As the Book of Acts nears its conclusion, BRUCE C WEARNE looks at how Paul explained his arrival in Rome…
And so it happened that after [merely] three days he [got to work and] convened a meeting for himself and the senior Jewish leadership, and when they had come together, he said to them, “Fellows and brothers, though I have never done anything contrary to our people or to detract from the customs we have inherited from our ancestors, still I have been made a prisoner, and here I am, having arrived from Jerusalem after having been handed over to the Romans. Having examined me, they wished to release me from custody because, in truth, there was nothing to justify the death sentence in my case. But [because] the Jewish authorities opposed this course of action, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar – and, moreover, I certainly have no wish to bring any accusation against my own people [that Caesar could adjudicate]. For to me the wearing of this chain has everything to do with sharing the hope of Israel. So, that is [indeed] why I have asked to see you and to speak with you [about why I am here]. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am constrained by this chain.”
And they replied to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and neither [have we received any communication] from brothers coming here [on visit] pronouncing on your case nor have has any ill been spoken of you. But we think it quite appropriate to here your perspective [on these matters], for in regard to this faction we are well aware that opposition faces it just about everywhere.” – Acts 28:17-22
ST PAUL: A statue of Paul in Vatican City located in central Rome. PICTURE: Nils Huber/Unsplash
IN A NUTSHELL
The local Jews had no reason to avoid Paul. They visited him to hear what he had to say.
Luke’s story now reaches its intriguing conclusion. Paul finally reached Rome. He was a prisoner. Presumably, his case would not be considered for some time. Meanwhile, he had some liberty and, even under house arrest, he could invite people to visit him. Could this indefinite situation last for the rest of Paul’s days? Presumably. Who is to say? And, more to the point, who is to say that a person in such a situation is not the recipient of God’s Holy Spirit?
Jesus made a personal guarantee to His disciples to send the Comforter to those who believed. Paul surely needed the Holy Spirit at this time. Jesus calls disciples to follow Him. Redemption is sure but there is no promise of immediate success or even release from distress. Sometimes, discipleship means the intensification of trouble. Was this not the case for Paul?
But why hasn’t Luke ended his story with Paul and all his friends, and some of his former enemies, in a more up-beat mode? Why does he leave it here in a way that seems “up in the air”? Perhaps it is because Luke saw these things in this way, “up in the air”!
We may want to interpret the story in heroic terms and end up by saying what a great servant Paul was and congratulate him for how he followed Jesus to the bitter end. But the only problem with that is that Luke does not finish it like that. We do not know how Paul met his end. Are we then to doubt that our lack of knowledge about Paul’s final years has escaped God’s notice? Could it not be that our lack of knowledge about how Paul died is also under the supervision of the Holy Spirit and that He did not want us to know about Paul’s final days. Is it not sufficient for us some many centuries later to confess that Paul, like all other followers of Jesus, lived out his days under the blessings of the Almighty?
What Luke’s incredibly rich narrative has told us is of a trip from Ephesus to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to Caesarea where Paul languished in prison for a couple of years. Then with Paul’s appeal to Caesar, Agrippa and Festus had no choice but to send him on his way to Rome. A storm got them to Malta and despite the fact that they might have perished on the way it now seems possible that Paul might have simply “rotted” under Roman house arrest. Was this his equivalent of “retirement”? Was this his life after “active duty”?
Luke, as Paul’s fellow-traveller, learned much from the trip. I suspect he concludes his book as he does because he wants to tell us what he had learned from their arrival in Rome. God Almighty affirmed that His Kingdom advances “…neither by might nor by power but by my Spirit” – (Zechariah 4:6).
