Now we’re ready to look at Acts 28, the final chapter in Luke’s account. Paul and all those on the ship are now safely ashore and discover in verse 1 they’re on the island of Melita, present day Malta. This is a small island about 50 miles south of Sicily. It’s about 20 miles long and 12 miles wide, is densely populated and has become a popular present-day vacation destination. It has a long history of Roman Catholicism and boasts the traditional scene of Paul’s shipwreck, St. Paul’s Bay.
In the next verse “the barbarous people showed us no little kindness” (“barbarous is from barbaros, always used to describe someone who spoke a different language), in other words, “the natives (who spoke a different language) showed us remarkable kindness.” They welcomed Paul and the others, built them a fire to warm themselves, because it was rainy and cold.
The next paragraph (verses 4-6) is an account of Paul being bitten by a “venomous beast” (from echidna, a generic term used to describe a small, poisonous snake, sometimes called a viper, asp or adder, usually not more than 4 inches long, but very aggressive) while gathering wood for the fire. It had attached itself to Paul’s hand and the natives saw him shake it off. So, they waited and watched, expecting Paul to swell up from the effect of the poison and die.
There’s an interesting twist to the translation of verse 4. The KJV translates dike, “vengeance”, but you’ll notice later translations correctly translate it “Justice”. In the original text dike is personified and is used to denote the Roman goddess Justice (the Latin is Justitia). The natives assumed Paul was a criminal worthy of death and although he had survived the shipwreck, Justice was not going to allow him to live. But, after a long time had passed and Paul showed no ill effects, they changed their minds and began to say he must be a god.
Then, in the next several verses the “chief” (protos, meaning, first) man of the island named Publius entertained them for three days, showing generous hospitality. His father was sick with a recurring fever and “bloody flux” (dusenteria, dysentery, a severe diarrhea) and Paul laid hands on him and he was healed. Then when word of this got out, many others on the island with various diseases came to Paul and were healed. As a result of this, the people honored them and gave them gifts and when they sailed (after three months on the island, they prepared to sail on another Alexandrian ship that had spent the winter there) the people provided everything they would need for their journey. (Verses 7-11)
Before we go on, I have to comment on the last part of verse 11. The ship mentioned in this verse was, no doubt, another grain cargo ship from Egypt and is said to have the figures of Castor and Pollux on its bow and stern. In Greek mythology these two were twin brothers (in different versions, the two were a boy, Polydueces, and a girl, Helen). As the story goes, Jupiter seduced Leda when he presented himself to her as a swan. She laid two eggs and when they hatched, the children were born. These two were then translated to heaven and became the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini and an important navigational tool to mariners. Therefore it was customary to have these images on their ships.
Now, finally, Paul is on the last leg of his journey to Rome. They sail from Melita north about 70 miles to Syracuse on the east coast of Sicily and stayed there for three days, probably due to unfavorable sailing conditions (verse 12). Then, in the next verse the KJV says they “fetched a compass” (this is from perierchomai, and describes navigating a ship in contrary winds, having to constantly change course, going in one direction, then another and is usually called “tacking”) and they eventually reached Rhegium on the southern tip of Italy. Then the next day a south wind came up and they arrived at Puteoli, about 200 miles farther up the coast (only 120 miles, or so, from Rome). And, I should mention that Puteoli is the last port they would reach. Rome is not a port city, but is about 15 miles inland. So, the last part of this journey would be by land.
In Puteoli they found some Christian brethren and stayed there with them for seven days. The fact that there were believers here is not surprising. There were men from Rome in Jerusalem at Pentecost in Acts 2:10. These believers could have been the converts of those who were in the Jerusalem revival. And, Paul had written his letter to the saints in Rome several years earlier from Corinth near the end of his third journey. So, there were probably many Christians in Italy by this time. This is easily established in history by the accounts of thousands of Christians being publicly killed in the most gruesome ways after Nero blamed them for the great fire that burned almost two-thirds of the city.
Then the last part of verse 14 tells us they finally arrive in Rome. There was a welcoming party of believers from the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns, the former being about 50 miles south of Rome on the Appian Way, the other about 35 miles. Both were popular stopping off points after a days travel from Rome. Verse 15 tells us Paul was comforted and encouraged by their presence (evidently he was somewhat apprehensive about what was about to take place now that he had finally reached his destination).
As soon as they reached their destination in Rome, Julius turned the prisoners over to the commander of the Imperial guard. The last part of verse 16 says, “but Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier that had been guarding him.” This special treatment was probably due to the influence of Julius, who by this time had formed a bond with Paul, given the experiences they had shared. Keep in mind this centurion (as others in past lessons) was trained to be honest and objective in all situations. He recognized the reality of Paul’s God and was impressed (compare Matthew 8:5-9, 27:54; Acts 10:22).
From verse 17 to verse 28 is the account of Paul meeting with the leaders of the synagogues in Rome. I think there are two reasons for Paul doing this as soon as he gets settled in Rome. The first is probably related to what he said in his letter to the believers in Rome just a couple of years before about being subject to authority. He was fully aware of the fact that believers had to be careful about how they conducted themselves in Rome. But, the same was true of the Jews; they were no more a part of the Roman culture than the followers of Christ. If his presence in Rome caused anything near the uproar it did earlier in Jerusalem, there would be unpleasant consequences – both for him and for the Jews. Paul wanted to avoid any trouble, if possible.
The second reason, of course, was that he felt compelled to preach the gospel message to any who would listen. So, when you follow the narrative, Paul assures them that he had not done anything against the Jews or their customs, but circumstances forced him to appeal to Caesar. And he told them it was because of the Hope of Israel (the Messiah) that he was there under guard. Surprisingly, they answered they had not heard anything bad about him and were willing to hear what he had to say about this sect about which everyone had such a low opinion (verses 17-22)
So, a day was set and even more than had come to the first meeting were there as Paul spent the whole day fully explaining the kingdom of God and trying to convince them Jesus was the Messiah, both from the Law of Moses and the words of the Prophets. Then some believed and some did not and they began to leave, arguing among themselves. But before they could go, Paul told them this one more thing.
“The Holy Spirit was right when He said this to your forefathers through Isaiah the prophet: Go to this people and say, You will hear with your ears, but will not understand and you will look with your eyes, but will not know what you’re looking at. For the heart of this people has become so hardened, they cannot hear, and they’ve closed their eyes. But if they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn to Me, I would heal them. (Paul is quoting Isaiah 6:9-10) Therefore I want you to know that God’s message of salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen to it!” (Verses 23-28)
The last two verses of Acts 28 tell us Paul lived in his own rented house for two years and welcomed all who came to see him, boldly preaching the kingdom of God and about the Lord Jesus Christ. Here Luke ends his account. However, as we go through the letters Paul has yet to write, we will try to unravel the last years of Paul’s (and Peter’s) life, with a second imprisonment in Rome and his eventual death. Some speculate that his accusers never came to Rome in the eighteen months the law required. So, he was released, having never been tried by Caesar. But, that would negate what the angel told him (27:24). Because of that, I’m inclined to think he did stand before Caesar, was not convicted of any crime and released.