As with every good story, Luke's message is conveyed best in the details. Notice his comment that, after wintering on Malta, the group sets sail for Rome on a ship that bears figureheads of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. We can't help but see Luke's ironic half-smile after he has just described how God has guided Paul every step of the way.

Another surprise is that as Paul makes his way to Rome after landing in Puteoli, he stays with some believers who have come to meet him there. This detail tells us that the church had grown in a short time and that Paul had become well known. The freedom with which Paul meets with them, and the fact that he is allowed to live alone, under house arrest, in Rome, demonstrates his status as a Roman citizen and perhaps also his renown.

Soon after arriving in Rome, Paul calls together the local Jewish leaders (there was a large contingent of Jews in Rome at the time). Given that he had been hounded out of Jerusalem by hostile fellow Jews, Paul thinks it wise to come clean to the Jews at Rome. He tells them briefly what has happened, while defending his innocence. He especially wants to assure them that he has no intention of attacking them before the Roman authorities and that they have nothing to fear from him.

The Jews in Rome haven't heard a thing about the controversies in Jerusalem, which is a little surprising to Paul. Not only that, but they express deep interest in what Paul is teaching. They, not Paul, arrange to meet with him further. Luke describes long meetings, lasting from morning till night, during which Paul explained "about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus" (v. 23).

Sadly, most of these Jews, despite their eager reception, refuse to receive Paul's message. As always, Paul is straightforward and almost painfully direct. He quotes from Isaiah: "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes." In his closing he states with finality, "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"

Of course, this refusal from his own people was a deep disappointment to him, and something he reflects upon in his epistle to the Romans, chapters 9-11.

As Acts comes to an end, Paul is living in a rented house, under guard but free to visit with all kinds of people. "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ---with all boldness and without hindrance!"

While we don't know the exact circumstances, reliable tradition tells us that Paul was ultimately executed in Rome. How appropriate that his life should end in the biggest, busiest, most important city in the world, the center of Gentile paganism---and that he should proclaim to the very end the gospel of Jesus Christ!