Paul’s Journey to Rome
21:17 to 28:31
57-62 AD
Paul wrote his prison letters of Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians
from 60-61 AD in Rome.
This long section of Acts could be considered the most uninteresting portion of the whole book. It consists of seemingly endless legal scenes and has more than its share of speeches. That the Ruach ha-Kodesh and the inspired author Luke considered this material of vital importance, however, is seen by the fact that these chapters constitute the fulfillment of the divine promise given to Paul at the time of his conversion that he would bear the Lord’s name before Gentiles, kings, and the people of Isra’el (9:15).
Three major speeches that form the framework of this section illustrate the accomplishment of that promise. At the beginning is Paul’s witness before a mob in the Temple compound (to see link click Co – Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem). It is in every sense a witness before the people of Isra’el. The witness before Gentiles is seen in the constant conversation between Paul and the Roman officials and particularly in the defense before Felix, which stands at this section’s midpoint (see Cv – Paul’s Defense before Governor Felix). Finally, there is the climactic speech before the supposed Jewish King Agrippa II (see Cy – Paul’s Defense before Agrippa). Considerable overlap occurs in the content of the speeches. This repetition should be a clue in itself that Luke considered the material to be of vital importance. In fact, it is in this portion of Acts where the major themes of the entire book come together. In this sense, these chapters comprise the climax to Acts.
A useful manner of outlining these themes is to consider the main characters who appear in these chapters. Basically, there are three – Paul, the Roman officials, and the Jews. As for Paul, one might consider this period as the lowest-point of his ministry. At the beginning he was nearly killed by an angry mob, was placed in chains by the Roman commander, and thereafter was moved from one official to another, one place of confinement to another. He was constantly under accusation, continually placed on the defense.
If one looks carefully at Paul’s “defense,” however, it always appears as more of a witness, a positive witness to his faith in Yeshua. This is in keeping with the Lord’s voice saying: He is a choice instrument to carry My name before the nations and kings and the children of Isra’el (9:15). Paul is not to be seen as having to give his legal defense so much as to bear witness to the name of his Lord. With this section 23:11 is the key verse, which reads: The Lord stood beside Paul and said: Take courage! For just as you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome! Whomever Paul stood before – whether the Jews, the Roman procurator, or Caesar himself – it was above all to testify for his Lord. In so doing, he fulfilled the commission of Yeshua (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Jk – Everyone Will Hate You Because of Me, But Not a Hair of Your Head Will Perish). The role Paul shared with the Twelve was that of witness. This was perhaps Paul’s time of greatest witness. Far from a low point, it was in many respects the high-point of Paul’s ministry. His witness had no social or political bounds. He would ultimately testify to Christ before Caesar himself!495
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