Summary of Acts 28:11-31:
After three months, they procured a ship and set sail for Rome, landing in Syracuse on the island of Sicily and then traveled on up the coast of Italy to Rome. In Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself while awaiting trial with a soldier to guard him. [Scholars believe Paul was held for four years].
Paul speaks to the leaders of the Jews to explain why he is in chains and the leaders say they have heard nothing bad about Paul and are here to learn about Jesus Christ. He preached to the Jews from morning till evening all about the kingdom of God and Jesus. Some were convinced; others were not. And they argued about it, so much so Paul quoted Isaiah, saying their eyes did not perceive nor their ears understand. Paul proclaims that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles who will listen.
For two years Paul preached the gospel boldly in his home to all those who came.
BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 27, Day 5: Acts 28:11-31
12) Paul was met by some brothers who had heard he was coming. Paul lived by himself with a soldier to guard him.
13) “Boldly and without hindrance to preach the kingdom of God and Jesus.”
14) Personal Question. My answer: Usually good. Just keep living and writing.
15) Personal Question. My answer: God’s word never fails. He keeps His promises. His goodness is infectious.
BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 27, Day 5: Acts 28:11-31
Such words of hope under such dark times. Life will get better; God promises.
BSF Study Questions Acts Lesson 27, Day 5: Acts 28:11-31
Syracuse was a famous city in the ancient world, being the capital city of the island of Sicily.
Archimedes, the famous mathematician, had lived at Syracuse. When the Romans conquered the island, a solider put a dagger to his throat as he worked on a math problem, drawing in the dirt. Archimedes said, “Stop, you’re disturbing up my equation!” and the soldier killed him.
As Paul and the others made their way northward up the Italian peninsula, they spent time with fellow followers of Jesus they met along the way.
Paul Treated Like Emperor
Paul was greeted outside Rome by Christians from city who came to meet them. They honored Paul by greeting him as the emperors were greeted when they arrived at Rome: they went out to meet him as he came into the city, walking the long journey (about 43 miles or 69 kilometers) to the Appii Forum to welcome Paul and his companions.
They had received Paul’s letter to the Romans a few years before, so they probably felt like they knew him already – and they certainly wanted to honor him.
“Luke is far from giving the impression that Paul was the first person to bring the gospel to Rome… the presence of those Christians – the brothers, as Luke calls them – provides evidence enough that the gospel had reached Rome already.” (Bruce) There were Jewish people from Rome present at Peter’s preaching on Pentecost many years before (Acts 2:10), so there had probably been Christians from and in Rome from the beginning.
One could say that they treated Paul as if he were a king. “It was a custom when an emperor visited a city for the people to go out and meet him and escort him back into the city.” (Horton)
Yet, during his second Roman imprisonment, Paul was left alone and forgotten (2 Timothy 4:9-16), meaning that in some sense, the Christians at Rome didn’t (or perhaps couldn’t) maintain their love and honor of Paul.
Finally, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled. Paul determined that he would go to Rome as early as his third missionary journey (Acts 19:21, Romans 1:15). At Jerusalem, Jesus promised Paul he would make it to Rome (Acts 23:11) and repeated the promise during the two weeks of storm at sea (Acts 27:23-25).
“Now, at the very end of the book, the apostle comes to Rome. Thus Jesus’ prophecy that his disciples would be his witnesses ‘to the ends of the earth’ is fulfilled.” (Boice)
Paul and Rome
When Paul came to Rome, the city had existed for almost 800 years. The famous Coliseum was not yet built; but the prominent buildings were the temple of Jupiter, the palaces of Caesar, and a temple to Mars (the god of war). At the time, Rome had a population of about two million – a million slaves, and a million free. Society was divided into roughly three classes: A small upper class, a large class of the poor, and slaves.
This was a happy moment for Julius the centurion, who fulfilled his duty and successfully brought all the prisoners from Caesarea (Acts 27:1) to Rome – with much help from Paul.
