The never-ending story: Acts 28.17–31 (Day 222)

Pray

Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.

Read

Ruth 3–4 Acts 28 Jeremiah 38 Psalms 11–12

Daily reflection: Acts 28

We might think the ending of Acts is rather curious. The last chapter finishes the story of the shipwreck and takes Paul to Rome. He is still under Roman guard, but not very strictly; it's house arrest rather than imprisonment. He is able to continue his evangelistic ministry, meeting local Jewish leaders and speaking to them of Jesus. Some believe, but there is no mass conversion. In a last prophetic blast, Paul tells them that 'God's message of salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen!' (verse 28).

The very last line has him 'speaking with all boldness and freedom' about Jesus. Reliable early Christian tradition tells us he was beheaded in Nero's persecution of Christians, somewhere between AD 64 and AD 68. Luke, though, chooses not to tell us this. It's possible that he himself died before Paul. If so it's surprising that no one else 'finished' Acts for him with an account of Paul's death. Perhaps more likely is that Acts finishes as Luke wanted it to: not with a heroic martyrdom, but with patient preaching and pleading the cause of Christ. After all, though much of Acts is about Paul, it's not really Paul's story but the story of the early Church.

Finishing it with his death would provide it with a tidy ending. But Acts is only the beginning of a story that continues to this day. We too are called to speak of Christ with 'boldness and freedom'. Acts 29 is about us.

Pray

God, thank you for the stories of faith and courage you give us in this book. Help me to take my place and play my part in the story of your Church, and to witness to Christ my saviour.