Acts 28:15

News of Paul’s arrival preceded him to Rome. An entourage of believers travelled down the Appian Way, one of the major roads in Italy, 33 miles south to the Three Taverns, a resting spot. There some of them waited while the more energetic among them proceeded another 10 miles to Appii Forum, a market town. There Paul met his first Roman Christians. He had sent them his epistle to the Romans three years earlier (in A.D. 57) from Corinth during his third missionary journey. This group of greeters would have been a great encouragement to Paul who had looked forward so long to ministering in Rome (Romans 15:22-29). Their reception led Paul to thank God. The trip from Malta probably took three weeks. [Note: Bock, Acts, p. 746.]

"It [Paul’s growing party of friends proceeding to Rome] becomes almost a triumphal procession [cf. Jesus’ triumphal entry]." [Note: Neil, p. 256.]

Paul would have passed the tomb of the Roman poet Virgil between Puteoli and Neapolis. In his poems Virgil anticipated a savior, and Paul came with the message that God had provided one. [Note: Longenecker, "The Acts . . .," p. 569.]

These last verses bring Luke’s account of the spread of the gospel to a climax. It had gone from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and now to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Paul was now able to bear witness in the capital of the empire.

Tannehill suggested that Luke’s purpose in his account of Paul’s voyage to Rome was to illustrate the cooperative relationships that are possible between Christianity and pagan society. [Note: Tannehill, 2:341.] This may have been part of his purpose. The journey from Caesarea to Rome probably covered about 2,250 miles and took well over four months. [Note: Beitzel, p. 177; Bock, Acts, p. 746.]