The Book of Acts
The Trip to Rome
Acts 28:1–16
Tonight we come to the last chapter of the book of Acts, and I think, if I get through what I want to get through tonight, then we can finish the book in one more study after this one, which will mean we have gathered around the book of Acts 105 times, and we've just scratched the surface!
I want to get started because I'd like to cover the first 16 verses of the chapter this evening, and I want to do it by giving you an outline, then give you some lessons, not just from the outline, but from what we see in Paul's life.
At chapter 28, Paul is finally on the last leg of his journey to Rome, and for a long time, both Paul and we have been trying to get him there! It’s been years since the desire first entered his mind to go to Rome and now it is about to be fulfilled.
And ironically, we are not given anything about his personal feelings or what's going on in his heart as that arrival approaches. Instead, we are given details about the journey and some of the things he faced as he finally arrives.
Just to quickly catch us up, Paul and the other 275 people who are traveling with him have been traveling for about 2 and 1/2 months. For much of the trip, they have been at the mercy of the winds and waves as they've traveled through a hurricane-type storm without the benefit of sun or stars to guide them.
But God guided their ship and they have finally been shipwrecked on the island of Malta. So as we catch up with them on the island, we pick up the story at chapter 28, and in the first 16 verses, there are five points that will guide us through the narrative.
The first thing we see is the
1. Pagan Hospitality
One of the hallmarks of Christianity is that we are to be a hospitable people. God blesses us and we are to be a blessing to others. We are instructed to be careful about how we treat strangers because they might be an angel and we don't know it.
Jesus taught us that we should treat people as if it is the Lord Himself we are welcoming. A cup of cold water or a visit to those imprisoned reflects our love for the Lord and helps us avoid judgment.
And not only are we to be hospitable to the world, we are to be especially helpful and courteous to our fellow Christians.
But unfortunately, that is very often not the case. In fact, we are often out-done by the world when it comes to taking care of people.
And ironically, that's what we see in Acts 28. They land on this island, and keep in mind, this is a ship carrying a large crowd of prisoners. And yet the people of Malta are extremely hospitable.
verses 1-2
Older translations call the natives "barbarians". That appears to be a rather unkind way to refer to the people that were so gracious, but that was Luke's way of telling us that they didn't speak Greek.
So here they are in the fall of the year in this post hurricane rain, and these natives come out and build a fire so 276 soaking wet, cold, shivering, exhausted visitors can warm up.
Now, before they leave Malta there are wonderful things that happen, which is a reminder of a promise God made to Abraham a long time ago. That promise was to bless those that bless God's people and curse those who don't.
In fact, there is a whole section on the judgment of nations found in Matthew 24 and 25 that is delivered depending how those nations treated Israel.
And it's interesting to see that Luke makes mention of their "unusual kindness". That tells us they have a sense of kindness and love that is granted to them by God. They go beyond what is normal kindness for the sake of these strangers. And they lit a bonfire large enough to warm 276 people, received every one of them because of the rain and the cold.
Next we see
2. Potential Harm
verse 3
I take note of the fact that this big, important Apostle is out gathering wood to build a fire.
That is the mark of a great leader! If you're too big to do a little jog, you're too little to do a big job! Instead of giving orders or expecting others to take care of him, Paul goes out to gather some sticks, and unfortunately, one of the sticks was alive. And when he laid the wood on the fire, the snake bit him.
And according to verse 4, this poisonous snake is hanging from his hand with its fangs imbedded in his hand. And had I been Paul, I think I might have thought, "Really Lord? After a hurricane and shipwreck and attempted murder, you're going to let me die from a snake bite?"
And in verse 4, things go from bad to worse:
verse 4
The Maltese people believe they are witnessing a form of justice by this snake bite, believing that is evidence that Paul is a murderer.
