At last Paul completes his journey to Rome in the spring of 61CE. That he is a prisoner seems almost secondary to the narrative at this point. Paul is first and foremost an evangelist and he was eager to begin his ministry proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the city that was the hub of the Roman Empire.
Paul is not the founder of Christianity in Rome, but his arrival was eagerly anticipated by the believers, some of whom traveled over forty miles from the Forum of Appius to greet him when he arrived. When he saw them, “he thanked God and took courage.”
What strikes me about this part of the story is how insignificant Paul’s arrest seems to be. He does not seem at all distressed that his freedoms are restricted, and it doesn’t seem to have any detrimental impact on his ministry. Perhaps it even enhances his status among the believers as one who is respected for his willingness to stand up for his convictions.
There is a sense in which as people of faith we are never free to do as we please. We who have answered the call to discipleship are always bound by commitment to Christ. The paradox of our faith is that God’s grace has set us free to become servants. Martin Luther, the great 16th century reformer once wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
