Wednesday, April 15th

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Wednesday, April 15

Acts 18:1-6

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Dr. Nabeel Qureshi is a former devout Muslim who recently published a book entitled, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.” He tells the story of growing up in a devout Muslim family in the U.S. By the age of 5 he had recited the entire Qur’an in Arabic; and by the age of 15 he had committed the last 15 chapters of the Qur’an to memory in both English and Arabic.

He then recounts how he became disillusioned with the claims of Islam and eventually accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior over a long process and with the help of several very good friends.

Since his conversion, he has dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel through teaching, preaching, writing, and debating. He now is part of the Ravi Zacharias ministry and speaking team.

The most painful part of his story, by his own admission, was facing the disappointment and rejection of his family when he told them of his conversion to Christianity.

Here we see that Paul faced rejection from his own people.

...Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Even though Paul believed he was called to take the gospel to the gentile world, he would always begin his ministry in a new city by going to the local synagogue first. He would try to explain how Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, and that  it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that salvation is received.

Sometimes his message was received and many would come to faith in Jesus; sometimes he was rejected. Here. in Corinth, we see the latter. Paul’s response is to “shake out his garments” and move on. That expression is a Jewish way of saying that he didn’t even want their dust to remain on his clothing. It meant “I’m done here.”

It was also a final gesture on his part that he hoped would get their attention. In ancient times Jews would “shake the dust off their feet” after coming into contact with the gentile world to indicate the spiritual “uncleanness” of that world. Here Paul is shaking off the dust after being with Jews and before he takes the gospel to the gentiles. He is turning the tables in a dramatic way and, I think, hoping to send a jarring message to his fellow Jews.

So is Paul telling us to give up on friends or family who have not responded to the gospel? Not exactly. I think Paul cared deeply for those who rejected him. He repeatedly risked his life to bring them the good news of Jesus. But there also comes a time when it simply is no longer productive to keep trying to convince someone of the truth. Sometimes we have to trust people we care about and love over to God and allow him to work in their hearts.

Pastor Brian Coffey