Colossians: Working For God While In Prison

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1

If you visit Ephesus, in all likelihood you will see a small tower in town that the locals will tell you it is the prison Paul was in when he wrote Colossians. Now, nowhere in the Bible does it mention Paul was in prison in Ephesus, leading some scholars to think this is a traditional aspiration on the part of the citizens of Ephesus. Maybe it is or isn’t, but it certainly makes for an interesting discussion. 

But what we are sure of is that Paul did write some of his letters while sitting in prison, three in fact. They are Philippians, Philemon and Colossians. They are called the Prison Epistles. Whether or not they were written in a Roman prison, Ephesus or somewhere else is interesting, but not the real story. It’s more about Paul’s commitment to Christ, despite his circumstances. 

So it is easy to miss Paul’s commitment to his work, as we read his letters. But let us put ourselves in Paul’s shoes. His trials and dangers during his three missionary trips are legendary. And that is what is important. His rock steady commitment to spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire is not just a fictional story, it was real life. Filled with danger, resistance, physical harm and prison stays. 

Imagine ourselves, sitting in prison, all because we preached the gospel. Would we have stopped to pursue a less turbulent life? Could we have focused on the mission, while surrounded by jail bars? Well Paul did, and not only that, some of his best writing came while sitting in a dank and dark prison. Now to me that shows exactly how much Paul trusted God.