Romans 15:23 – Desire to Serve
But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you,
Truth to Learn
Paul followed his desires, except when God changed his plan.
Behind the Words
The word “now” is translated from the Greek word nuni. This word is made up of nun, meaning “now” and the letter iota which adds emphasis. Thus, it could be translated “just now.”
“Great desire” is from epipothia, made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and a form of the verb potheō, meaning “to yearn” or “to desire.” Hence, epipothia indicates a strong desire.
Meaning Explained
Having just expressed why he had not yet gone to Rome, Paul tells the Christians there that he is now ready to go. He has finally finished his job of preaching the gospel from Jerusalem all around to Illyricum and now, finally, is at liberty to travel to Rome. In the next verse we will see that Paul’s intention was to visit the church in Rome as part of a trip to Spain, which he was apparently planning to take.
This letter was most likely written while Paul was in Corinth (around A.D. 56) just shortly before he traveled to Jerusalem with an offering for the poor members of the church there (see Romans 15:25). It is likely that Paul expected to travel to Spain after this brief return to Jerusalem. Unfortunately, what was planned as a brief trip ended up being an extended stay; he was put in a Roman prison in Caesarea due to the hatred that the Jews had for him. Though he was never found guilty of any crime, Paul was imprisoned for two years while the trials took place. At the end of this time, in an effort to prevent Governor Festus from sending him back to Jerusalem where the Jews were lying in wait to kill him, Paul appealed to Caesar and was eventually shipped off to Rome to stand trial.
Certainly these were not the circumstances under which Paul intended to travel to Rome. He nonetheless was able to go there and was, in fact, met on the way and accompanied the last day or two of his journey by members of the church at Rome. Paul’s style of loving exhortation and personal transparency, comes out in this letter. This is part of the reason why the Roman Christians were so willing to extend their own efforts to comfort him in his time of distress.
We should take comfort in Paul’s distress, especially when we are faithfully serving Christ and suffering personal attacks by those who claim to be religious. Our adversary will do anything to silence our witness for Christ. So, when those attacks come (and they WILL come), remember how faithfully Paul continued steadfast in the work of the gospel, never doubting that his Lord and Savior was by his side every step of the way.
Application
We might wonder how Paul could maintain his drive to spread the Gospel in the face of all the opposition against him. He probably remembered the promise God gave to Joshua in Joshua 1:5 that was quoted by the writer of Hebrews:
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Now, that’s a promise we can all live and serve with!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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