Paul finally got to Rome. He was bound in chains. He was under arrest, but he had the chance to speak to the elders there.
Everyone must have thought that Paul was in Rome for his trial. They saw his guards and his chains and surely had heard the stories. There was no question why Paul was there.
But he told the elders why he was there. There was no doubt in his mind. He was there and he called for the leaders to him so he could talk to them about the ‘hope of Israel.’
We might wonder about the wisdom about being to upfront and honest – but he had a purpose he had had in mind for a long time. He had to witness to the Jewish elders. After all he had made the trip knowing he was putting his life at risk. Who knew when there might be a chance to witness to the Jews there. Nothing could happen to him yet, because he had an appointment with the Roman authorities after all.
The point is though that Paul had done all he could do to get to Rome with the goal in mind of preaching Jesus. I think sometimes that our desire to preach Jesus is not among the great priorities about why we go places and why we do things. When we are making major life decisions we ought to always consider how it will impact our chance to serve the Lord.
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