31. A Cell with a View
It is natural to read the last chapter of Acts with a rather somber mental picture of Paul imprisoned and awaiting trial and the execution we know eventually occurred. But the end that would come colors our perception of the near-end, and we may misunderstand the circumstances of Paul's imprisonment and what was accomplished through it.
First, Luke tells us: "When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him" (Acts 28:16). This is hardly the darkened dungeon-like cell with horrible conditions we might sometimes imagine. In fact, as we will see, Paul was in a rented house (vs. 30) and was really in a situation that we would call "under house arrest." Rather than a dungeon, we should perhaps think of it as a cell "with a view." Paul may himself have expected much worse when he arrived in Rome. Notice Luke's description of the situation:
"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!" (Acts 28:30-31).
These closing words of Acts tell us a great deal – all of it positive – but to fully appreciate the situation, we should stand back and look at what Paul was given in those two years. His conditions may actually have been the most comfortable he had enjoyed for quite a while. This is not to make light of his imprisonment, but to stress that he was not in the constant danger he had frequently faced. Paul clearly also had a great deal of freedom. He had funds (he rented the house), he could receive visitors – and even invite large groups to his house (Acts 28:23). He could proclaim the Gospel, and he could write important letters. The only real restriction Paul faced was being unable to travel, and that may well have been for God's purposes.
Paul's imprisonment actually provided two years of protection. If we read the catalog of dangers the apostle regularly endured on his travels (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), we see that he was "exposed to death again and again" (vs 23B). As it was, Paul's house arrest protected him from this dangerous and exhausting lifestyle for two whole years.
The two years under house arrest not only provided a kind of relative "sabbatical" for Paul, but also they provided an almost unparalleled opportunity for accomplishment. The apostle was able to think, meditate, and write more than he ever normally could have done, and he produced some of the most mature and important letters of his career – epistles such as Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Beyond that, Paul was doubtless able to take advantage of the situation of being in Rome from which communications spread around the empire. Although he was not able to visit them, he was able to communicate with the churches he had founded and had the time to write to them and thoroughly establish them. He also was given the opportunity to work with, and continue to train, men like Timothy who would continue his work.
Although Acts is silent on the matter, it appears that after two years Paul was likely released around AD 62. The Roman court system was stretched beyond its capabilities; and if cases were not brought and concluded in two years, prisoners were routinely released. Paul's epistles seem to show this was what he expected, and the evidence of tradition and certain other facts suggest that he was released and possibly travelled considerably before being arrested again, tried, condemned and executed around AD 64.
But at the close of Acts it appears that the dark night of Paul's final imprisonment and execution still lay in the future. His two years under house arrest not only forced him to stop moving in his tireless service to the Gospel, but also gave him the opportunity to accomplish things he probably never would have done otherwise – accomplishments that not only greatly profited the early Church, but which carried through to guide and strengthen the Church throughout history.
We do not need to look for personal lessons in such a positive ending to the Book of Acts; but if we do, we should remember that Paul, the arch-mover and tireless worker, may well have often felt constrained by his captivity, and yet it was precisely this captivity that enabled some of his greatest accomplishments. If we sometimes feel that we are slowed down or hindered from doing the things we would like to do because of illness or other restrictive and negative circumstances in our own lives, we should remember what Paul was able to accomplish – and perhaps was intended to accomplish – in his cell with a view.