¹⁶When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. ¹⁷After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ¹⁸And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. ¹⁹But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.”

Finally, Paul, along with the welcoming committee, arrived in Rome. That which he desired (Acts 19:21) and which God had promised (Acts 23:11) was now coming to fruition. It wasn’t easy getting there; God’s will often requires sacrifice on our part. Serving the Lord is certainly not for the faint of heart!

For three days, Paul was allowed accommodations apart from the other prisoners, with only his personal guard staying with him. He was still a prisoner but was obviously given special treatment. His location is not identified, although probably like in Putioli (Acts 28:14) he and his guard found a place with some believers.

Interestingly, after three days of rest and recuperation from a long journey and a very brief time for acclimatizing to Rome, Paul wasted no time getting down to business. He called a meeting with “the leading men of the Jews,” keeping with what he saw as the gospel priority to the Jews first and then the Gentiles (Rom. 1:16). One might think the three days may have involved believers coming and going to meet Paul. Luke, the author, gives no word of that; rather, he keeps the focus on the spread of the gospel, detailing Paul’s testimony to the Jewish unbelievers.

The large Jewish community there probably consisted of many poor people, ex-slaves and free persons, but few if any Roman citizens. Paul couldn’t go to them since he was still in chains, so they came to him. Their readiness to come to him indicates that his reputation preceded him. Many of the believers already knew Paul, and the last vestiges of their connections to the Jewish community may have spread the news of this vaunted man of God. The first thing, then, was for Paul to explain why he had come to Rome and why he was in chains and guarded by a Roman soldier. Luke’s record of Paul’s explanation is limited to a basic summary. And so Paul begins his testimony in Rome, as the Lord had promised. What an amazing story!

Lord, I commit to testifying for You even in my limited circumstances.