Acts 28:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

NIV: They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: 'The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

NASB: And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul said one parting statement: 'The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers,

CSB: Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah

NLT: And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: 'The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

KJV: And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

NKJV: So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,

Jewish leaders in Rome have finally heard Paul's explanation that Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecies of the Jewish Messiah. Paul has wanted to do this for years. His greatest hope is that his people will accept Jesus as their Messiah; he is even willing to be condemned to hell if that's what it would take (Romans 9:1–5).

Jesus told Ananias that Paul was Jesus' instrument "to carry [His] name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). In every situation—every new town—Paul has prioritized the Jews. Every time he enters a new city, he first goes to the synagogue or the place of meeting and introduces the Jews and devout Gentiles to Jesus. In almost every city, some Jews commit to Jesus, but most don't. This breaks Paul's heart. Israel is God's chosen people: chosen to serve God, be blessed by God, and to present the Messiah for the salvation of the world. The Messiah has come, and the Jews should be spreading the message (Acts 1:8). If the Jews as a nation refuse to accept their Messiah, there is little purpose for the nation's continued existence. Indeed, between ten and fifteen years after this meeting, the Romans destroy Jerusalem and the Jews do not become a sovereign nation again until 1948.

As the return of Christ nears, God will once again focus on His plan for Israel, this time through His new covenant (Jeremiah 31). God promises, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33).

Until then, Paul increasingly realizes that Israel in the church age is better represented by the prophecy in Isaiah 6:9–10: a people who see but don't understand, with dull hearts and deaf ears (Acts 28:26–27).

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 records Paul's three-month stay on the island of Malta and two-year house arrest in Rome. On Malta, God empowers Paul to perform healing miracles which endear him to the locals. Once he reaches the shores of Italy, many other believers accompany him on his last leg to Rome. In Rome, he finds the Jews just as accepting of Jesus as elsewhere; some believe, but many don't. Paul reaffirms his mission to the Gentiles and spends his time preaching while under house arrest.

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.