“It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” Acts 28:20
Spring in Malta had come with its clear sky, smooth sea, and breathtaking array of beautiful flowers. It was a far cry from the windswept, craggy stone island that Paul’s ship and company had first encountered during a storm they thought would be their end.
The islanders of Malta made it difficult to leave due to their hospitality and gratitude for Paul’s healing ministry. But it was now time to go; destiny awaited them. They put out to sea with another Alexandrian freighter that had wintered in Malta. They noted the figurehead of the twin gods of Castor and Pollus, the namesakes of the constellation Gemini. According to Roman legend they were credited with calming storms and aiding ships in distress. Paul and company knowingly looked at each other. Their recent experience together taught them that it was “the Lord who heard them in their trouble, and who brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” Ps. 107:28-29. “If they only had eyes to see. No one stops to think…..” “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.” Isa.44: 9 That is why we must go to Rome, they thought.
They set sail from Malta and eventually docked at Puteoli, about forty-three miles from Rome. There they found some Christian brethren from house churches in Rome. Paul had written them three years before, but had not visited them. They were Jews who had originally heard the Gospel message from Peter in Jerusalem and had returned to Rome to start house churches there. When the Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome, the Gentile believers stayed behind to continue the ministry there. When Paul came to Rome, he accompanied these brethren as they walked along the Appian Way. Not like a prisoner under guard, but more like a triumphal entry, reminiscent of the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
The Gospel had thrived in Rome. Paul's prayers had been answered: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world…I long to see you ….that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Rom.1: 8,12
When they arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. Three days later, Paul called together the local Jewish leaders. He explained to them that he had nothing against “our people”: “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
Paul witnessed to them from morning until evening, explaining the kingdom of God. From the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced, but others would not believe. Paul made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: Isa.6:9-10
“Go to this people and say.
You will be ever hearing but never
understanding;
You will be ever seeing but never
perceiving…. .
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” The church of the living God was proof of that here in Rome. For “two whole years Paul stayed there and proclaimed the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Historians tell us that after two years, Paul was released without getting to address Nero, the emperor. It seems that no one was left to accuse him. He was re-arrested with Peter when Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome. Paul was then beheaded in the Ostian Way, just outside the walls of Rome. Peter was executed the same day as Paul. He was crucified, upside down, in the city of Rome. We are told it is not about the messenger, but it is the Message that is paramount in importance. However, we can see, by the life of Paul, that the messenger increasingly becomes the message. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim.4:7)
Questions to Think About:
Spring in Malta had come with its clear sky, smooth sea, and breathtaking array of beautiful flowers. It was a far cry from the windswept, craggy stone island that Paul’s ship and company had first encountered during a storm they thought would be their end.
The islanders of Malta made it difficult to leave due to their hospitality and gratitude for Paul’s healing ministry. But it was now time to go; destiny awaited them. They put out to sea with another Alexandrian freighter that had wintered in Malta. They noted the figurehead of the twin gods of Castor and Pollus, the namesakes of the constellation Gemini. According to Roman legend they were credited with calming storms and aiding ships in distress. Paul and company knowingly looked at each other. Their recent experience together taught them that it was “the Lord who heard them in their trouble, and who brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” Ps. 107:28-29. “If they only had eyes to see. No one stops to think…..” “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.” Isa.44: 9 That is why we must go to Rome, they thought.
They set sail from Malta and eventually docked at Puteoli, about forty-three miles from Rome. There they found some Christian brethren from house churches in Rome. Paul had written them three years before, but had not visited them. They were Jews who had originally heard the Gospel message from Peter in Jerusalem and had returned to Rome to start house churches there. When the Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome, the Gentile believers stayed behind to continue the ministry there. When Paul came to Rome, he accompanied these brethren as they walked along the Appian Way. Not like a prisoner under guard, but more like a triumphal entry, reminiscent of the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
The Gospel had thrived in Rome. Paul's prayers had been answered: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world…I long to see you ….that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Rom.1: 8,12
When they arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. Three days later, Paul called together the local Jewish leaders. He explained to them that he had nothing against “our people”: “It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
Paul witnessed to them from morning until evening, explaining the kingdom of God. From the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced, but others would not believe. Paul made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: Isa.6:9-10
“Go to this people and say.
You will be ever hearing but never
understanding;
You will be ever seeing but never
perceiving…. .
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” The church of the living God was proof of that here in Rome. For “two whole years Paul stayed there and proclaimed the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Historians tell us that after two years, Paul was released without getting to address Nero, the emperor. It seems that no one was left to accuse him. He was re-arrested with Peter when Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome. Paul was then beheaded in the Ostian Way, just outside the walls of Rome. Peter was executed the same day as Paul. He was crucified, upside down, in the city of Rome. We are told it is not about the messenger, but it is the Message that is paramount in importance. However, we can see, by the life of Paul, that the messenger increasingly becomes the message. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim.4:7)
Questions to Think About:
- The devotional contrasts that the Roman figureheads (Castor and Pollux) credited with calming storms with the reality of God’s power that saved Paul’s crew. In your own life, what “modern idols” or cultural explanations (like luck, coincidence, or self-reliance ) do people often credit for blessing or rescue that actually come from God?
- Paul was bound by literal chains and guarded by a soldier, yet his arrival at Rome felt like a triumphal entry, and he preached without hindrance. Are you waiting for your “chains” to be removed before you start serving God, or are you serving Him right where you are?
- The text quotes Isaiah’s warning about people who are “ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving.” In what area of your life right now are you “hearing but not understanding”? Is there a specific truth, conviction, or piece of biblical advice you have actively ignored or minimized because accepting it would require you to change?
- The devotional states that “the messenger increasingly becomes the message,” culminating in a life poured out completely for Christ. If your life were the only Bible a person ever read, what would they conclude about the character, love, and reliability of God? Where is the biggest gap between the faith you profess with your lips and the reality of how you live behind closed doors?
- Paul’s walk down the Appian Way is described not as a prisoner’s march, but as a “triumphal entry,” yet his ended in what the world would consider a tragic defeat: execution outside the city walls. How do you define a “successful” Christian life? Does your definition align more with the world’s standard of safety, comfort, and long life, or with Paul’s standard of enduring suffering for the sake of the Gospel?
Posted in Faithful to the End