Acts 28:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.’

NIV: For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

NASB: FOR THE HEARTS OF THIS PEOPLE HAVE BECOME INSENSITIVE, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY HARDLY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'?’

CSB: For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.

NLT: For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes — so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

KJV: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

NKJV: For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” ’

Paul is under house arrest in Rome, in an apartment where Jewish leaders of the city have agreed to come. They are there to hear about the Jewish sect which claims Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah (Acts 28:16–23). The leaders know little about it, other than "everywhere it is spoken against" (Acts 28:22). Paul has clearly shown that Jesus of Nazareth fits the Messianic prophecies in the Jewish Scriptures, including Isaiah. Some of the Jews believe, but some don't. Paul responds with a quote from Isaiah (Acts 28:24–26).

Acts 28:27 quotes Isaiah 6:10. Isaiah is having a vision of the throne room of the Lord and has just volunteered to be His messenger to the Jews. The Lord's first words are not encouraging. He predicts that the people will not listen to Isaiah. They will hear and see but not understand (Isaiah 6:9; Acts 28:26).

The action in both passages is puzzling. In Isaiah 6:10, the Lord is clear that an outside force has closed the people's eyes and ears and hardened their hearts so that they cannot understand and be healed. Jesus quoted these passages as well, in reference to the audience of His parables (Matthew 13:13–15; Mark 4:11–12; Luke 8:10): specifically, the Parable of the Sower. The parable is the story of a farmer who spreads seed on four types of soil: a hard path where the birds take the seed, rocky soil, a thorn patch, and good soil. The seed is Jesus' offer of forgiveness. The hard path refers to people with hardened hearts who refuse to understand until Satan takes the good news. The rocky soil refers to people who respond favorably to Jesus' message at first but turn away when times get too tough. The thorny soil is people who accept at first but get distracted by events in the world: both good and bad. The good soil refers to people who accept the gospel, allow the message to change their hearts, and spread the message to others (Mark 4:1–20).

Theologians debate as to whether people represented by the rocky and thorny soils are saved, but the point of Paul's quote is evident. Despite clear proof, many of the Jewish leaders in Rome make a conscious decision to reject Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. Because of their rejection, God will allow them to continue in their rejection of His offer of salvation. As the Jewish community's experts in the Scriptures, they have every piece of evidence they need (John 5:39–40). Their rejection is intentional. Paul will waste no more time on them.

In Acts 28:17–29 Paul finally receives his heart's desire: to witness to the Jews in Rome. Rome is a strategic city and if the Jews there accept Jesus as their Messiah, they will legitimize Jesus-worship to the other Jews in the Empire. As in every city Paul visits, however, some accept Jesus and others don't. Paul becomes frustrated and redoubles his efforts to reach the Gentiles. He spends two years under house arrest but with the freedom to write and to speak with whomever chooses to come through his door.

Acts 28 is the end of Luke's story of the witness of Jesus' story (Acts 1:8). After his wrongful imprisonment in Caesarea Maritima, Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:1–12). He, Aristarchus, and Luke survived a raging winter storm before finally reaching Rome (Acts 27). Again under house arrest, Paul is able to share Jesus' offer of forgiveness with any who wish to visit. While there, he writes the letters Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. After two years, Paul is released; tradition says he takes one more evangelistic tour before being arrested and eventually martyred around AD 67.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.