Imagine this with me. You are a Roman Jew living in the first century. Not long ago, you believed a man named Jesus of Nazareth was a fraud—a failed teacher executed by Rome and buried like countless others before Him. Then everything changed. You became convinced that this same Jesus rose from the dead. Now you cannot stop talking about Him. You tell family members. Friends. Strangers. Travelers. Anyone who will listen. You proclaim that Jesus is not merely a teacher, prophet, or rabbi, but the Messiah, the Son of God, and the rightful King of the world, and every time you do, someone tries to kill you.
Cities erupt into riots. Religious leaders hunt you. Crowds beat you. Former friends turn against you. Authorities imprison you. Everywhere you go, opposition follows.
This is where Paul of Taursus, a Roman citizen and devout Jew found himself in the midst of A.D. 57. While on a blood-stained trail of finding and persecuting a new sect of religious fanatics called “Christians” – or “Followers of The Way”, Paul was quite literally knocked off of his horse in pursuit of his own zeal, by THE Jesus – who blinded him with such a glorious light that it took days to recover. Paul, who now on his third missionary journey in the story we are to unfold here, finds himself in the midst of chains and guard in a Roman barrack when his nephew, having gained wind of a planned attack by murderous, unbelieving jews who had much contempt for the name of Jesus, finds Paul and tells him of the plan of attack coming his way.
The story goes like this;
Acts 23:
12 The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.
17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him to the commander.
Like a cinematic movie unfolding – we can almost see the details. The fabric of robe the tattered Paul is wearing; the scent of the the stone barracks; the humble and murky water that sits on a worn stool in the corner; and above all the tension in the air from the guard watching over it all. I imagine Paul, wearied from the burdens of travel, beatings, and unrest, doesn’t look well. While an inner peace may win over his soul, the body takes on the strain of the external circumstances that press on, and yet, press him onward.
As the boy is led to the Commander, he takes the boys hand in his and pulls him to the side to find the reason for this interruption. Paul’s nephew discloses in detail the plan of attack from the 40 men, and the commanders response is shocking:
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”
200 soldiers +70 Horsemen +200 spearmen = 470 men. This number is shocking. a massive force for one prisoner, whom they just previously stated was of no threat to anyone! Take a moment again to put yourself in this scene.
It’s the middle of the night. You have no idea what is about to transpire as you are led out of a Roman barrack by a few guards. You walk down silent halls made of stone. You hear men talking and metal clanking ahead. As you come out into the moonlit night, stars and wispy clouds stray overhead, you are shocked – it looks as though a full force army is about to take charge in an unknown battle. Having not given a second thought to the possibility of this having anything to do with your case, you wait to be led to your own purpose of the midnight awakening- you are led to a stallion, helped mounted amidst the shackles and chains, dead center of this Roman guard standing at perfect attention, with spears, cavalry, and pristine uniforms complete with shined helmets and weaponry. Then it occurs to you – this.. all of this.. All 470 breathing, trained, stationed soldiers.. are for you. Yet, just as the thought occurs – it is side swiped by another thought. It’s not for you. It’s for the message inside of you.
Why so many men? It could be because the Romans wanted to avoid a riot that could embarrass the Empire or prevent the cause of political unrest.
Though the Romans may have acted out of political or public caution, the truth that wins over is that God was sovereignly protecting Paul to ensure he would fulfill His mission.
Earlier in the story, the Lord had told Paul;
“Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
— Acts 23:11
So the 470 soldiers were not merely Roman might — they were instruments of God’s providence, ensuring His servant reached Rome safely, just as He promised.
Paul had previously written roughly 5 years prior, in Romans 13:1 – “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Paul was walking out this in real time now.
