Romans 15:22 Meaning and Explanation

Paul now turns to his long-deferred wish to visit Rome. The very calling he has described — to break new ground where Christ was unnamed — is what has kept him away. His hands were full elsewhere.

There is tenderness in the admission. He has not stayed away from indifference but from the press of unfinished work in regions still unreached. The word 'hindered' suggests obstacles repeatedly thrown across his path. Yet he wants them to know the delay was never neglect. Sometimes the very faithfulness that serves one need postpones another good. Paul's heart had long been set toward Rome, even as duty held him in the east. Love sometimes waits, hemmed in by other loves.