A hymn by Charles Wesley is often sung during Advent: “Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.” Wesley describes Jesus as both “Israel’s strength and consolation” and the “hope of all the earth.”

The apostle Paul shared this perspective. When appearing before the local Jewish leaders in Rome, Paul argued that he had been arrested without cause. “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans,” he explained. “They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death” (vv. 17–18).

Paul’s case puzzled the Jewish leaders in Rome. They had received no word about him from Jerusalem but had heard rumors about those who followed Christ. They told the apostle, “We want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect” (v. 22). The Greek word translated “sect” was not a neutral term. It originally referred to the followers of a particular philosopher. They thought Paul was a member of a splinter group within the Jewish faith that held peculiar teachings. The apostle’s defense was that his message was mainstream and consistent with the promises made in the Law and Prophets. “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain,” Paul told them (v. 20, see also v. 23).

These leaders were divided after hearing Paul preach because they dismissed what he said as mere opinion. The last straw for those who were offended was when he pointed out that their rejection would not stop his message but would open the way for the Gentiles to receive it.

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