Acts 28:30 - Meaning and Application

We are now saying farewell to the history of blessed Paul. Since God did not see fit to tell us more about him, we should pay close attention to the details of the setting in which we leave him. It is painful to leave him in bonds for Christ, and we are given no sign that he was set free. Two full years of this good man’s life were spent in confinement, and, as far as we can tell, those who held him never even checked on him. He had appealed to Caesar, hoping for a quick release from prison, because the governors had told the emperor that he had done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment. Yet he was still kept as a prisoner.

This shows how little reason we have to rely on people, especially when a lowly prisoner stands before powerful men. Think of Joseph, whom the chief cupbearer did not remember, but forgot (Genesis 40:23). Some think that, even though Luke does not mention it here, Paul was first brought before Nero during one of these two years, and probably early in that year. Then his bonds for Christ were shown openly in Caesar’s court, as Paul says (Philippians 1:13). It was also at that first hearing that “everyone deserted me,” as he says (2 Timothy 4:16). But it seems that, instead of being freed as he expected, he barely escaped the emperor’s power with his life. He calls it being rescued “from the lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:17). His words about his first defense also suggest that he later had a second hearing, in which he did better, though he still was not released.

During these two years in prison, Paul wrote Galatians, then 2 Timothy, then Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, where he mentions several things about his imprisonment. After he was set free, he also wrote Hebrews, and Timothy was then free as well, though he came to visit Paul and, for some reason, was made a fellow prisoner (Philemon 1:13, 23). Paul says, “If he comes soon, I will see you.” We are not told how Paul gained his freedom, only that he remained a prisoner for two years.

Tradition says that after his release he went from Italy to Spain, then to Crete, then with Timothy into Judea, and afterward visited the churches in Asia. At last he came a second time to Rome, where he was beheaded in Nero’s final year. But Baronius himself admits that nothing certain is known about Paul from his release until his martyrdom. Some say that Nero, when he turned openly tyrannical, began to oppose the Christians and persecute them. Tertullian says he was the first emperor to make a law against them (Apol. cap. 5). If so, the church at Rome may have been badly weakened, and that may have brought Paul back to Rome a second time to strengthen the church and comfort the remaining believers. In that case, he fell into Nero’s hands again. Chrysostom also tells a story that Nero grew angry with Paul because one of his young mistresses was converted through Paul’s preaching and turned away from her sinful life. Nero then ordered Paul to be imprisoned and put to death. But keeping to the short account given here, we may say this.

It is sad to think that such a useful man as Paul should be kept from his work for so long. He was a prisoner under Felix for two years (Acts 24:27), and then, after all the time that passed before he reached Rome, he was still a prisoner for two more years under Nero. How many churches might Paul have planted, and how many cities and nations might he have won to Christ, during those five years, if he had been free? But God is wise. He shows that he is not dependent on even the most useful servants he uses. He can carry on his own work without their service, and also through their sufferings. Even Paul’s chains helped spread the gospel (Philippians 1:12-14).

Yet Paul’s imprisonment was, in some respects, a kindness to him. During those two years he lived in his own rented house, and that may have been more settled comfort than he had ever known before. He had usually stayed in the homes of others, but now he had a house of his own, at least while he paid the rent. For a man who had spent his life traveling, that quiet would have been refreshing. He had often been on the move and seldom stayed long in one place, but now he lived in the same house for two years. In that way, being brought into prison was like Christ telling his disciples to “come away to a quiet place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). When Paul was free, he lived in constant danger because of the plots of the Jews (Acts 20:19). Now his prison was his shelter. Out of hardship came comfort, and out of danger came peace.

It is also a joy to us, as it surely was to him, that though we leave Paul in bonds for Christ, we do not leave him idle. He kept working for Christ, and that made his chains easier to bear. They did not keep him from serving God or doing good. His prison became a temple, a church, and then, for him, a palace. His hands were tied, but thank God, his mouth was not shut. A faithful, zealous minister can bear almost any hardship better than being silenced.

So here is Paul, a prisoner, and yet still a preacher. He is bound, but the word of the Lord is not bound. When he wrote to the Romans, he said he longed to see them so he could give them some spiritual gift, that is, some grace-giving help for their faith (Romans 1:11). He was glad to see some of them when they came to him (Acts 28:15), but that would not have been his full joy unless he could also help them spiritually. Here he gets that chance, and so he does not complain about being confined.

Notice first who came to hear him: all who wanted to hear, Jews and Gentiles alike. It does not seem that he was allowed to go out and preach in other houses, and probably he was not. But anyone who wished could come to his house, and they were welcome. He received all who came to him. Ministers’ doors should be open to those who want instruction, and they should gladly advise those who are concerned about their souls. Paul could not preach in a synagogue, or in any grand public meeting place. He preached in his own poor rented house instead. When we cannot do all we would like in God’s service, we must do what we can. Ministers who have only small rented homes should rather preach there, if they are allowed, than remain silent. Paul received all who came to him, and he was neither afraid of the great nor ashamed of the poor.

He was ready to preach on the first day of the week to Christians, on the seventh day to Jews, and to anyone who came on any day. He could hope for better results because they came to him, which showed a desire to be taught and a willingness to learn. Where those things are present, some good is likely to be done.

What he preached is also clear. He did not fill their minds with curious ideas or with matters of government and politics. He stayed with his calling as an apostle. As God’s ambassador, he preached the kingdom of God and did all he could to advance its true interests. He did not meddle in the affairs of earthly kingdoms. That work belonged to others. He preached the kingdom of God among people, and the message of that kingdom. This was the same truth he had defended in public debate, when he testified about the kingdom of God (Acts 28:23). He also pressed it in public preaching, because if it is rightly received, it makes us wiser and better, which is the goal of preaching.

As Christ’s servant, like a friend of the bridegroom, he taught the things that concern the Lord Jesus Christ. That includes the whole story of Christ, his becoming human, his teaching, his life, his miracles, his death, his resurrection, and his return to heaven. It includes everything tied to the mystery of godliness, that is, the truth of how God saves through Christ. Paul kept to his guiding principle, to know and preach nothing except Christ and him crucified. Ministers, when tempted to stray from their main work, should ask themselves, What does this have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ? What help does it give in bringing people to him and keeping them walking with him? For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ.

He also preached with great freedom. God’s grace gave him freedom of spirit. He preached with confidence, sure of the truth he was declaring, and sure of its worth, worth standing for and worth suffering for. He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. God’s providence, his wise care over events, also gave him freedom of speech, since no one stopped him or placed any restraint on him.

Here we should see God’s hand. He can limit the rage of persecutors. Even when he does not change their hearts, he can tie their hands and hold back their words (Psalm 76:10). Nero was a cruel man, and many Jews and Gentiles in Rome hated Christianity. Yet Paul, though a prisoner, was allowed to preach the gospel, and no one treated it as a disturbance of the peace. Even the soldiers guarding him could have tried to stop him, but God ordered things so that no one did. God can also comfort his persecuted people this way.

Paul’s field of work was small compared with what he had known before, but in that small place he was not harassed or disturbed. The door was not wide, but it stayed open, and no one was allowed to shut it. It was still an effective door, for there were saints even in Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). When God gives us such quiet times, and we are fed day by day with the bread of life, with no one stopping us, we should thank him for it and be ready for changes. We should keep longing for that holy mountain where there will never again be a painful thorn or a hurting brier.