²³When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. ²⁴Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. ²⁵And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, ²⁶saying, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; ²⁷for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.” ‘ “

The time had come. The Jews arrived “in large numbers” to hear Paul. Let your imagination run with this: people cramming into a poorly ventilated room, all to hear a man shackled in chains. The Roman guard was still guarding Paul and was probably doubtful of his ability to control the crowd. By now, he had probably heard Paul’s message many times and seen the reactions of others who were hearing for the first time. One begins to wonder who was the captive here! The soldier certainly must have been an attentive audience.

Paul waxes eloquent and marshals his passion for the message of the kingdom of God. Theologians debate whether this mirrors the message that John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:22, 4:14). Certainly, Paul is calling his listeners to faith in Jesus Christ as a fulfillment of Jewish scriptures, including both the Law and the prophets. While we would love to have the transcript of this discussion, we are given only the results: some were persuaded and believed the message, but others were not, and it appears the non-believers carried the day.

Even the most persuasive evangelist will not convince some people to believe. Paul points the unbelievers to the Scripture that speaks of their hardness of heart: Isaiah 6:9–10, God’s judgment on Israel. The passage describes the pervasiveness of Israel’s rejection of the very hope they long desired, using imagery of various body parts: non-understanding hearing, unperceiving eyes, dulled hearts, hardly-hearing ears, closed eyes. Paul charges that their rejection is virtually complete! The prophets spoke of this very clearly, and now it was happening in Rome, just as in Jerusalem.

Lord, despite those who reject Christ, some will believe. Praise God!