Paul was convinced that it is not only every bird that falls to the ground is under his care, (Mathew 10:29) and every hair on your head is counted (Luke 12:7), but also every government, ruler, king, cosmos, unpaid debt, uncut lawn, dropped pen at the bank, falling star, on and on through the end of time — is under His sovereign Rule and Hand. He Controls it all. The commander, the Governor, regardless of their political power or class standing were under the sovereign rule of their Creator, the Author of life. (Acts 3:15)
Pauls trip from that silent barrack to the Governor in the middle of the night was about 60–65 miles (roughly 100 kilometers), going from Jerusalem to Caesarea. Sixty-five miles by horseback (with an extra horse in case it’s needed) to think about what God is doing. Convinced that everything God says, He will do. Convinced of His magnitude. Convinced of His Goodness. Convinced of His Word since the beginning of time as we know it. Yet, what’s unfolding here, along side this magnificent story-telling – is a re-telling of a familiar story written nearly 750 years prior appearing in the Odyssey; the story of the Trojan Horse. You may be familiar.
Paul, a messenger of this simple Truth of the Gospel (The Good news) was being brought into Rome by the Romans themselves.
A roman horse.
A distinct key in the unfolding story of God’s salvation to all nations – to the Jews first, and then the Gentiles, that changed the course of History- and your history, as we know it.
Rome was the political, military, economic, and cultural center of the known world. Roads led to Rome. Trade flowed through Rome. Soldiers, merchants, officials, and travelers moved in and out of Rome from every corner of the empire. Rome occupied such a central place in the ancient world that its influence on the spread of Christianity can scarcely be measured. This is the kind of strategic planning that makes me overjoyed that God is in control, and not me.
I wonder if it occurred to Paul as he rode swiftly through the night, surrounded by such stern faces of Roman guard, that all of Israel’s prior hopes of the Messiah defeating the great giant Rome, was coming to fruition. Only, instead of a Messiah coming by force and weapon as the disciples would have wondrously hoped, Christ was using a trained Pharisee of his own making to bring Rome to it’s knees spiritually – overcoming national Roman paganism through a timeline of events:
From Paul’s meeting with Governor Felix to Rome becoming a Christian nation:
- A.D. 57–59 : Paul meets Governor Felix in Caesarea (Acts 23–24).
- A.D. 60–62 : Paul under house arrest in Rome, preaching “with all openness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30‑31).
- A.D. 64–68 : Emperor Nero persecutes Christians; Paul and Peter are martyred.
- A.D. 250–311 : Periodic imperial persecutions of Christians across the empire.
- A.D. 313 : Edict of Milan issued by Emperor Constantine, granting Christians freedom to worship.
- A.D. 325 : Council of Nicaea affirms orthodox Trinitarian faith under Constantine’s rule.
- A.D. 380 : Emperor Theodosius I declares Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire (Edict of Thessalonica).
Time span: roughly 320 years from Paul’s meeting with Felix (~A.D. 58) to Rome’s official adoption of Christianity (~A.D. 380).
Who could’ve seen this coming to pass? Not Paul, not the disciples as they questioned when Jesus would take Rome by force (Acts 1:6), assuredly not the commander who took a boy by the hand and responded with 470 of his finest soldiers – and just as assuredly – not Felix, who was soon to learn all of Paul’s opinions and straight- forwardness.
The Apostle Paul later wrote in Philippians 2:10-11 :
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
and again in Romans 14:11, restating Isaiah 45:23;
1 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[a]
All of this, including the 470 men – for God to remind us through the rich authorship of human history – that He will establish His Kingdom on the basis of spiritual victory, not physical. That He will win wars by declaring reign over the hearts of humans, not by the force of swords; and that His Kingdom is like no other – defeating spiritual principalities and territories in unseen places, through unseen people, themselves unknowing of the victories ahead, and yet still obedient. God’s war is over hearts – specifically, hard hearts. His war-prize is hard hearts turned soft. That is the victory of redemption – an indwelling body with the Holy Spirit; a deposit guaranteeing entry into our eternal home and more importantly – reconciling a sinful world and people to their Creator.
So what now? What are we to do with such a historic, movie-like story as this? We, who are raising children, clocking into offices, playing pickle-ball and living in an age of Netflix and Crypto-currencies?
