Nothing new under the sun....stories of the powerful people using their power. Although no physical harm was done to Paul, he was denied his liberty. And though the church undoubtedly knew where he was (he sent a couple letters to make that clear) - very little is done on his behalf. Given all the needs of the community, I'm not surpised that the churches Paul founded don't send money to Felix to secure Paul's release. But it is a bit surprising that through all of this, we have heard nothing of the church in Jerusalem. What happened to those brave disciples who had seemed to finally get their act together earlier in this story? They don't even speak up for Paul in all this time before the Jewish leaders that they must interact with regularly.
What this story brings to mind is the general truth that life can be out of control - but we can make choices within our circumstances. (Or, the more common platitude, you can't change others, you can only change your own responses to situations.) Paul has very little choice in this passage - and seems to almost lose his voice entirely. But he begins to write his letters, and he speaks regularly with Felix - he does what he can in the situation he finds himself.
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