::R1570 : page 256::

PAUL AT ROME

III. QUAR., LESSON XI., SEPT. 10, ACTS 28:20-31

Golden Text—”I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.”—Rom. 1:16

The apparent misfortune which cast the shipwrecked crew upon the little island of Melita became another occasion to the Apostle for bearing effective witness for Christ, and both Paul and all that were with him, and the simple islanders, also, were blessed. (Acts 28:1-10.) Departing thence, other Christians were met, encouraged and blessed—at Puteoli, and possibly at Syracuse and Rhegium; and, nearing Rome, the welcome faces of brethren who had come to meet him were seen at Appii Forum; and Paul thanked God, and took courage.—Verse 15.

The Apostle’s first step, after his arrival and settlement in Rome, with the large measure of freedom he enjoyed by the favor of the Roman authorities, was to call together the chief of the Jews in Rome, desiring as heretofore to present the gospel “to the Jews first, and afterward to the Gentiles.”

In verse 20 we mark the wisdom manifested in his manner of presenting the subject, declaring and showing that for the hope of Israel he was bearing those chains. And what was the hope of Israel? It was in the promise of a Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom—the very thing that Paul was continually preaching, showing that the promise of his coming had been fulfilled, and that his kingdom would just as surely be established. At the first interview he merely prepared them for a subsequent opportunity to hear the gospel, wisely awakening in them a desire to hear more of his doctrine. Then, at the appointed time, he was ready with all his strong arguments, and spent the day from morning till evening preaching Jesus unto them from the text books of The Law and The Prophets.—Verse 23.

It is very noticeable that, though Paul was careful to present the subject in a manner least calculated to stir up Jewish prejudices, his caution did not keep back the truth. He gave it to them in due time and order, but with all its native force, and let it do its separating work, as it always does. His reasoning was close, Scriptural and cumulative in its power. He reached conclusions, and placed the issue fairly before his hearers; and when they cavilled and rejected the truth he boldly applied to them the rebuke of the Prophet Isaiah (verses 24-27), a rebuke which the Lord so frequently applied to Jews. He then declared his subsequent purpose to be, to turn to the Gentiles, who should enjoy the privilege of which they had judged themselves unworthy. (Verse 28.) The rebuke of the Prophet was much more weighty to them than any words of his own would have been; for the Jews had not learned to recognize the inspiration of the apostles. From this suggestion we may all learn the wisdom of using the words of inspiration in preference to our own.

Paul’s two years in Rome, awaiting the due processes of the law—the arrival of witnesses from Jerusalem, the formulating of charges, etc.,—were years of special advantage to the work of the Lord. Here Paul was for the time safe from his enemies, the Jews, and free, under the protection of his lenient and favorably disposed captors, to preach the gospel to all who would hear, both Jews and Gentiles.

The opportunity was faithfully used. Here he preached the gospel of the Kingdom, and taught the doctrines of Christ with all confidence and freedom; from here he wrote and sent letters to distant Churches; and he prayed for them (Eph. 1:16; 3:14; Phil. 1:4,9), and sent messengers and helpers to them. (Eph. 6:21; Phil. 2:19,25.) The epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and to Philemon were all written from Rome.

We have no definite account of the Apostle’s course after his liberation from captivity in Rome, except what may be gleaned from his epistles. The meagre references of history indicate that he afterward went to Spain, and again to Greece and Asia Minor; and that it was a second imprisonment at Rome that terminated in his execution. All evidences concur that he was a wonderful soldier of the cross. He was faithful to the Truth and to the work of the Lord to the end of his course, and left a shining record for our study and imitation.

====================

— August 15, 1893 —