Narratives that tell of Jewish hostility and strategies of opposition are prominent (Acts 13:4514:2, 19, 16:20-21), and whereever Gentiles are also involved in any activity against the missionaries, Luke is sure to mention that they have had their minds poisoned, and have been stirred up, by the Jews. However, this does not equal a mounting anti-Jewish attitude in Luke. Certainly, the disciples do meet their most virulent opposition in the unbelieving Jews, but Luke is, in fact, not nearly as surprised by the negative Jewish reaction as we are very apt to be! .
Negative Jewish reaction is always one of extreme envy (Acts 13:45; 17:5), which is utterly in keeping with Luke's theme of promise and fulfilment. Jervell is partly correct when he says that Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, began the process of dividing the Jewish people into the repentant and the unyielding, although according to the evidence in Isaiah, the division had been established long before this. In Isaiah 11:12-13, 'Ephraim' is depicted as the remnant of Israel - those who are not envious. 'Judah' is the scattered people gathered from the four quarters of the earth. The "true' Israel then, is the united 'Ephraim,' who are the Jews who believe, and 'Judah,' which are those taken from the Gentiles as a people for Himself (Acts 15:14). Luke shows an awareness that there is now a distinction made between the repentant and the stubborn. In Luke 20:18 those who fall on the stone are broken to pieces in repentance, but the one on whom the stone falls is crushed in condemnation at the end. This theme is reiterated in Acts when Peter speaks to Men of Israel (Acts 3:21-23) about Christ and warns that when He returns at the appointed time to restore everything, those who have not listened to him will be cut off from among his people. Luke's motif here is not to draw attention to the cutting off of unbelieving Jews, since he has an understanding of the new Way (Acts 15:9).
