Jesus warned His disciples that persecution would come because of the word. Being arrested and bound for preaching the truth was not a possibility, it would be a reality. Jesus said,
…when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. (Mark 14:11)
In Acts 4:3, we find that the Sadducees
…laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day…
A chapter later, the Sadducees again,
…laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. (Acts 5:18)
Saul of Tarsus, before he obeyed the truth,
…made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. (Acts 8:3)
Acts 12:4 says that Herod arrested Peter, put him in prison, and set 4 squads of guards to keep him. Acts 16:23-24 speaks of Paul & Silas, locked in stocks in the inner prison at Philippi. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul indicated that he had been in prison often (2 Corinthians 11:23). After his third journey, he went to Jerusalem and was almost immediately taken into Roman custody to protect him from a Jewish mob. However, this measure which was for his protection at first resulted in him spending several years in prison at Ceasarea, waiting for the governor to decide what he would do with him. Having appealed to Caesar, he was sent as a prisoner to Rome.
The writings of antiquity tell of the aged man, Polycarp, arrested by the Romans on charges of atheism (he did not believe in the myriad of Roman gods, but served the God of heaven). No doubt many others met the same fate as he.
John Fox, a 16th century reformer is the author of “Fox’s Book of Martyrs.” Through it’s twenty-two chapters, he chronicles the persecutions faced by people of faith from the first century until his own age. Without a doubt, many thousands have suffered hardship in exchange for their religious conviction.
As we have noted, the Lord told the apostles that persecution, even imprisonment or death would come upon the faithful. Paul said these troubles would come to all the faithful:
Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Today, there are lands where those who call on the name of Christ and live according to His doctrine are jailed or murdered. Though there is persecution in Canada, it is nothing like what is suffered in some lands. But, the day may come when we too might be cast into prison or put to death for the cause of Christ. May we, like many others before us, be willing to suffer for the One who paid the penalty for our sin.
Hear the apostle Paul as he wrote to young Timothy about the gospel for which he
…suffered trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains, but the word of God is not chained. (2 Timothy 2:9)
When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, he was in the custody of the Romans, waiting to go to trial a second time (2 Timothy 4:16-18). What a powerful message for him to give Timothy, indeed, all who read it. What may happen to the messenger (ie. prison or death) will not come up-on the message. Though the messenger, in this case Paul, be bound by chains, the word of God cannot be chained!
He sought the prayers of the brethren, so that
…I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains… (Ephesians 6:19-20)
His positive attitude in the things he endured caused others to work better for the Lord:
…I want you to know, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)
During his first time in prison at Rome, Paul was able to
…receive all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. (Acts 28:30-31)
He still seemed to have freedoms in his second imprisonment at Rome. Luke was with him, and he wanted Mark to come (2 Timothy 4:11, 13). However, no one was with Paul at his first trial, but God was, and He granted Paul the power to continue proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles.
Yet it seems that Paul knew that death would come soon. He said,
…I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. (2 Timothy 4:6)
He was not expecting to go on a field trip or to be released soon. It was not going well with his case, and he would eventually be killed.
No doubt some had thought, ‘What will we do without Paul?’ The importance lies, not in the messenger but in the message. The messenger may be chained, may be killed, the message cannot.
…because “all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the LORD endures forever. (1 Peter 1:24-25)
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