Paul The Prisoner

PAUL THE PRISONER

(Acts 22 and 23)

Acts 22:30-23:35

Do you think that a man who has been a prisoner is fit to advance a church?"

That depends on the man, some of the greatest men in history have been prisoners, John the Baptist, and even the Apostle Paul.

"Paul the prisoner" (Acts 23:18) was the name the Roman soldiers used for the apostle, a designation he himself often used (Eph 3:1; 4:1; 2 Tim 1:8; Philem 1,9). Paul was under "military custody," which meant he was bound to a Roman soldier who was responsible for him. Prisoners under "public custody" were put in the common jail, a horrible place for any human being to suffer (Acts 16:19-24).

Paul's friends could visit him and help meet his personal needs. It is sad that we don't read, "And prayer was made fervently by the church for Paul" (Acts 12:5). There is no record that the Jerusalem church took any steps to assist him, either in Jerusalem or during his two years in Caesarea.

This is an exciting chapter, and in it we read of three confrontations that Paul experienced.