“And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,”
Acts 21:40 KJV
When the commander gave his permission, Paul stood on the steps and gestured with his hands for the people to listen. When the crowd quieted down, Paul addressed them in Aramaic. Just a while back Paul spoke in Greek to the Roman commander, but now he addressed the Jews in Hebrew or Aramaic which had replaced Hebrew during the Babylonian captivity. He did not address the Jews in Greek! Paul knew how to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles. His love for his fellow Jews to receive Jesus as their Messiah was so intense that he said, “I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh”. Because of Jesus, Paul had such an intense desire for the Jews to accept Christ. Jesus prophesied to the Jews, “Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!'" Our prayer is for Israel today to believe and confess this. Amen!
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