Dead Men Don't Write

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. [Colossians 3.1-4]

There is so much I wish to say about the content of this passage from Paul's letter to the church at Colosse. But it seems most prudent today to recognize that the unmatched magnificent profundity of this passage was made possible by Paul's incarceration. Think with me about the context of this passage a moment...

Could Paul have written the letter to the Colossians as a free man? How about his other prison letters - could they have come about if Paul were not incarcerated?

These are most likely pointless questions to ask, but let me just point out a couple of facts that led up to these letters being written with their remarkable content.

Paul's incarceration apparently, at very least, did not distract him from the words of encouragement and instruction found in these two prison letters (so far). It would be speculation to say they enhanced Paul's spiritual awareness, because we just cannot know that. However, we can (and do) know for absolute sure that Paul's prison letters were packed with highly profound spiritual insight whose relevance will continue until Christ returns. Incarceration did not diminish Paul's environment to write.

Another point to consider is that Jerusalem seems to have played a role in these letters too. If, let's say, Paul needed to slow down from traveling ministry long enough to spend some time with his pen and the Holy Spirit, then it could easily be seen (in hindsight) that incarceration may have provided the only necessary discipline to do that writing. Jerusalem did not diminish this. Perhaps no other circumstance would have slowed Paul down enough for the thoughtfulness needed to write these letters that would become (and remain) foundational to the Church for (now) thousands of years. If Paul was going to be incarcerated, it was certainly going to be in Jerusalem and so to Jerusalem he went - led by the same Spirit of God Who inspired his letters - knowing he would be arrested! Just a thought. 

But it doesn't stop at Jerusalem. As the history would play out, Jerusalem was indeed the ideal place for Paul to get arrested. But Jerusalem also quickly escalated to become the ideal place for Paul to die! Dead men don't write. So, enter a new prison destination: Rome. It was in Rome that Paul remained incarcerated (appears to have been like house arrest) but without the looming death threat he was under in Jerusalem. At the point Jerusalem could have diminished Paul's ability to write, Rome became part of the story - because - Rome did not diminish Paul's environment to write.

It is no secret that Paul was not afraid to die. In fact, Paul's writings make it very clear that he had great anticipation of joining His Lord and Savior in heaven. In fact, Paul would have quite willingly died in Jerusalem. However, his prison letters would never have come into existence had that happened. Where would that have left us?

Father in heaven, You have so provided for Your Church - thank You. And I know Paul "could" have written his prison letters as a free man, but only You know if Paul "would" have written them as a free man. All I can say is, thank You that they were written! They came at the price of Paul's freedom and I want to give them every bit of the attention then that they deserve!