The story of Acts starts in Jerusalem where Jesus gave his Great Commission to a small group of believers. After he ascended into heaven, his Spirit empowered his people, making them into a vibrant community dedicated to prayer, preaching, worship, outreach, and discipleship. When persecution drove many Christians out of Jerusalem, they formed new fellowships. Soon, the main persecutor submitted to Jesus and took up the Great Commission as his primary calling. He undertook three fruitful missionary trips and endured an arduous journey to Rome. Even Caesar’s house would hear the gospel (Phil. 1:12, 13; 4:22). Acts shows us how Christ triumphed in the Roman Empire.
But the book ends on a note of urgency. One last time, Paul appeals to both outsiders and church members to truly hear God and be healed.
What Is God Saying?
Paul’s pattern was always to speak to the Jewish community as soon as he entered a new city. But that he does this in Rome is amazing. He is in the imperial capital awaiting trial before Caesar because of what the Jews had done to him. But Paul resisted prejudice. After all, he was in chains “because of the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20). Paul “had no charge to bring against [his] nation” (Acts 28:19). He just wanted Jews to be saved by Jesus. So Paul began his address with genuine courtesy, calling the Jews “brothers.” His hearers also suggested an openness to Paul’s message. Though they believed Christianity was a sect, they did not dismiss Paul out of hand.
With the highest of hopes and the best of intentions, Paul “expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and from the prophets.” There is no other message worthy of pronouncement “from morning till evening” (Acts 28:23). To be citizens of God’s kingdom, you must submit to his appointed king, Jesus. The whole Bible, God’s sure revelation, calls you to resist unbelief, become convinced of everything God says, and put your trust in Christ. Biblical preaching is a passionate plea for sinners to be reconciled to God.
So why does Paul make the apparent blunder of ending his sermon with Isaiah’s prophecy about the Jew’s rejection of the gospel? In fact, Paul was imitating Christ who quoted these same verses against the Jews of his day (Matt. 13:14–15, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10). And though the quotation is jarring, it is a faithful and fitting conclusion to a sermon. God’s word promises great blessings to those who believe and terrible curses for those who disbelieve. Some hear about Jesus and don’t care. Others, as Paul announced, will truly heed the message of salvation in Christ. These are Paul’s last words in Acts. They remain as an implied question to everyone who hears them.
How Will You Respond?
Isaiah truly “saw [God’s] glory and spoke of him” (John 12:41; cf. Is. 6:1–7). That’s why he rebuked the spiritually blind, deaf, and indifferent. To us, as to the Jews in the days of Jesus and Paul, God has revealed his glory in Christ—something that generations of “prophets and righteous men desired to see” (Matt. 13:17). So to hear about Jesus and not bow before him in reverent worship is the greatest of all failures. If you don’t listen to God, Isaiah’s chilling prophecy will come to describe you.
Only Jesus can wash away your sins. Will you listen to God and receive his cleansing? That is the question that this book leaves us with. Like the book of Jonah the ending of Acts feels hasty. The postscript sums up two years in two verses. We don’t even know the outcome of Paul’s appeal! In a sense, Luke is no longer telling the story, he’s calling us to respond. He’s doing what George Whitefield once did when a man fell asleep during one of his sermons. Whitefield slammed his hand and foot down with a force that made the building ring. When the man woke with a start, Whitefield told him to listen as if God himself were speaking.
The conclusion to Acts wakes us up to hear God and reminds us of three resounding themes of the book. First, be present and attentive when God’s word is preached. At least thirty percent of the text of Acts is sermonic. Everywhere the early missionaries went, they preached. Preaching is how God speaks to you. Second, listen to God in Christian community. Acts advocates for the practice of the communion of the saints. Paul is often in the spotlight but rarely alone. A loner Christian, even one who reads his Bible, is in trouble. Third, heed God’s call to witness for him. Acts rebukes all of our excuses for non-evangelizing. Paul preached Christ “without hindrance” while incarcerated in the heart of the most powerful pagan empire the world has known (Acts 28:31). He faced difficulties, but God blessed his work.
With the abrupt ending of Acts, the sixty-year-old Paul is holding out a baton. Take it. Believe God. Turn from your sin. If you do, he will heal you and make you a light to the nations. If you don’t, you will fulfill Isaiah’s warning. The gospel will continue to save but it won’t save you. Don’t let that happen.
