the sake of the hope of Israel” (28:20). This is another common theme in to Paul and his ministry in Acts (23:6; 24:15; 26:6-7). There is confusion about this statement among dispensationalist. Some hold that the phrase refers to the earthly kingdom and that Paul was preaching the earthly kingdom up to this point in Acts, not the church the body of Christ.[5] This goes against Scripture. [1] Because at the same time he was also in bonds because of the Mystery (Eph. 6:19-20). This applies to his first Roman imprisonment; the very same that Luke writes about in Acts 28. He writes about the mystery before he went to Rome (Romans 16:25). To hold that Paul was only preaching the earthly kingdom up to this point is nonsense. [2] It is clear that Paul was imprisoned because he preached to the Gentiles the message of Grace. All one has to do is read the pre-prison epistles of Paul (cf. Romans 3:24; 6:14; 9:23-24). It is clear that Paul preached to the Gentiles the gospel of Grace, long before Acts 28. [3] It displays a misunderstanding of the phrase—the hope of Israel. The key to understanding the phrase is Acts 26:6-7.[6] It is clear that the hope is connected to the promise. The promise takes us back to Abraham and the promise given the fathers. This hope has a two-fold application; one to a person (Christ), and as an eschatological hope that will be fulfilled by the coming of the person. For a more precise definition of the Hope of Israel see Jeremiah 14:8; 17:13, where the Savior of Israel is called “the Hope of Israel.” Paul preached Jesus Christ both as the hope of Israel and to the Gentiles the mystery of Christ (Col. 1:27). In this context the hope of Israel refers to the person of Jesus Christ, the resurrected Savor of both Israel and the Church. The Hope of Israel is a person, not an event; although the person brings in the event (the earthly kingdom).  [4] Paul was in chains not for preaching the earthy kingdom, but the preaching the resurrection of the crucified Christ (Messiah). Stam is correct saying: “by examining the Scriptures concerned, any sincere student will learn that Paul was ‘bound with this chain,’ not for proclaiming that which Israel hope for, the kingdom, but for proclaiming that which was the basis of her hopes, the resurrection.[7] See Acts 23:6; 24:14, 15; 25:18-19; 26:6-8. Paul firmly believed that Jesus Christ (Messiah) was their hope, and would return to establish Himself as the King of His kingdom (cf. Romans 11:25-27). They needed to realize their hope—the resurrected Savor.



[1]  Larkin, ACTS, 386.
[2]  Bock, BECNT: ACTS, 751.
[3]  Larkin, ACTS, 38.
[4]  Witherington, ACTS, 797.
[5]  Commonly known as the Acts 28 position in dispensationalism.
[6]  See our comments on Acts 26:6-7.
[7]  Stam, ACTS, 215.

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