Acts 28:17-31
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
17Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. 20For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
21They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
23They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26" 'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
27For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'
28"Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
30For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some say that the Book of Acts ends abruptly...St. Luke was not writing a biography on Paul, or for any of the other Apostles...Luke explains to us and all his readers, why he wrote his Gospel According to Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles in his opening lines of each book...Luke wrote his Gospel to help Theophilus to understand the certainty of things that he (Theophilus) had been taught...In Luke's gospel we see the power and strength of our Messiah and learn God's love reaches beyond the love of the Jews and reaches everyone...In his book the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke tells Theophilus in the first remarks in Acts, that Jesus' apostles gave convincing evidence that Jesus had resurrected from death and gave proof that He was and is still alive...Theophilus must have wanted more information on what happened after Jesus resurrection...He also must have enjoyed the first book on the biography of Jesus, to request and have Luke write another book...We are not told who Theophilus is...Was he a friend of Luke, a friend of a friend?...Some have suggested that Theophilus is just a word, a label, which means lover of God, maybe Luke wrote these two books for the Christians and persecuted Christians...But regardless Paul continued to preach about Jesus and His Teachings and people listened and could either believe what Paul preached or not believe...
The Jewish people were in many nations because of famines and several wars...There may had been several Jews in Rome for different reasons...One reason, the Jews had a war with the Romans in approximately 70 a.d. and many may have been taken to Rome awaiting trial, but others would have been there for other reasons...Nonetheless, St. Paul met with the Jewish leaders in Rome and explains why he is there and why he was arrested...Paul had earlier wrote to the Romans in his Epistle (to the Romans), that he longed to go to Rome and visit the Romans (Romans 1:11)...He does make it, but sadly he is there for his upcoming trial in Rome...His trial is for his preaching of the gospel and about a dead Man named Jesus who he claimed was alive (Acts 25:19)...Some say that Paul was released, because Roman law required one to be released after eighteen months if your trial and accusers did not get you into court within that period...But the title (here) tells us he is still under guard...Paul was sent to Rome after he exercised his legal right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to Caesar (Acts 26:32)...The Jewish leaders tell him they received no letters from the homeland of Judea, so his being in Rome is news to them...But they want to hear about the new sect, he was involved in, and that everyone was talking about...In fact, the leaders say the people are talking against the new sect...The Jewish leaders would have been believers in the first five books of the Bible, called the Law of Moses and also the books written by the prophets...But as of this time, they had not heard in any detail, the details of a Messiah, named Jesus...
Paul meets with the Jewish leaders on a later date and speaks from morning until evening...He explained the kingdom of God, and tried to convince them about Jesus and how He is written about in the Law of Moses and in the prophets... After talking all day, some were convinced about Jesus, and others would not believe...The people even disagreed among themselves...Paul makes a final statement to them from the prophet Isaiah, telling them that even our forefathers said you will forever be hearing, but never understanding, you will forever be seeing, but never perceiving...Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts and turn...And when they do, I (Jesus) will heal you (Isaiah 6:9-10)...Paul is telling us their is a road to joy, and joy...When we get that choice, just choose joy, and get off the road...Rome had now officially begun its history with the gospel...
For two whole years, Paul stayed in a rented home in Rome and welcomed all who came to see him...He boldly preached the kingdom of God and taught about the LORD Jesus Christ...For the word to spread God needed a leader who could travel, write, and convincingly speak the good news...St. Paul would be this leader...Jesus tells us that this man would be the instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and the people of Israel (Acts 9:15)...The word of God knows no boundary...It is for the world...
St. Paul was a great missionary worker...In his day, he would have been considered a world traveler...St. Paul would be instrumental in the early church movement in Rome...But Christians were persecuted for many years...Not until 313 a.d. would we get the Edict of Milan by the Emperor Constantine and the persecution of Christians would no longer be legal...St. Paul would write thirteen of our books of the New Testament...
The Bible does not tell us of St. Paul's fate, but legend has it that he was tried and acquitted around 64-65 a.d....He may have later went to Turkey and preached the gospel and returned again for trial where the emperor Nero had him persecuted to death in approximately 65 a.d...