And we know that by what they say. Now if you have a Bible that has a small “j” at the word justice, you should replace it with a capital because "Justice" is a proper name. The goddess was named "Dike", spelled D-I-K-E and it is pronounced like Nike with a long E.
In Greek mythology, Dike was the daughter of Zeus and Themis and she was the personification of justice. So when the natives see this snake bite Paul, they make the assumption it is a judgment from Justice and Paul is only getting what he deserved as a murderer. He might have escaped the sea, but he did not escape justice!
And they all expected Paul to fall dead as a victim of this snakebite judgment. And how surprise they must have been when he didn't!
verse 5
Paul just gave a little flick of the hand and the snake falls into the fire and it's no big deal, which is exactly what Jesus said would happen when he sent out the 70 to preach the gospel with the promise that they could tread on serpents and scorpions nothing would hurt them.
So is that promise still true for today? Can Christians still handle poisonous snakes without being hurt or killed? Try it and see what happens! That was a sign for the apostolic era to establish their authority under God. Today we don't need those signs. We have the Word of God to confirm our message.
But Paul's experience at Malta was a confirmation of his message and authority as an apostle. Notice what happens:
verse 6
He shakes the snake off, they expect him to die or at least swell up, but after a long observation period, he doesn't and they move from believing it is a judgment to believing he is a god himself. Pagan theology doesn't give you a very sure footing does it? They don't know what to believe and all they have to rely upon are these signs and theories.
All of a sudden he’s not a murderer, he’s a god! Such a mighty miracle suggests he is deity.
And that change of mind about Paul will provide an opportunity to share the truth about the gospel, which brings us to the third point and that is the
3. Public Healing
verse 7
So living near where the shipwreck occurred on a large estate is the person who is in charge of Malta, and his name is Publius. His name actually appears in two archeological discoveries from Malta, one in Greek and the other in Latin.
And he is very kind to his guests. In fact, if you want to know what kind of opulence he enjoyed, think about this: He had room and provisions for 276 people to bed down and eat for 3 days!
verse 8
In spite of his affluence, his father is sick with a fever and the dysentary, which most likely means he had diarrhea along with a high temperature. So Paul goes to him and does two things that result in his healing.
He prayed and laid his hands on him. Why those two things and why in that order?
He prayed first because he understood that only God had the power to heal. So why didn't he just pray for him? He wanted those who witnessed the healing to know that the power was from God, but it was sent through Paul. In other words, he wanted God to get the glory, but he wanted to establish his credentials as a man of God.
So why did Paul want to establish credibility as a man sent from God? Well, it isn't stated in the text, but you know that Paul preached while he was there, and if he didn't have the opportunity to do formal preaching in a public setting, he would have been sharing his faith with individuals.
From a Scriptural standpoint, healing was never done just for the sake of physical healing. It was always done to set the table for the gospel. So if Paul healed, we have every reason to believe that Paul also preached.
They spent as much as 3 or 4 months on this island, so Paul had plenty of time to follow up that confirmation with a message. And notice,
verse 9
By the way, there is an indication that many were saved on the island and tradition tells us that Paul founded a church at Malta, and there may be a hint of that at the end of
verse 10
I take note that the people of Malta honored their guests in many ways and provided their necessities. Now some would say, "That's just the way they were. They were a friendly bunch of people and they showed it when Paul and the others showed up and they were still proving it when they left."
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think about this: What was the general reaction to Paul everywhere he went? Either people accepted the gospel, or they tried to kill him.
He's been on Malta preaching the gospel for three months and that's going to do one of two things. It's either going to make Christians or it's going to make enemies.
They're either going to love and embrace and care for Paul and his traveling companions or they are going to get them out of town as quickly as they can.
And I think the honored they showed and the provisions they gave are a result of many of them becoming believers during those 3 months.
verse 11
After winter is over, they board another ship, this one is sailing under the banner of "The Twin Brothers" who were the twins called Gemini in the Constellation. They were the patrons of navigation and the mythical sons of Jupiter. They were the ones the navigators and the sailors of the day looked to for security and safety.
verses 12-14a
We are given various details about the trip, including several stops along the way, and when they finally come to Puteoli, and there Paul spends some time with a group of Christians.
