What Are Your Views

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS

Acts 28:17-22

17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar — not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." 21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."

NIV

With Paul in Rome and allowed to live in a rented house under the protection of a Roman guard, he takes the opportunity to speak to the Jewish leaders. He assured them that he had nothing wrong against the Jewish people or the customs of his and their ancestors. He kept the law in some sense, but at the same time was aware that Jesus had set the first covenant aside to establish the second. However, as far as keeping festivals like the Passover, or the festival of weeks, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. There were many of these Jewish customs, and Paul said he kept them; yet, because he knew the prophets and all that was prophesied about Jesus, and because of his personal encounter with Jesus, he wanted everyone else to experience this new birth, this revelation of the Messiah. The Jewish leaders wanted to hear what Paul had to say because people everywhere were talking against this sect, although it is not a sect, but the truth of God. Times have not changed much, as many people are still talking against what they believe to be a sect, a phony belief that God is real and Jesus actually came to earth, died, and was resurrected. Although there are many who believe God is real in some sense, and because they believe they are a "Good person," they will go to heaven when they die. Throughout the many letters that Paul writes, he makes it clear that being good does not qualify for eternal life; in fact, there is no such thing as Jesus plus anything. Our salvation is entirely due to Jesus, and to him alone. As he declared the truth about the kingdom of God, we will see the results later. But the truth we should take from this narrative is that there are people who want to hear what we have to say, which implies we have something to say and should be saying it. Sure, it is good to gather together to worship, but are we not supposed to be telling our story? Did we not have a personal encounter with Jesus? Then someone needs to hear it, and who are we to decide who that will be? We sing those lyrics, I love to tell the story, but how many times have we told the story of Jesus and his love? Someone wants to know what our views are.