15:23 For years Paul had desired to visit Rome, but had been hindered from coming because of his labors in the eastern Mediterranean. But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, says Paul, the way is clear for the long-awaited visit. On the face of it, that is an astounding claim. As we noted at verse 19, the claim that there is no more place for me to work is surely tempered by the prospect of the imminent return of Christ. The nail of Christianity had been set in the east due to his missionary efforts, but it remained for others to drive home.

15:24 Paul’s last frontier was Spain, the western-most limit of the Roman Empire. Exactly why he chose to evangelize Spain (as opposed to Gaul, for instance) we are not told. We know that Spain had an established Jewish po…