Acts 28:23b-24 From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe.
There is a cinematic quality to this episode in Acts, with Paul expounding day and night before large numbers of Jewish elders, trying to persuade them to accept Christ. Much like in the parable of the sower, a portion of the seed Paul disperses to his listeners falls on good soil, convincing some, while other seed falls on the hard ground of those who reject the gospel.
We’ve been there. In our own time, many of us have probably engaged in lengthy, hoarse-throat-inducing political debates where we fought to bring others to our point of view. It’s tough and wearying. Yet our commitment to the rightness of our belief spurs us on, despite the toll it may take.
Paul is arguing for a higher truth than the political ones we so ardently defend. Although we have the freedom to accept or reject the truth Christ embodies, the cost of turning our backs on that truth is greater than we might imagine. Is that choice worth the cost?
MOVING FORWARD: Have you encountered someone with Paul’s zeal and intensity? Does this passage invite you to a new way of responding?
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