Paul's desire to reach the Jews

“Having received the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.’” Acts 21:40-22:1
Reading about Paul in the book of Acts shows what an incredible man he was. In an earlier post (Paul’s calling), we looked a little bit at his unique life story that enabled God to use him in such a mighty way.
In the early church, it was acknowledged that Peter was to be the apostle to the Jews, while Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:8-9). But Paul didn’t give up on his dream of preaching the gospel to his own people. He wrote to the church in Rome: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Rom. 9:2-4). Paul’s desire to see the Jews saved was so intense that, if it was possible (which it’s not), he could give up his own salvation if it meant they could gain eternal life.
We see this desire not only in his words, but in his actions. The crowd in Jerusalem had just been trying to kill Paul (Acts 21:31), and yet he still wanted to witness to them and tell them about the love of God that led to the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Here’s the kicker for us: do we love people this much? Most Christians – unfortunately, myself included – are generally content to live in the knowledge that they are saved, and don’t go out of their way to witness to others. Sure, not everyone is called to be an evangelist or missionary, as Paul was, but we can still share our testimony with others, and tell them about the difference that God has made in our lives.