28:1, 2 The island of Malta is 60 miles south of Sicily. It had excellent harbors and was ideally located for trade. “Barbarous” simply meant “ignorant of Greek.” The islanders on Malta were of Phoenician ancestry.
28:7, 8 Paul continued to minister to others, even as a shipwrecked prisoner. On this trip alone, the Roman army officer, the chief official of Malta, and many others were affected. It is no wonder that the gospel spread like wildfire.
28:15 Where did the Roman believers come from? The gospel had spread to Rome by various methods. Many Jews who lived in Rome would visit Jerusalem for religious festivals. Some had been present at Pentecost (2:10), had believed in Jesus, and had brought the message back to Rome. Also, Paul had written his letter to the Romans before this time.
28:15 The Forum on the Appian Way was a town about 43 miles south of Rome; The Three Taverns was located about 35 miles south of Rome. A tavern was a shop or a place that provided food and lodging for travelers. The Christians openly went to meet Paul and encourage him.
28:17-20 Paul wanted to preach the gospel in Rome, and he eventually got there—in chains, through shipwreck, and after many trials. Although he may have wished for an easier passage, he knew that God had blessed him greatly in allowing him to meet the believers in Rome and preach the message to both Jews and Gentiles in that great city. In all things, God worked for Paul’s good (Romans 8:28). You can trust God to do the same for you. God may not make you comfortable or secure, but he will provide the opportunity to do his work.
28:22 Christians were denounced everywhere by the Romans because they were seen as a threat to the Roman establishment. They believed in one God, whereas the Romans had many gods, including Caesar. The Christians were committed to an authority higher than Caesar.
28:23 Paul used the Old Testament to teach the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promises. The book of Romans, written 10 years earlier, reveals Paul’s ongoing dialogue with the Jews in Rome.
28:30 Paul remained in Rome under guard (28:16) in a rented house for two years (28:30). There sat the greatest apostle and spokesman for Christianity—unable to move freely and minister as he desired. However, Paul didn’t complain or despair. He simply did what he could. Able to receive visitors, he taught, preached, and counseled even while he was confined to quarters. He wrote letters, commonly called his Prison Letters, to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians—letters that have impacted millions of believers down through the centuries. He also wrote personal letters, such as the one to Philemon. Luke was with Paul in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11). Timothy often visited him (Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; Philemon 1:1), as did Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphroditus (Philippians 4:18), and Mark (Colossians 4:10). Paul witnessed to the whole Roman guard (Philippians 1:13) and was involved with the Roman believers. If you find yourself in a “negative” or unpleasant situation, look for ways to redeem the circumstances. There is never a time or place in which you can’t glorify and serve God.
28:30 Tradition says that Paul was released after two years of house arrest in Rome and that he then left on a fourth missionary journey. Some reasons for this tradition are as follows: (1) Luke does not give us an account of Paul’s trial before Caesar, and Luke was a detailed chronicler; (2) the prosecution had two years to bring the case to trial, and time may have run out; (3) in his letter to the Philippians, written during his imprisonment in Rome, Paul implied that he would soon be released and would do further traveling; (4) Paul mentions several places where he intended to take the gospel, but he never visited those places in his first three journeys; (5) early Christian literature talks plainly about other travels by Paul.
During his time of freedom, Paul may have continued to travel extensively, even going to Spain (see Romans 15:24, 28) and back to the churches in Greece. The books of 1 Timothy and Titus were written during this time. Later, Paul was imprisoned again, probably in Rome, where he wrote his last letter (2 Timothy).
28:31 Why does the book of Acts end here and so abruptly? The book is not about the life of Paul but about the spread of the gospel, and that had been clearly presented. God apparently thought it was not necessary for someone to write an additional book describing the continuing history of the early church. Now that the gospel had been preached and established at the center of trade and government, it would spread across the world.
28:31 The book of Acts deals with the history of the Christian church and its expansion in ever-widening circles touching Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome—the most influential cities in the Western world. Acts also shows the mighty miracles and testimonies of the heroes and martyrs of the early church—Peter, Stephen, James, Paul. All the ministry was prompted and held together by the Holy Spirit working in the lives of ordinary people—merchants, travelers, slaves, jailers, church leaders, males, females, Gentiles, Jews, rich, poor. Many unsung heroes of the faith continued the work, through the Holy Spirit, in succeeding generations, changing the world with a changeless message: Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of all who call on him. Today we can be the unsung heroes in the continuing story of the spread of the gospel. It is that same message that we Christians are to take to our world so that many more may hear and believe.