<p>13:45 <i>But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy</i>- The success of other preachers can elicit the most powerful jealousy, as it does to this day. &quot;The Jews&quot; here refers surely to the Jewish leadership, as the term often does in Luke-Acts. The experience of such jealousy places us in the direct fellowship of the Lord Jesus. For it was jealousy about &quot;the crowds&quot; which led to His persecution unto death.</p><p><i>And contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul and blasphemed</i><i>- </i>Gk. 'cursed'. The Jews of Antioch in Pisidia cursed Paul and his message, drove him out of the city, and then travelled 180 km. to Lystra to oppose his preaching there. This is the behaviour of bad conscience, rather than secular people just irritated with religious evangelism. Not only did the Jews crucify God&rsquo;s Son, but the book of Acts makes it clear that it was Jewish opposition which was the main adversary to Paul&rsquo;s spreading of the Gospel and establishment of the early church (Acts 13:50,51; 14:2,5,619; 17:5&ndash;9,13,14; 18:6,12&ndash;17; 21:27&ndash;36; 23:12&ndash;25). Paul speaks of the Jewish opposition as having &ldquo;killed both the Lord Jesus and the first century Christian prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins&rdquo; (1 Thess. 2:13&ndash;16). These are strong words, and must be given their full weight in our assessment of the degree to which the Jews were indeed a great &lsquo;Satan&rsquo; to the cause of Christ in the first century.</p>