But finally, we see, God's
4. Promise is Honored
verse 14b
Rome is finally in sight!! They will now travel by land across the Appian Highway on the last leg of the journey.
verse 15
What an encouragment it must have been for the first ones to greet Paul to be Christians! And notice, when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
In other words, he was encouraged. He was thrilled at this reception. It had been three years since he wrote the Roman letter. Three years since he said I want to come to you and minister among you and encourage you. And now, three years have come and gone and when he finally gets there, they are an encouragement to him!
And the last point that we see here is the
5. Prisoner Housed
verse 16
Paul becomes a house prisoner chained to a Roman soldier. We find more details about that later in the chapter, but basically, he had his own house and a private guard who stayed with him around the clock.
Now, that's the outline, but there are some lessons I want to point you before we close because what I see in the life of Paul, not just from this passage, but from the study of his life how God demonstrates his faithfulness to those who are faithful.
Think about what God has done for Paul through the years of his ministry and travel, and even, imprisonment.
First, He has surrounded him with kindness.
Just in the last couple of chapters, we have read of that over and over again, It's in chapter 27, verses 2 and 3 when they first left Caesarea. He arrives in Sidon and immediately he is refreshed there and ministered to by the Christians.
In chapter 28 verses 1 and 2 his needs are met by the Maltese. In verse 10 of 28 they honored him with many honors and they gave him everything that he needed. God surrounds his faithful people with kindness.
Second, God ministered to his needs.
When he needed physical ministry, when he was sick in Sidon, he was ministered to medically. In chapter 28 he was ministered to by Publius in verse 7 by being given a place of lodging. He was ministered to by the necessities that were granted in verse 10. In verse 14 when he arrived in Puteoli the brethren there ministered to him.
God continually ministered to his needs, supplying exactly what he wanted. When it was food, he got food. When it was medicine, he received medicine. When it was fellowship, he got fellowship.
Third, God encouraged him over and over again.
Before he ever left prison in Jerusalem, God showed up to cheer him up and tell him he was going to Rome.
In chapter 27, when the ship was being torn up in the hurricane, God sent an angel to him that said, "Don’t worry Paul, you're going to make it to Rome and everybody is going to make it with you. Take courage and so forth", and he reported that to the people. God encouraged him.
But maybe the greatest encouragement must have the one we just read about where he saw these Christians 43 miles from town all gathered at the side of the road waiting to walk with him the rest of the way, showing him their love and affection.” And then 10 miles further met another group and together they went to Rome and his heart was thrilled and he was encouraged.
The fourth thing that God does for a faithful man is to
protect him from harm.
God saved him in a hurricane. God saved him in a shipwreck. God saved him from a plan to kill all the prisoners and God saved him from a snake bite. God protects his own.
Fifthly, God blessed his influence.
Wherever he went things happened.
It’s startling to think about. He had such a dramatic influence on the ship that it’s almost a foregone conclusion that some of them came to know Jesus Christ. He had such an impact on Malta that a church was begun there. It may even have been that a church was begun in Syracuse. We know that he had a profound effect on the city of Rome because many people in Caesar’s household were saved.
God blessed that man’s influence. Everywhere he went, blessing accompanied.
Sixthly and last. God fulfilled his desire. God fulfilled his desire. He wanted to get to Rome and God got to Rome. He wanted to be encouraged and know that the Christians loved him. They encouraged him. God met his desire.
What am I saying? Listen. We see a faithful man exhibiting all the qualities of a faithful leader and in return we see God giving all the blessing.
Proverbs 28:20 says this. “A faithful man shall abound with blessing.” Why? Because God is a faithful God. He rewards those who faithfully serve him.
Let's pray.