There are no ancient roman guards protecting us as we carry a simple message of the The Great Redemption 65 miles from Jerusalem to a Roman governor. No cold barracks or plotting destruction over our lives – we’re just carrying this message around as though it were no different, impactfully, than the information of what brand of influencer we ingested this morning – and whatever passing fad message he or she had to give.
What role do we have with the message of Salvation and hope, in the era we live, that sets us apart to be usable, significant in any way, or impactful to the people and place we live in now? In a so-called “Post-Christian America”, especially – not even including the 44% of the human population that has never heard the Gospel.
If you imagined yourself earlier in the story of placing yourself in Paul’s shoes, walking out of those brick and stone halls to an opening of nearly 500 men ready for battle, I want you to now imagine yourself in your own context. Think of your weekly and monthly routines. The places you go. Think of the people you see. Think of the familiar faces, and the unfamiliar faces you come across in your story. Where do you meet new people? Where do you bear and enjoy the familiarity of those you already know, whether immediate family, or co-workers? Where do you find the dullness of life becomes the greatest hindrance to your joy? Where do your joys become the greatest hindrance to the dullness of daily life?
You, like all of us, were designed with purpose – a specific and intentional design that ties you directly back through every greatest story ever told, more specifically,the Greatest story ever told – the redemption of all mankind to a singular moment in history that solidified the past, interrupted the present and finalized the future in one moment – the story of the cross and the empty tomb.
The redemption of all mankind still vibrating from a singular bite of a fruit in an unknown garden that changed mine and your destiny forever.
Do you believe you are tied to that story? Is it your story?
Do you believe you are being used by God in the greatest story ever told—that your obedience to your Creator can shape people, places, and maybe even nations?
It should not scare us, nor should it make us feel prideful to believe that we, too, have a role in God’s mission of redemption.
Whether we are the boy who hands the king a sword to slay the dragon, or the king who slays it, the mission is accomplished because of the actions of both. And further still—the blacksmith who forged the sword, the farmer who fed the army, and the messenger who carried the news all play a part in the story.
Not everyone is called to stand at the center of the tale. But everyone who is obedient has a place in it.
Paul believed it. Not simply because of his great learning under a Jewish Rabbi Gamaliel. Not simply because he was knocked off of a horse with a blinding light of a resurrected Jesus. That surely helps, don’t get me wrong. Paul did not spend the rest of his life living off the experience of Damascus. The blinding light faded. The scales fell from his eyes. The memory grew more distant with each passing year. What remained was the truth that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—and that truth was enough to carry him to Rome, and to his eventual death.
He took hold of what was behind, written in the great prophets, and saw it come to pass in his own lifetime – and thereby – was willing and able to put all of his eggs in one basket – the basket that God would do what He said He would do in the future.
No matter how great of a sinner Paul thought himself to be, and no matter how weak, or educated, or uneducated – no matter how many ways he could mess up, Paul believed that God would accomplish His purposes. He believed that God’s mission was redemption, just as it had been with Christ – just as it had been on the Damascus road.
You and I possess resources that Paul could scarcely have imagined. We hold in our hands not only the Scriptures he studied, but the completed New Testament he helped write. We have thousands of years of church history, the testimony of countless saints, access to biblical scholarship from every corner of the world, and the ability to compare translations, manuscripts, maps, commentaries, and teachings with a few keystrokes. The internet now allows a mission-focused believer to contact unreached people groups in far away places, and AI can translate language in real time. The tools are endless.
Yet the greatest advantage is not technological—it is spiritual. The same Holy Spirit who guided Paul still teaches, convicts, empowers, and leads believers today. In coffee shops – mundane jobs, at the tire center, your local gym, and more.
Paul looked forward in faith, trusting God would fulfill His promises. We look backward and can see many of those promises already fulfilled. We have the witness of Scripture, the testimony of history, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The question is not whether God still works through ordinary people. The question is whether we will believe God can or would work through us. For the same God who carried the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome is still at work today, changing lives, communities, and cultures through faithful men and women who simply say yes.
Will you say yes?