Acts 28:23-27 ²³And when they had designated a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers, to whom he expounded, testifying to the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. ²⁴And on the one hand, some were convinced by what he said, but on the other hand, others disbelieved. 

At first, the Jews of Rome seemed interested and, to some degree, impressed by what Paul had to say when they first met him and wanted to hear more. At this point, there was no Gentile audience mentioned, perhaps due to Paul’s limited opportunity to get out and speak to people. People had to come to him due to his house arrest. The Jews set a day to listen to him. Wherever Paul was staying must have been large enough to accommodate quite a few people, whether inside or in a courtyard. Paul remained under guard the whole time. He spent all day preaching and teaching to those who came to listen.

Luke summarizes in verse 23 the two topics Paul spoke about. The mention of the kingdom of God may have represented God’s sovereign plan of salvation. Paul could retell the story of Israel and show how it all led to the coming of the Messiah. This overview could then lead to looking at Scripture to see how Jesus fulfilled both the Law and the Prophets. It would have been wonderful to hear about this, but we can get a glimpse of Paul’s method in his other speeches in Acts, for example, when he was in Antioch in 13:32–39, and in his letters, such as Romans, which has over 70 quotations and 90 allusions to the Old Testament.

Some of the Jews accepted the truth of Paul’s claims, while others rejected it. As in other places (13:43; 14:1; 17:4, 12; 18:8; 19:9), the message of the gospel divided the Jews, with some believing but others not. Even though many Jews rejected Paul’s message, he never gave up proclaiming it wherever he went. His mission of proclamation mirrors one of Luke’s subtle themes that runs throughout Acts, with many different early Christians showing the same fervor and commitment in fulfillment of Jesus’ commission in 1:8. In every opportunity, we can bear witness to the gospel. We should be prepared, like Paul, to experience rejection from some, but others will be open. Paul especially had a difficult time with Jews, who should have been open to the good news of their Messiah.