Paul wasn’t in a normal prison. He was allowed to dwell by himself and provide his own living space (a rented house according to Acts 28:30). Yet he was constantly under the supervision of a Roman guard, and often chained. The rotation of the guards gave him a constant supply of people to talk to.
“To this soldier he would be lightly chained by the wrist…the soldier would be relieved every four hours or so, but for Paul there was no comparable relief.” (Bruce)
In Philippians 1:13, written from this Roman custody, Paul told of how his message reached the palace guards of Rome. Though he was the prisoner, he had a genuinely captive audience.
Paul followed his consistent practice of going to the Jews first in every city he came to as an evangelist. It took him only three days to have a meeting with the leaders of the Jews in Rome. Paul told them:
- He had not forsaken Israel and that they were still brothers to him.
- He was innocent of any crime against the law or the Jewish people.
- The Romans were ready and willing to release him.
- He did not make a counter-suit or accusation against the Jewish leadership that had accused him.
- He was a prisoner because of his belief in Israel’s Messiah, the hope of Israel.
Paul spoke of the kingdom of God and gave an exhaustive study of how the Old Testament spoke of Jesus – from morning till evening.
God brought a spiritual kingdom that would take root in men’s hearts before it took over the governments of this world. Most of the Jewish people of Jesus’ day and of Paul’s day looked for a political kingdom, not a spiritual kingdom.
Many hear and reject simply because they don’t want to turn to God and be healed of their sin.
To those who respond to the gospel with faith, he is a messenger of life. But to those who reject Jesus, the preacher adds to their condemnation. To the one we are the aroma of death to death, and to the other the aroma of life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:16)
In just a few years after Paul’s rebuke of those Jews who rejected Jesus, the Jewish people of Judea were slaughtered wholesale and Jerusalem was destroyed. God’s judgment was coming, and part of Paul’s frustration was that he sensed this.
Paul spent more than two years at Caesarea waiting for his case to be resolved (Acts 24:27). Now he spent another two years waiting for his case to be heard before Caesar.
Probably, Paul continued his work as a tentmaker (leatherworker) to supply the rent for his house (as in Acts 18:1-2 and 20:33-35). Paul was always a hard-working man.
Though Paul could not travel, he could teach and preach to all who came to him – and this he did. He also wrote letters; we have these two years of Roman custody to thank for the letters to the Ephesians, the Philippians, and the Colossians.
These two years were not wasted, and God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing God’s purpose for our lives at the moment.
Paul eventually had his appearance before Caesar Nero. It’s entirely reasonable to believe that he boldly and powerfully proclaimed the gospel to him – as God had promised he would (Acts 9:15 and 23:11).
It seems likely that Paul was acquitted of these charges, and by most estimates was free for another four or five years until he was arrested again, imprisoned, condemned, and executed in Rome at the command of Nero in A.D. 66 or 67 – as the historical traditions of the early church state.
Probably, Luke did not record Paul’s appearance before Caesar because the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were written to give the Roman court the background and facts of Paul’s case in his trial before Caesar.
God’s Word Cannot Be Stopped
As Paul came to Rome, the sea, the soldiers, and the snake all threatened his life. But God delivered him from them all. Through Paul, God shows that God’s man, fulfilling God’s will, cannot be stopped – though all kinds of difficulty may come in the way.
Matthew 22:1-14 is a parabolic illustration of the Book of Acts. God prepared a feast for Israel, and invited them to come (in the days of Jesus’ ministry), but they would not come. Then, He sent out a second invitation, after all things were ready. But they did not come then either; instead, they killed God’s servants who brought the message of the feast. Finally, God invited all that would come, including Gentiles – but they could only come if they were clothed in the garments of Jesus.
Trusting in Jesus, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Father, the word of God will continue to spread without hindrance and continue to change lives for the glory of God. The Book of Acts really is a never-ending story.
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