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Acts 28:17-29 NKJV– Paul Arrives at Rome Exhausted, Then Preaches Some More!

Two Great Joys: Sharing the Gospel and Co-laboring with Supportive Friends!

Among the many names, places, and events that occurred during Paul’s trip to Rome in Acts chapters 27 and 28, there are two significant details in these last two chapters that should bring hope to all believers who have read the book of Acts. Amid all the many fine details provided about this exhausting and treacherous trip Paul took to get to Rome (Acts 27:1-28:16), two final details should infuse the reader with confidence in the Lord that, regardless of the circumstances, He will build His Church. In addition, these two details should foster a spirit of gratitude to the Lord that He knows exactly what we need and He will provide for our spiritual and emotional needs. Acts chapters 27 and 28 describe how Paul 1) took advantage of an open window of opportunity to preach the Gospel (again!) and 2) he made this significant journey with two extremely close friends.

One of the significant details that is commonly overlooked in Acts chapters 27 and 28 was that Festus allowed Paul to travel with some friends to Rome! While not extremely rare, it was not a common practice for all Roman prisoners. The governmental leaders, along with the responsible Roman officer, had this discretion. The main reason why a prisoner would be permitted to travel with a friend would be if the Roman leaders did not fear the captive fleeing, saw something in the person’s character, or appreciated how s/he conducted her/himself during trial that persuaded officials that the person would not cause any trouble. In addition, you could travel with a friend if the crime did not warrant fear of any radical outbursts or irrational actions, or, in some cases, if the prisoner was both wealthy and respected (had to be both) and offered to pay a friend to come on the journey. In Paul’s case, all the Roman leaders (Felix, Festus, and Agrippa) thought he was innocent and saw a man of upright character during the past two years while being held per Felix’s directive.

Recall that Felix felt there was no guilt to be found in what Paul did. So, even though he detained Paul, “He commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him” (Acts 24:23 NKJV). Festus also agreed that he did not think Paul was guilty of breaking any civil laws (Acts 25:17-20) and Agrippa concurred (Acts 26:32). Thus, Festus probably sent Paul with limited restrictions to show Nero that he did not put too much credence in the accusations but was forced, by a technicality (i.e., Paul appealed to Caesar), to have to send him to Nero. As a result, Paul traveled with his friends, Aristarchus (Acts 27:2 NKJV) and Luke, the author through whom the Holy Spirit chose to write the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 27 alone, the reader can easily see that the word “we” appears over 20 times, (sometimes multiple times in one verse) indicating that his friend Luke was with him (Acts 27:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 26, 27, 29 NKJV). In fact, Paul will be held for two years while waiting for his trial before Nero (Acts 28:30-31 NKJV), and even there, he will be allowed to welcome friends to come and go as they visit him.

Paul chose two friends to travel with him who understood what he was going through: Aristarchus and Luke. Not much is known about Aristarchus (Acts 27:22), but what is known is that it is always in the context of his serving Paul or a ministry team. Aristarchus was first mentioned in Acts 19:29 (NKJV) as one of “Paul’s travel companions” and was grabbed by the angry Ephesian mob when the mob could not find Paul. Fortunately, they were spared from any beatings when the city leader calmed the mob down (Acts 19:35-41). After this, Paul took him and others, and they traveled back to Macedonia (Acts 20:4). Then, Aristarchus was in Caesarea when Paul appealed to Rome and was allowed to take friends with him (Acts 27:1-2). While in Rome, Paul was held for two years awaiting possible charges. During this two-year imprisonment (Acts 28:30-31), Paul wrote four letters of the New Testament (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). When he wrote Colossians, he stated, “Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you” (Colossians 4:10 NKJV). The last time he was mentioned was in his letter to Philemon (the man who was housing the church of Colossae in his own home). Paul wrote, “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers” (Philemon v.23- 24 NKJV). Aristarchus obviously was a friend who understood the unique dynamics of ministry that Paul experienced, understood the ebbs and flows of ministry, and was also committed to the mission that Jesus gave his disciples and believers, to “be witnesses…to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NKJV).

