Paul reached out to the Jewish leaders in Rome. As in most other places, he got at best a mixed reaction. He quoted Isaiah 6:9-10, and told them that salvation was also going to the Gentiles. Based on Acts 28:20, and Paul’s earlier embrace of the Pharisees’ belief in the idea of resurrection, Jesus’ resurrection must have been central to his appeal. He probably used language much like that in chapter 15 of his letter to Christians in Corinth.

• Why did Paul speak to the Jewish leaders in Rome? Hadn’t he learned by now that that wasn’t likely to work? For Paul, this was personal. In his letter to Rome (written before he ever got to that city), Paul wrote, “My heart’s desire is for Israel’s salvation. That’s my prayer to God for them” (Romans 10:1). Are there people you care about that you’re tempted to give up on, who just aren’t going to share your faith? How can Paul’s example encourage you to keep seeking loving ways to share?
• Review Paul’s list of eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. For Paul (and, ultimately, for all of us) the resurrection’s reality was a matter of life and death. Rome would have loved to disprove the apostles’ claim. But they couldn’t produce Jesus’ corpse, and their deadliest threats couldn’t stop the witnesses from insisting, “It’s real—I saw him risen with my own eyes.” How close or far away are you from being able to join Paul in affirming, “IN FACT Christ has been raised from the dead”?