Why did Paul go to the Jews first in the Book of Acts?
Paul went to the Jews first in Acts because Israel had been God’s covenant people, were steeped in the Word, and were the writers of Scripture. The synagogue was the logical starting place. After about thirty years of national rejection, he turned to the Gentiles, though the Gospel remains open to Jews on the same terms.
Les explains that as Paul began his earthly ministry in the Book of Acts, every place he went, he went first to the synagogue of the Jew. This was a logical place to start because Israel had been the covenant people of God, they had been steeped in the Word of God, and they were the very writers of the Book. But after about thirty some years, they continued to reject the Gospel, so Paul came to that final statement and said, from henceforth we go to the Gentiles, because Israel as a nation was rejecting it. For the last 1900 and some years, this precious Gospel has been going primarily to the Gentiles. Yet it is still open to a Jew, but he must come the same way Gentiles do, because Paul says over and over in Romans that there is no difference.