Paul Arrives In Rome - Acts 28:12-31

The End of an Era

The voyage to Rome took nearly 4 perilous, cold, miserable months. But for Paul, it was an arrival that was 5 years in waiting. It had been that long since he wrote his letter to the church there, in which he said in Chapter 1:11 “I long to see you,” and in Chapter 15:23 he had “a great desire these many years to come see [them].” Nobody knows who first preached the Gospel in Rome and thus began a church in that great city, but it was already well-established and evidently had a good reputation for Christ a half-decade before Paul’s arrival.

However, when Paul arrived, the first people he made contact after he was remanded to prison, were the chiefs of the Jews, which is generally not the Christian believers, but the synagogue Jews.

He first explains to them why he was in Rome, in verses 17-20. Briefly, he tells them he is there because he had been falsely accused by the Jews in Jerusalem and although he had no wish to bring suit against his own people, his only recourse was to appeal to the highest authority in the land, Caesar himself.

Evidently, word had spread to Rome about the “danger” of the sect of Christ, but the Jews in Rome had not received any word from Jerusalem about Paul himself. Perhaps the leaders in Jerusalem no longer considered Paul a risk to them since he was in a Roman prison and at the mercy of Caesar, because they did not bother him any more after this. At the end of this chapter, Luke tells us that Paul preached of Jesus Christ for the rest of his time in Rome and was unhindered in doing so, both by the Jews and the Gentiles.

However, there was still one more message we hear from Paul, and that is found in verses 23-28. In this message, Paul gives the chiefs of the Jews the Gospel, and then when they reject it, he tells them they have fulfilled the words of the prophet, Isaiah.

The Final Sermon

Quoted in Verse 26-27: Isaiah 6:9-10

Isaiah 6:9–10 KJV 1900

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; And see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, And make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Jesus also referred to this Isaiah passage when He spoke to the disciples regarding parables in Luke 8:10

Luke 8:10 KJV 1900

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

In Verse 28, Paul concludes by saying because this prophecy by Yahweh has been fulfilled, the salvation has gone to the Gentiles, who will hear it. Notice the contrast: the Jews will not hear it (or see it or understand it), but the Gentiles will.

Of course not all Gentiles heard and believed the gospel, nor did zero of the Jews hear and believe. However, as Isaiah predicted, only a small portion (a tenth) would return to the land, which is probably a figure of speech referring to a small remnant of the Jews would actually believe, yet countless numbers of Gentiles did and would come to salvation through Jesus Christ.

An interesting note about the Isaiah passage: after the Lord looks everywhere for someone to take a message, Isaiah responds by saying, “Here am I Lord, send me.” I have heard many missionaries use that verse as the one that called them into missions, there’s at least one fairly popular song that uses that verse, and it’s commonly used to convey our willingness to obey the Lord’s calling in our lives. It’s a beautiful statement of surrender and obedience. But what you never hear is what the Lord tells Isaiah to say as His messenger: “go and tell the people to hear and not understand, to close up their ears and eyes so that they do not understand, convert, and be healed.” What the Lord is telling Isaiah is: your words of truth to the people will cause them to harden their hearts and refuse to hear the truth. Your warnings will be ignored, your prophecies will be offensive, and your pleadings will be mocked. It will be to them as if your words are commanding them to ignore you, and that is what will happen.

Perhaps no Christian preacher or missionary understood this more than Paul, for that was an earmark of his ministry. The Jews repeatedly ignored his teaching and went so far as to treat him in the same way they had treated the prophets of old, including Isaiah and of course the Son of God Himself; persecution, beatings, stoning, imprisonment, and murder. And what makes this all the more astounding is that this was part of God’s Providential plan. The rejection by the Jews would make the acceptance of the Gentiles possible. But how can it be that God, who chose the Israelites by calling their father, Abraham, out of the pagan land of Ur, now cause them to be hardened, blinded, and deafened to the truth? It is because in His sovereignty, He has ended by fulfillment His covenant with ethnic Israel and has made a newer, better covenant that includes all who are spiritual descendants of Abraham, and that is those who have faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

For many people, the concept of God having sovereign control over us is offensive, if not downright unjust. Words such as “predetermined” or “providence” carry negative connotations and conjure up thoughts that bristle at the truth that is God’s will always takes preeminence over man’s will. And Paul addresses this at length in his letter to the church at Rome.

Beware, lest you think that this is unfair. Romans 3:5–8

Romans 3:5–8 LSB

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is the God who inflicts wrath unrighteous? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.

In short, God holds us accountable for the decisions we make, regardless of how we reached the decision on what to say or do. He may choose to have an active role in what we do or say, or He may stand back and appear to give us full license to say what we think or do what we think, but just like everyone who rejected Him, we must all give an account.

The Final Rejection

After hearing Paul explain from the Scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Messiah, some believe while others are unconvinced. They debate it amongst themselves, but to their credit, they do not turn against Paul. He is unhindered for 2 years as he hosts many meetings in his home while under house arrest. He accomplished his wish to be a blessing to and to be blessed by the saints at Rome.

Tradition says Paul was released from prison and eventually made it to Spain just as he hoped to. After ministering there, he returned to Rome where he was beheaded under Nero’s persecution of the Church somewhere around 67 AD. And so ended the 30-year earthly ministry of Saul of Tarsus, but his influence and authority in the church of Jesus Christ arguably outshines all of the other apostles. From an enemy of Christ to a warrior for Christ, Paul’s life exemplifies the Christian experience, and he set an example that all believers should follow, whether they be clergy or laypeople: love your enemies, love the church, and love Christ. Let truth and love be your motivation to continue forward. As Paul wrote to Timothy at the end of his life:

2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”