⁸And he [Paul] entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

The apostle Paul was a determined man. Despite his track record of running into opposition, he never hesitated to speak the gospel message, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. In Ephesus, some time had passed (on the order of months) since he had left Priscilla and Aquila, and the message had not yet resulted in much opposition. The Jews there seem to have been somewhat cosmopolitan, or at least less resistant to outside influences, probably because of their distance from Jerusalem and their living in a thoroughly Roman city. Even after the powerful preaching of Apollos, who had by now left for Corinth, Paul found an open door for his attempts at converting the synagogue attenders.

Paul certainly used oratory—or, as we would say, preaching—in presenting the gospel. But his method was not just proclamation; it involved “reasoning and persuading.” His preaching challenged his listeners to think and use their reasoning faculties. The gospel message is not something to be taken at face value without thinking; it did not invite blind faith. In a diverse environment where there is tolerance for all views, a message asking for blind faith could be easily dismissed or ignored, or alternately embraced without much controversy. But a reasoned approach to sharing the good news cuts deeper and involves the mind, soul, and will. Biblical faith is based on truth. And at this deeper level, there is a reaction to the truth, either to embrace it or repress it.

In time, Paul’s listeners raised objections, but they failed to refute the truth of the gospel. Since Paul’s message was based squarely on the accepted Jewish Scriptures, their rejection is described as hardening and disobedience. There was no question about the truth of what Paul wrote; there was a resistance to it, illogical and unreasonable as such a resistance was. Plainly put, some simply disobeyed the truth; there was no excuse. Conviction must be dealt with, and in this case, people steeled their hearts to it.

Paul, for his part, saw the limitations of continuing in the synagogue, so took his teaching to “the school of Tyrannus,” a place typical for teaching in the Roman world. His two-year stint there made a huge impact across Asia. “The Way,” as it had come to be known (see Acts 9:2), flourished.

Lord, thank You for those who consistently teach Your Word in depth.