15:20
Paul had not at this stage been to Rome and they may have wondered why he had “neglected” them, especially as Rome was such an important city, the centre of the Roman Empire. Here Paul gives an explanation. Paul’s ambition was to preach the gospel where it was not known. He did not want to build upon somebody else’s work, but to establish new works. This does raise the interesting question of how the gospel first got established in Rome. It also shows that while Paul was the prime mover in the gospel spreading throughout Europe, he was not the only one.
15:21,22
Yet again Paul quotes from the Old Testament, this time Isaiah 52:15. This verse is part of the famous prophecy of Jesus and the cross. As an aside, people sometimes see the New Testament as being opposed to the Old Testament, such a view is complete nonsense. See how many times Paul quotes the Old Testament and sees Jesus and the gospel as the fulfilment of it. Look at the gospels and see Jesus’ attitude towards the Old Testament. They clearly regarded it as the word of God, and so it is.
Paul then says this is why he was hindered from coming to see them. So hindered here is actually positive, rather than its usual negative connotations. Paul had not been to see them yet because he was so busy spreading the gospel elsewhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment