Acts 28:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see how he does not answer them at once, but appoints a day for them to come and hear? When they came, he spoke from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. See how again he stops their mouths, not by signs, but by words from the Law and the Prophets, as he did everywhere. Although he could have performed signs, even then they would not have believed. Yet this too was a great sign: he spoke from the Law and the Prophets.

In presenting the teaching, he found it necessary to touch upon his own circumstances. He supposed that they were at least somewhat known to them, and therefore needed to remove suspicion. But he learned that the Roman Jews had not heard about him. When Paul declared that he was bound for the hope of Israel, they asked him to unfold his thoughts on this matter. "We have heard," they said, "that there is much dispute about this teaching." Paul appointed a day and set forth to them the teaching concerning the Kingdom of God. He proved from Moses and the Prophets that Jesus is the true Messiah. But his preaching found faith in few, and he had to repeat Isaiah's rebuke to his contemporaries (Acts 28:26-28).

Fulfilling the Jews' desire, Paul appointed a day for them. On that day very many of them gathered at his lodging, that is, at the private house where the Apostle lived under guard. The Apostle conversed with them the whole day, setting forth the true understanding of the Kingdom of God. From the Law of Moses and the Prophets he testified that this Kingdom had already come, and that the King of this Kingdom had already appeared in the person of Jesus. Some were persuaded by his word, while others did not believe. From this arose disputes between the two groups. As a result, not only the latter, but also the former, left the Apostle in uncertainty.

In order to become more closely acquainted with this teaching, they expressed a desire to speak with the Apostle again. On the next occasion they came to him in considerable numbers. At that time there were up to sixty thousand Jews in Rome. They had seven synagogues, and there were so many of their leaders that the Apostle could probably address his preaching only to them. Throughout the whole day, from dawn until evening, he set forth his personal testimony before them and brought arguments from Holy Scripture.

On the day appointed by the Jews themselves, not only the more prominent men, but very many others came to the Apostle at his lodging, or to the room he occupied separately (v. 16). On this occasion the Apostle spent the whole day, from morning until evening, setting forth Christian teaching to them. First, he explained the teaching concerning the Kingdom of God, that is, the founding and establishment on earth of God's Kingdom by the Messiah who had come, the Lord Jesus Christ. This exposition probably consisted in a detailed account of the Gospel history: the life, teaching, and works of the Lord, His sufferings, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Second, he brought forward testimonies from the Law of Moses and the Prophets, persuading them concerning Jesus. By comparing Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah with events from the life of the Lord Jesus, he showed that this very Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised and foretold in the Old Testament (cf. Acts 17:3).

The Apostle Paul's second conversation with the Roman Jews was longer and more detailed. From morning until evening he unfolded before a multitude of Jews the teaching of Christianity as the true Kingdom of God. Concerning Jesus Christ, he cited many prophecies from the Law of Moses and from the books of the other Prophets. He proved that He is the Messiah awaited by truly believing Jews. More than once the Apostle Paul had unfolded Christian teaching in this way. Therefore one may think that his divinely inspired speech flowed like a swift and living stream. It satisfied and refreshed many true believers, so that they were persuaded of the correctness of all the Apostle's arguments.