The journey to Rome is finally complete. Jesus has sent his witnesses to the very ends of the earth. At the end of this story, Paul the disciple of Jesus, is under house arrest. This should not be imagined as though Paul was living in the suburbs, enjoying the peace and quiet of sequestered living. He is in prison with a soldier guarding him. Yet the Spirit is with him, present to guide and instruct. Luke has shown us that to be a disciple is to be bound to the Spirit and to be bound to the prison. Paul, like Peter and John and the many other disciples who found themselves in prison, learned that their lives were inextricably bound up with those placed behind bars and in chains. Paul is under the condition of incarceration, but even here we see the possibilities of an alternative space where the Kingdom of Jesus is advancing in the capital city of the Roman Empire. Paul welcomed all—Jew and Gentile alike, rich and poor—into his living space for the sake of the Gospel. We see the boldness born of the Holy Spirit displayed in preaching, teaching, and hospitality. Paul waits for his day in the court of the emperor, but while he waits, he serves. His prison will not keep him from being a disciple of Jesus. Instead, the one in chains is actually “without hinderance”. (v31)