Paul declared three times in Acts that he is leaving the Jews and turning to the Gentiles (13:46; 18:6; 28:26), which has often fuelled a withdrawal from outreach to the Jewish people by the church. A misunderstanding of the use of ‘the Jews’ in Acts has unfortunately resulted in antisemitism, from explicit violence against Jews and Israel, to an implicit embracing of ‘replacement theology.’
We may ask if the ministry shift to the Gentiles in Acts is due to a rejection of the Jewish people, or the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan to include Gentiles together with Jews? We will demonstrate neither Luke, nor Paul, exhibits a rejection of ministry to the Jewish people, enabling a new perspective for outreach to the Jewish community.
1. Inside or External Criticism?
If Luke saw no continuance of Jewish lifestyle, and did not see himself within the framework of Judaism, then those who view Acts as antisemitic have basis for their viewpoint. If, however, Luke is writing within Judaism, then his use of ‘the Jews’ must be seen as an in-house critique, and claims of antisemitism, and a withdrawal of ministry to the Jewish people, are invalid.
Some claim Luke is vehemently rejecting the Jews. Yet Luke’s writing is typically favourable to things Jewish, making fine distinctions one would omit were they rejecting the Jewish people (Acts 5:17; 17:2; 21:20; 22:12; 23:6; 24:14-16; 28:17). This detailed incorporating of Jewish ways suggests Luke knew, embraced, and enjoyed Jewish life. Luke’s ‘heroes’ are all observant Jews. While the speeches of Stephen, Peter, and Paul contain strong criticism of Jewish aspects, similar challenges are found in the Prophets, Josephus, and later Rabbinic literature. One would hardly declare the Prophets, or the Talmud, as being anti-Jewish or anti-Israel. In this way it is reasonable to view Luke as writing from within Judaism, with the purpose of Gentile inclusion, not Jewish exclusion.
2. Jews Out / Gentiles In?
God’s original purpose for sending Jesus was not to redeem just the Jewish people but to include and graft in the Gentiles. Neither Luke’s Gospel or Acts promotes any anti-Jewish bias, as Luke’s purpose is to lead all to accept Yeshua as Messiah (Acts 2:26-38). Both Jews and Gentiles in Acts accept and reject Yeshua, pushing back the notion ‘all Jews rejected’ and ‘all Gentiles accepted.’
Luke did not portray Jewish exclusion, instead he demonstrated Gentile inclusion (13:47; 15:16f). Luke’s Gentile inclusion message in Acts was written within Judaism, and alongside the message that Yeshua is first Israel’s Messiah. We do not find anywhere within Luke’s Gospel or Acts that the Gentiles replace the Jewish people in God’s eternal plans.
In Acts, Gentiles did not receive salvation because all Jewish people rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Whenever Paul states he is now going to the Gentiles, it was after he had spoken in a local synagogue. Luke’s message of Gentile inclusion starts at the centre of Jerusalem with just Jewish people, then finishes in Rome with Jews and Gentiles as one in Messiah. Even following Stephen’s stoning, those scattered from Israel were preaching only to Jewish people in the Diaspora (Acts 11:19). This changed with Peter going to Cornelius (Acts 10:26), an event that can be viewed as a pin-prick into Caesar’s heart, alerting the Gospel was heading to Rome!
The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) declared God’s eternal plan of salvation was always to include the Gentile as Gentiles, without them becoming Jewish, and their inclusion was not because of any Jewish rejection. The majority attending this Council were Jews who had not rejected Yeshua as their Messiah. God commissioned a Pharisee named Saul, or Paul (his ‘Gentile’ name), to reach and include the Gentiles, without any suggestion of Jewish rejection (Acts 9:15). Paul understood the Gentiles were grafted into the Jewish root to ‘repair, not replace’ the Jewish people (Rom.11:1-2, 17). Paul continually reached out to his fellow Jews, typically starting his outreach at the local synagogue, boldly declaring Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah; some accepted, some rejected. Then Paul declared he was now going to share God’s love with the Gentiles; some accepted, some rejected. Therefore, the Gospel call to Jewish people remained current in Acts, and should continue today.