OPEN BOOK – HINTS FROM THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS: PAUL IN ROME
As the Book of Acts nears its conclusion, BRUCE C WEARNE looks at how Paul explained his arrival in Rome…
And so it happened that after [merely] three days he [got to work and] convened a meeting for himself and the senior Jewish leadership, and when they had come together, he said to them, “Fellows and brothers, though I have never done anything contrary to our people or to detract from the customs we have inherited from our ancestors, still I have been made a prisoner, and here I am, having arrived from Jerusalem after having been handed over to the Romans. Having examined me, they wished to release me from custody because, in truth, there was nothing to justify the death sentence in my case. But [because] the Jewish authorities opposed this course of action, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar – and, moreover, I certainly have no wish to bring any accusation against my own people [that Caesar could adjudicate]. For to me the wearing of this chain has everything to do with sharing the hope of Israel. So, that is [indeed] why I have asked to see you and to speak with you [about why I am here]. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am constrained by this chain.”
And they replied to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and neither [have we received any communication] from brothers coming here [on visit] pronouncing on your case nor have has any ill been spoken of you. But we think it quite appropriate to here your perspective [on these matters], for in regard to this faction we are well aware that opposition faces it just about everywhere.” – Acts 28:17-22
ST PAUL: A statue of Paul in Vatican City located in central Rome. PICTURE: Nils Huber/Unsplash
IN A NUTSHELL
The local Jews had no reason to avoid Paul. They visited him to hear what he had to say.
Luke’s story now reaches its intriguing conclusion. Paul finally reached Rome. He was a prisoner. Presumably, his case would not be considered for some time. Meanwhile, he had some liberty and, even under house arrest, he could invite people to visit him. Could this indefinite situation last for the rest of Paul’s days? Presumably. Who is to say? And, more to the point, who is to say that a person in such a situation is not the recipient of God’s Holy Spirit?
Jesus made a personal guarantee to His disciples to send the Comforter to those who believed. Paul surely needed the Holy Spirit at this time. Jesus calls disciples to follow Him. Redemption is sure but there is no promise of immediate success or even release from distress. Sometimes, discipleship means the intensification of trouble. Was this not the case for Paul?
But why hasn’t Luke ended his story with Paul and all his friends, and some of his former enemies, in a more up-beat mode? Why does he leave it here in a way that seems “up in the air”? Perhaps it is because Luke saw these things in this way, “up in the air”!
We may want to interpret the story in heroic terms and end up by saying what a great servant Paul was and congratulate him for how he followed Jesus to the bitter end. But the only problem with that is that Luke does not finish it like that. We do not know how Paul met his end. Are we then to doubt that our lack of knowledge about Paul’s final years has escaped God’s notice? Could it not be that our lack of knowledge about how Paul died is also under the supervision of the Holy Spirit and that He did not want us to know about Paul’s final days. Is it not sufficient for us some many centuries later to confess that Paul, like all other followers of Jesus, lived out his days under the blessings of the Almighty?
What Luke’s incredibly rich narrative has told us is of a trip from Ephesus to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to Caesarea where Paul languished in prison for a couple of years. Then with Paul’s appeal to Caesar, Agrippa and Festus had no choice but to send him on his way to Rome. A storm got them to Malta and despite the fact that they might have perished on the way it now seems possible that Paul might have simply “rotted” under Roman house arrest. Was this his equivalent of “retirement”? Was this his life after “active duty”?
Luke, as Paul’s fellow-traveller, learned much from the trip. I suspect he concludes his book as he does because he wants to tell us what he had learned from their arrival in Rome. God Almighty affirmed that His Kingdom advances “…neither by might nor by power but by my Spirit” – (Zechariah 4:6).
Donate
Sight+ is a new benefits program we’ve launched to reward people who have supported us with annual donations of $26 or more. To find out more about Sight+ and how you can support the work of Sight, head to our Sight+ page.
Musings
Biological pattern
TAKE PART IN THE SIGHT READER SURVEY!
We’re interested to find out more about you, our readers, as we improve and expand our coverage and so we’re asking all of our readers to take this survey (it’ll only take a couple of minutes).
To take part in the survey, simply follow this link…