Jews raising their voices

“They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, ‘Away with such a man from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!’” (1) Up to this point, the people had listened to Paul quietly. It seemed as though the two visions Paul spoke of (the vision on the road to Damascus and the vision in the temple) had begun to resonate with them. (2) However, the people suddenly expressed their anger. (a) This was because they heard the word “Gentiles” from Paul’s mouth. (b) Their opposition was not to Gentile evangelism itself. The Old Testament provides an example with the prophet Jonah, who preached in Nineveh. The Pharisees also sought to convert Gentiles to Judaism. Matthew 23:15 states: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (3) What they took issue with was the direct proclamation of the Messiah to Gentiles without going through Judaism. This was equivalent to placing Gentiles on the same level as Jews. In traditional Jewish thinking, this was considered the ultimate apostasy. “And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, the commander ordered that he be brought into the barracks…” The people expressed their anger: (a) With nothing else to throw, they likely threw their cloaks and dust. (b) Throwing off cloaks (or tearing them) was a deep expression of distress or outrage. (c) Tossing dust into the air symbolized an expression of lament or intense grief.

Paul spoke through the Holy Spirit

The Jewish people rejected Paul’s speech, but it is evident that Paul was speaking through the Holy Spirit. (1) Paul had not prepared this speech in advance. It was the Holy Spirit who provided him with the words to speak. (2) Here, the promise of the Lord Jesus is being fulfilled. Matthew 10:19-20 contains this promise: “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you.” We are given many opportunities to testify to the gospel. Let us be confident that the Holy Spirit will provide the words we need to speak and boldly bear witness.