The same can be said about Luke, his second travel companion to Rome. Luke had also accompanied Paul at various moments during his ministry travels (Acts 16:10–17; 20:5-15; 21:1–8; 27:1–28:16). In his letter to the church of Colossae during Paul’s two-year imprisonment, Paul commented that Luke was with him, “Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you” (Colossians 4:14 NKJV) and to Philemon, “Luke, my fellow laborers” (Philemon verse 24 NKJV). And after being released from his two-year imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:30-31) and traveling again, Paul found himself back in a Roman prison approximately five to six years later. And in the very last chapter of the very last New Testament book Paul ever wrote, and less than a year before he was martyred, Paul mentioned that only one person was currently with him, “Only Luke is with me” (II Timothy 4:11 NKJV). Aristarchus and Luke were valued by Paul because they were faithful, trustworthy, and they understood what Paul was going through and ministered to Paul exactly as he needed.

And upon arrival in Rome, Paul also took advantage of an open window of opportunity to preach the Gospel (again!). After being exhausted, hungry, and physically drained, Paul took only three days to call all the Jewish leaders together (Acts 28:17) and began to share the exact Gospel message (Acts 28:17-20, 23-28) that he presented to the Jewish leaders in Acts chapters 24-26. So, you must wonder how Paul’s travel companions reacted when Paul called the Jewish leaders to himself and began preaching to them in Rome. And not only preaching, but preaching to Jewish leaders who adopted the very same theological positions as the Jews in Jerusalem and Caesarea who persecuted him and precipitated this very trip to Rome! Luke and Aristarchus probably leaned over to each other and, with a smile, said something to the effect of, “Well, you knew that was going to happen!” To which the other probably replied, “I’m just surprised it took him three whole days to do it!”

This time, Paul was welcomed by the Jewish leader since no one reported negatively about Paul in Rome, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you” (Acts 28:21 NKJV). These must have been some refreshing words to hear! But at the same time, these Jewish leaders were not clean slates upon which to write a brand-new message about Christianity, as they had already had some people influence their thinking: “But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere” (Acts 28:22 NKJV). It may be that they were simply, calmly reacting to Paul because they had gotten word that Paul was coming, and that the past two Roman governors of Jerusalem did not believe that Paul was guilty, and that King Agrippa did not believe he was guilty. And they quickly realized that no religious leader from that area dared to show their face in Rome. No one would bring a frivolous case to Caesar because they know how much Rome loathed people who brought frivolous cases into court with little to no evidence. So, it could be that they were simply responding with political savvy. Plus, there were many believers in Rome (see the Letter to the Romans, written to the believers in Rome approximately three years earlier), so they probably knew all about Christianity. But at the same time, some of these leaders seriously contemplated Paul’s message. It was unknown where they stood with Christianity, but it was a welcoming environment for Paul to preach the Gospel.

After he preached to them, their opinions were split about Paul’s Gospel message. “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves” (Acts 28:29 NKJV). This was a common occurrence after Paul had preached, as seen throughout the book of Acts (Acts 14:4-10; 17:3-10; 18:5-8; 19:8-10). But what was not so common was that for the first time in a very long time, the Jewish leaders actually left, and Paul no longer feared for his life. Aristarchus and Luke probably just shook their heads in disbelief and offered praise to the Lord that, once again, they witnessed nothing halting the Lord from building His Church and from protecting His messenger (Psalm 37)!

Ponder & Pray Today…

Reflect on a friend that God gave you who has been with you through thick and thin. Specifically, a friend who has spoken truth into your heart during challenging seasons of your life. Someone who has always pointed you to Christ through their words and their conduct. And someone who always encourages you to choose to honor the Lord in your actions and reactions, no matter the situation. Think about how you feel when they are around and how they encourage you to be a stronger believer.

Pray and thank God for this special friend(s) and be specific with the reasons why you are grateful for him/her. Thank God for his/her testimony of remaining faithful through challenging times. Thank God for his/her commitment to always point you to Christ whenever you approach him/her about any of your challenges. Even think of a specific scenario s/he helped you navigate, remember their spirit-controlled advice and counsel to you, and how it was exactly what you needed to hear. Then ask God to protect your friend(s) and keep him/her Spirit-controlled, knowing that s/he is only human. Then pray to the Lord and tell Him you want to be that type of friend to others.