Sunday · Dec 28
Paul, a Man in Jail For Jesus
Paul wrote letters to the Philippians and Colossians. Paul’s letters are named prison letters because he wrote them in jail. (Paul also wrote letters to the Ephesians and to Philemon while he was in jail.) Most Bible thinkers believe Paul wrote Philippians and Colossians while he was in Rome, about a.d. 60–62 (read Acts 28:16 ).
Read Ephesians 3:1 and Philemon 1 . What does Paul say about his time in jail?
Paul gave his whole life to serve Jesus. If God wanted Paul in jail, then Paul was ready. Paul tells us the reason why he is in jail: “I am in chains for preaching the Good News” ( Ephesians 6:20 , NLV). Before Paul went to jail, he traveled and preached. He started churches and trained workers for God. Maybe Paul wondered, “Why am I in jail? I could do so much more for God if I were free!” Later, Paul went to jail a second time. While he was there, he wrote 2 Timothy. So, Paul wrote at least five letters of the New Testament in jail.
Paul doesn’t tell us the name of the city where he was in jail. Some Bible thinkers say Paul was in jail at Ephesus or Caesarea. But there’s no Bible proof that Paul was in jail at Ephesus. Was Paul jailed in Caesarea? Yes, but Paul wasn’t in danger when he first went to Caesarea. Later, when Paul wrote to the Philippians, he was in real danger (read Philippians 1:20 and Philippians 2:17 ).
Paul’s letter to the Philippians gives us hints about where his jail was. First, Paul talks about a special palace. This palace can mean the home of a local governor. Jesus was taken to the palace in Jerusalem where Pilate judged Him ( Matthew 27:27; John 18:33 ). There also was a special king's home with a jail at Caesarea where Paul was sent to stay ( Acts 23:35 ). But Paul doesn’t use the words “special palace” to mean a place. Paul uses these words to mean people. They are “all the palace guards [about 14,000 men]” who learned about Jesus ( Philippians 1:13 , ICB). These guards were the best fighters in the Roman army. They protected the king of Rome and watched over the people in jail. Second, Paul sends greetings from “the Christians who live in the king’s house” ( Philippians 4:22 , EASY). So, Paul was jailed in Rome when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. Paul was in contact with people who lived and worked in the palace. Paul was in contact with people who lived and worked in the palace.