Bound yet Free

[Ac 26:29, NIV]

Paul replied, "Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."

The background of chapters 24 through 26, which we read today, is no longer the mission field where miracles take place. Instead, it is the cold and stifling 'Prison of Caesarea' and the 'Roman Court.'

Here, Paul is detained for a long period—a full two years. Look at chapter 24. The greedy Governor Felix, despite knowing Paul’s innocence, postponed the trial for two years hoping for a bribe, leaving him to rot in prison.

What about chapter 25? The newly appointed Governor Festus tried to make Paul a political scapegoat to gain favor with the Jews. Consequently, to survive, Paul had to appeal to Caesar, the Roman Emperor. And now, arriving at chapter 26, Paul stands before King Agrippa, the powerful ruler of the day, for his final defense.

Think about it. Paul is an evangelist for whom every minute and every second is precious. This man, possessing a burning heart to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, is trapped indefinitely amidst corrupt politics and unjust accusations. If it were us, we might not be able to sleep out of a sense of injustice, or we might have protested to God, asking, "Why are You letting me rot away like this?"

However, through this silence of two years and the process of three tedious trials, we witness an amazing spiritual reversal. It is the fact that “The world imprisoned Paul, but the Gospel was never imprisoned.”

Look at the scene in chapter 26 again with spiritual eyes. Before Paul, dressed in prisoner’s garb and bound in chains, sit King Agrippa and Governor Festus, arrogantly clad in splendid robes. In the eyes of the world, Paul is a shabby sinner, and they are great judges.

But who is the real sinner, and who is the truly free man?

Overwhelmed by Paul’s confidence, Festus shouts, "Paul, you are out of your mind!" King Agrippa, flustered, avoids the issue, asking, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" They may be wearing the clothes of power, the clothes of reputation, and the clothes of worldly pleasure, but in reality, they are souls trembling, trapped in the fear of sin and death.

On the other hand, look at Paul bound in chains. He does not beg. He did not make excuses to save his own life; rather, he preached to save the souls of the King and the Governor. And in Acts 26:29, he proclaims a great confession:

“Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

“I pray that you may become like me!” This is not something a prisoner says to a king. This is the greatest blessing and exhortation that one who has everything can give to one who has nothing, that one who possesses life can give to one who is dying.

It reminds us of Jacob, who had moved to Egypt with his entire family because of famine, blessing Pharaoh, the ruler of the greatest superpower of that time.

Although Paul had been in prison for two years and his hands and feet were bound, his soul was freer than anyone else’s. Because he possessed the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, neither Felix’s greed, nor Festus’s political maneuvering, nor Agrippa’s power could imprison him. He was not ashamed of his Chains (his situation); rather, he boasted of Christ, who was with him even in that situation.

Beloved congregation, What is binding your life today? Is it the chains of economic hardship with no end in sight? Is it the prison of unresolved relationships? Or is it a sense of suffocation, like being trapped for two years in an unjust situation?

But remember this: Circumstances may bind us, but they cannot bind the life of Jesus within us. Just as the world called Paul a 'prisoner' but God called him a 'man of mission,' the stifling reality you stand in today can actually become a place of testimony that reveals God's power.

We are not people who envy the splendor of the world. Rather, we are those with spiritual dignity who can confidently say to the bound souls of the world, “Except for this suffering, except for this pain, I want you to believe in Jesus like I do and enjoy true freedom and happiness.”

Even if there are bindings in your visible environment and circumstances, may you enjoy true freedom through Christ, who is the Truth. Do not surrender to unjust situations, but look to the Lord who uses those very situations to let you preach the Gospel even before kings. Thus, I bless you in the name of the Lord to stand tall as people of faith whom the world cannot overcome.