The Sect Spoken Against Everywhere Text: Acts 28:17-22
Introduction: The Scandal of the Gospel
We live in an age that is allergic to dogma but addicted to sentiment. Our culture is quite happy to tolerate a Jesus who is a vague spiritual guide, a first-century life coach, or a symbol of generic goodwill. That kind of Jesus can be placed on a shelf alongside Buddha and Oprah, and he will not cause any trouble. But the moment you declare that this Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the only hope for Israel and for the entire world, the only name under heaven by which men must be saved, you have crossed a line. You have become a member of a sect. And that sect, now as then, is spoken against everywhere.
The modern evangelical impulse is often to try to rebrand. We want to make the gospel more palatable, less offensive, more marketable to a hostile culture. We try to file down the sharp edges of the exclusive claims of Christ. We want the world's approval, and so we are tempted to present Christianity as anything other than what it is: a non-negotiable claim of absolute monarchy over every square inch of creation. We want the crown without the cross, the resurrection without the offense of the empty tomb.
But the Apostle Paul, arriving in Rome in chains, does not adopt this strategy. He is at the very center of imperial power, a prisoner awaiting trial before Caesar. If ever there was a time for delicate diplomacy, for watering down the message to win friends and influence people, this would be it. Instead, Paul does the exact opposite. He doubles down on the very claim that landed him in chains in the first place. He summons the leaders of the Jews, not to apologize, but to announce that his chains are the direct result of his unwavering belief in the central hope of the Jewish people. He is not a prisoner of Rome; he is a prisoner of the Messiah.
This passage is a master class in apostolic strategy. It shows us a man who is utterly unashamed of the gospel, who understands that the gospel is not a new religion but the fulfillment of an ancient one, and who knows that its controversial nature is not a bug, but a feature. It is a sign of its divine power.
The Text
And it happened that after three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. For this reason,therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." And they said to him, "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."
(Acts 28:17-22 LSB)
A Strategic Defense (vv. 17-19)
We begin with Paul's immediate actions upon arriving in Rome.
"And it happened that after three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, 'Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.'" (Acts 28:17-19)
Notice the urgency. Paul does not take a long vacation to recover from his harrowing sea voyage. After just three days of settling in, he gets straight to work. And where does he begin? "To the Jew first." This is not merely a slogan for Paul; it is his unswerving, covenantal strategy. He understands that the gospel is the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, and so he brings the news of that fulfillment first to Abraham's children.
His opening statement is a brilliant and concise legal and theological defense. He anticipates their suspicions and addresses them head-on. He makes three crucial points. First, he asserts his loyalty. He has done "nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers." He is not a traitor or an apostate. He is a faithful Jew. Second, he establishes his legal innocence. The Romans, the pagan imperial authorities, examined him and found no basis for a capital charge. They wanted to let him go. The irony here is thick; the Gentiles could see his innocence while the religious authorities in Jerusalem were blind to it. Third, he explains his appeal to Caesar. It was not an offensive move against his own nation. He wasn't suing them. It was a defensive necessity, forced upon him by the intractable opposition of a particular faction of Jews in Judea. He is carefully distinguishing between "the Jews" who objected and "my nation" as a whole.
In short, Paul presents himself not as a revolutionary innovator, but as a persecuted conservative. He is the one standing on the old paths, upholding the ancient customs and hopes of the fathers, while his accusers are the ones who have departed from the faith of Israel.
The Reason for the Chains (v. 20)
Having established his innocence and loyalty, Paul now gets to the heart of the matter. He presents the central, positive reason for his imprisonment.
"For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." (Acts 28:20 LSB)
This is one of the most potent and foundational statements in the book of Acts. Paul defines the entire Christian enterprise in one phrase: "the hope of Israel." He is not preaching a new religion. He is not announcing a gentile replacement for Judaism. He is declaring that the long-awaited hope of the Jewish people has arrived. The Messiah has come. The promises made to the patriarchs have been fulfilled. The prophecies have come to pass.
What is this hope? It is the hope of a coming King, a descendant of David who would crush the head of the serpent, forgive the sins of His people, and establish a kingdom of righteousness and peace that would fill the whole earth. This was the hope that sustained Israel through centuries of exile and oppression. Paul's message is simple: This hope has a name, and it is Jesus of Nazareth. He was crucified for our sins, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, vindicated by God the Father as the promised Messiah and Lord of all.
Therefore, his chains are not a mark of shame, but a badge of honor. He is not in chains for a crime. He is in chains for his orthodoxy. He is imprisoned because he truly believes the promises God made to his fathers. He is saying to these Jewish leaders, "The reason I am bound is because I believe our Bible. The reason you are free is because you do not." This is a profound challenge. It reframes the entire debate. The issue is not Paul's supposed heresy, but rather their unbelief in the face of God's fulfilled promise.
An Open Door in Rome (vv. 21-22)
The response of the Jewish leaders in Rome is, at first glance, surprising. It is a providentially opened door.
"And they said to him, 'We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.'" (Acts 28:21-22 LSB)
They claim total ignorance of the specifics of Paul's case. No official letters, no traveling accusers. Whether this is completely true or a bit of cautious political maneuvering, we cannot be certain. Rome was the communications hub of the empire, and it is hard to believe that no word of such a high-profile case had reached them. But in God's providence, it does not matter. They declare themselves a neutral jury, willing to hear the case for themselves.
But they are not entirely ignorant. They know one very important thing: "for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere." The reputation of the Christian faith had preceded Paul. It was known not for its popularity, but for its controversy. It was a "sect," a faction, a movement that caused division and was met with opposition wherever it went. The Greek word is hairesis, from which we get our word heresy. To the world, Christianity was a troublesome, divisive heresy.
And this is not presented as a problem to be solved, but rather as a fact to be acknowledged. The gospel is a sword. It divides. It forces a choice. It confronts the world's rebellion against God, and the world naturally speaks against it. A gospel that is not spoken against is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. A church that is praised and affirmed by the world is a church that has almost certainly compromised its message.
The Jewish leaders, despite this negative reputation, are curious. "We desire to hear from you what you think." This is the opening. God, in His sovereignty, has brought the apostle to the heart of the empire, provided him with a captive audience of his own countrymen, and opened their ears to hear the gospel of the kingdom. The stage is set for the final proclamation of the book of Acts.
Conclusion: Unashamed of the Sect
The situation of the church in the West today is not so different from that of Paul in Rome. We are, to the world, a sect. And we are spoken against everywhere. Our views on creation, on the sanctity of life, on the nature of marriage and sexuality, on the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ, are considered backward, bigoted, and dangerous. The pressure to conform, to soften the message, to apologize for our beliefs, is immense.
Paul shows us the way forward. We are not to be ashamed of the scandal. We are to explain it. Our chains, whether literal or cultural, are worn for the sake of the hope of Israel, the hope of the world, Jesus Christ the Lord. We must be able to articulate, as Paul did, that we are not the innovators. We are the conservatives, standing on the ancient Word of God. The sexual revolutionaries, the critical race theorists, the secular materialists, they are the ones peddling a new and destructive religion.
We must, like Paul, go on the offensive. We must show the world that their only hope is found in the very message they so despise. The gospel is not one option among many. It is the announcement of a new reality, a new kingdom, and a new King. It is the declaration that the hope of Israel has come, and He now reigns from heaven, putting all His enemies under His feet.
Let the world speak against this sect. It has been doing so for two thousand years. But as they speak against it, the Word of God is not chained. It runs, it conquers, it builds, and it will continue to do so until the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. Our job is to be faithful witnesses to that truth, in chains or in freedom, for the glory of our King.