3. Luke: the Goyim Lover?
Significantly, Luke portrays some Gentiles as opposing the Apostles, and rejecting the Gospel message. Not all Gentiles accepted Yeshua as Messiah in Acts. It is interesting that many of the Gentiles reached in Acts were the ‘God-fearers,’ and not the pagan Gentiles who often reject God’s Word (Acts 17:32). God-fearers were Gentiles in the process of accepting the God of Israel, but not yet made full ‘conversion’ to Judaism. God’s plan for Gentile salvation is seen throughout the Tanach, and prophesied this inclusion would occur with the coming of the Jewish Messiah (Isa.9:1; 49:6; Amos.9:12; Joel.2:28). These prophecies find fulfilment in Acts with Luke’s purpose and movement to declare God’s inclusion of the Gentiles is now happening. Many of the major characters in Acts, especially those proclaiming the Good News, are Jewish people; thus, the use of ‘the Jews’ in Acts is used in a rhetorical contrasting style, in a way similar to John’s Gospel.
4. ‘The Jews’ in Acts.
In October’s Israel & Christians Today (p.12) I wrote on ‘the Jews’ in John’s Gospel, where we established four (4) different rhetorical applications by John, none being antisemitic. These rhetorical applications of ‘the Jews’ in John’s Gospel can also apply to Acts, where ‘Jew/s’ occur about 81 times:
- Its natural sense, simply ‘Jewish people’: (Acts 2:5, 10; 9:22; 10:22, 28; 11:19; 13:5, 6; 14:1; 16:3, 20; 17:1, 10, 17; 18:2 (2x), 4, 5, 19, 24; 19:10, 14, 17, 33, 34; 21:21, 39; 22:3, 12; 24:5; 25:8, 10; 26:3, 4; 28:29).
- As ‘Judeans’: people who live in or near Jerusalem: (Acts 10:39).
- Jewish people hostile to Yeshua: (Acts 9:23; 12:11; 14:2, 4, 19; 17:5; 17:13; 18:12, 14, 28; 20:3, 19; 21:27; 24:18).
- The Religious Authorities: in Jerusalem (Acts 10:39; 12:3; 21:11; 22:30; 23:12, 20, 27, 30; 24:9, 27; 25:2, 7, 9, 15, 24; 26:2, 7, 21; 28:17, 19); in Antioch Pisidia (13:45, 50); 14:5 (Iconium).
Yet, in Acts, we may add two new groups:
Gentiles who are hostile to Yeshua: Acts 12:3,11 (Herod); 13:50 (Antioch Pisidia); 14:4,5 (Iconium); 14:19 (Lystra); 16:20 (Thyatira); 17:5 (Thessalonica); 17:13 (Berea); 18:17 (Corinth); 19:23-41 (Ephesus); 24:27 (Felix).
Jews who accepted Yeshua: (Acts 2:5x10x 41; 3:4 (implied); 6:7 (implied); 9:31, 42 (implied); 13:43; 14:1; 14:19 (implied), 16:14, 15 (Lydia and her household); 17:4 (Thessalonica); 17:12 (Berea); 18:2, 4, 8 (Corinth); 18:20 (Ephesus, implied), 18:24; 19:8, 10 (implied), 19:17; 20:21; 21:20 (Jerusalem); 28:24 (Rome).
5. Conclusion.
As noted above, Luke wrote Acts from within Judaism, and his major players are Jewish. Some Jews accepted, and some rejected the message that Yeshua is their promised Messiah. Likewise, some Gentiles accepted, and others rejected the Gospel message, some violently (Acts 19:23f). Interestingly, Acts does not record any mass Gentile acceptance such as happened with the Jewish people (Acts 2:41; 3:4; 5:14; 21:20). Many of the Gentiles in the ‘hostile’ list above were leaders of their communities, who reacted out of the same fear of jealousy and of losing power or position as did Jewish leaders. Yet a number of Gentile (and Jewish) leaders embraced Paul and his companions, and pushed back at their adversaries. Thus, by an examination of the various rhetorical uses of ‘the Jews,’ and noting that many thousands of Jews accepted Yeshua (Acts 21:20), we do not find any wholesale or national Jewish rejection of Yeshua as their Messiah in Acts. Therefore, the movement of the Gospel towards Gentile inclusion in Acts cannot be based in any wholesale Jewish rejection. The call to reach Jewish people exists for all in this day and age. In the next edition we will examine those passages in Acts where Paul declares he is now going to the Gentiles.
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