From Malta to Rome
Acts 28:1–16
On the island of Malta, the residents are quite hospitable to Paul and his shipmates, although their reactions to his being bitten by a poisonous snake are rather humorous. First, they jump to the conclusion that he is a murderer being punished by the goddess Justice. Then, after waiting in vain for him to drop dead, they conclude that he must be a god.
Malta’s most prominent inhabitant, a man named Publius, generously hosts the survivors of the shipwreck for three days. After Paul heals Publius’s father of a fever, the islanders bring all their sick to Paul, and they are healed. The surprising result is that the natives of Malta treat Paul the prisoner and his party—the Roman guards, the ship’s captain and crew, and his fellow passengers—with great courtesy and honor, and they provide provisions when they resume their sea voyage toward Rome. Thus the final stage of Paul’s journey as a bound prisoner manifests quite a striking reversal: God has “lifted up the lowly” (Luke 1:52).
Winter in Malta (28:1–10)
1Once we had reached safety we learned that the island was called Malta. 2The natives showed us extraordinary hospitality; they lit a fire and welcomed all of us because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, escaping from the heat, fastened on his hand. 4When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must certainly be a murderer; though he escaped the sea, Justice has not let him remain alive.” 5But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly to fall down dead but, after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. 7In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to a man named Publius, the chief of the island. He welcomed us and received us cordially as his guests for three days. 8It so happened that the father of Publius was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, after praying, laid his hands on him and healed him. 9After this had taken place, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. 10They paid us great honor and when we eventually set sail they brought us the provisions we needed.
NT: Mark 16:18; Luke 16:19–25; 19:2–10, 41–44; 24:29–32; Acts 14:8–20
Catechism: communion of faith, 185, 949, 1102
Lectionary: Acts 28:7–10: Mass for the Sick
[28:1]
Once we had reached safety can be more literally translated as “having been saved,” implicitly by God. This reading hints that the travelers’ reaching land in one piece is a sign and anticipation of the ultimate salvation that God gives to all who trust him. The travelers learn that they have landed on Malta, a small island south of Sicily.
[28:2]
The word for natives is barbaros, the Greek term for all people who do not speak Greek. It can have the sense of “foreigner.” The Maltese natives show the shipwrecked travelers extraordinary hospitality. Because of the rain and the cold, they light a fire, around which they welcome all those who have just swum ashore.
The striking hospitality of the islanders continues a theme from the Gospel of Luke, where hospitality is a sign of welcoming the visitation and action of God (16:19–25; 19:2–10; 24:29–32). Jesus wept over the lack of hospitality of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who refused to believe in him, and who will be punished “because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (19:44). Hospitality for shipwrecked travelers was highly valued in ancient Mediterranean cultures. Here in Acts the friendliness of rustic strangers on Malta provides a stark contrast to the rejection Paul had experienced from his own Jewish compatriots in Pisidian Antioch, Thessalonica, and Jerusalem (13:50; 17:1–10; Acts 22–23).
[28:3–6]
The islanders’ change of mind after Paul is bitten by a poisonous snake recalls the reaction of the inhabitants of Lystra after Paul and Barnabas healed a lame man (14:8–20). At first they called them “gods”; then they stoned Paul.
Here on Malta the sequence flows in the opposite direction. When they see the poisonous snake on Paul’s hand, they conclude that he must be a murderer and that even though he escaped the sea, Justice, the goddess who enforces justice among humans, has finally caught up with him and is punishing him with death. This is analogous to biblical teaching that no grave sin will escape God’s notice or punishment.
After waiting for Paul to drop dead but observing that he has suffered no harm, the natives change their minds and call him a god. For Luke, this incident fulfills Jesus’ prophecy to his disciples, “Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19; see Mark 16:18).
[28:7–8]
Publius, the chief of the island, welcomes the travelers and shows them hospitality for three days. When Paul learns that Publius’s father is sick with a fever (perhaps what was later called Malta fever, caused by the Brucella bacteria) and dysentery, he ministers to his host by visiting the father. Through prayer and the laying on of hands, Paul heals him—an act reminiscent of Jesus’ healing Peter’s mother-in-law from fever (Luke 4:38–39). Paul is sharing in Jesus’ power to heal the sick, as Jesus had enabled his followers to do (Luke 4:40; 9:1–2; 10:8–9). This healing illustrates how Jesus’ disciples in Acts continue “all that Jesus did and taught” (Acts 1:1). It nevertheless reveals a difference: whereas Paul and others heal in the name of Jesus or through prayer (such as Peter in 3:6; 9:40), Jesus healed simply on his own authority.
[28:9–10]
Jesus’ healings led to crowds of the sick coming to be healed (Luke 4:38–40); similarly, after Paul’s healing of Publius’s father, the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. Although nothing is said explicitly, there is no reason to doubt that Paul took the occasion to evangelize them. Malta today is a deeply Catholic country, and its inhabitants trace the origin of their faith to this visit of Paul.
These healings have the further result that the islanders pay Paul and his companions great honor. Luke skips over the remaining months of the winter layover to mention that when the new sailing season began, the people of the island supplied all the needed provisions, and the travelers finally set sail for Rome. Like Jacob in Laban’s house and Joseph in Egypt, God is with Paul, blessing him and blessing those around him because of him.
Arrival in Rome (28:11–16)
11Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the Dioscuri as its figurehead. 12We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days, 13and from there we sailed round the coast and arrived at Rhegium. After a day, a south wind came up and in two days we reached Puteoli. 14There we found some brothers and were urged to stay with them for seven days. And thus we came to Rome. 15The brothers from there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul gave thanks to God and took courage. 16When he entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
NT: Acts 21
Lectionary: Acts 28:11–16, 30–31: Dedication of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (Nov. 17)
[28:11–13]
Three months later, when the sailing season reopens, the Roman guards and their prisoners set sail on another Alexandrian ship. The ship’s figurehead is the Dioscuri, or Castor and Pollux, twin gods who were revered by pagans for protection at sea. Ironically, that ship bears to Rome one who brings the good news of the true protectors, God and his Son Jesus Christ, which will have an incalculable impact on the future of Rome and all Europe. The first stop is the port of Syracuse in Sicily, where they stay three days. They then sail to Rhegium in Calabria, on the toe of Italy, and finally to Puteoli, on the western side of Italy, the principal port of the Bay of Naples, where their sea journey ends.
[28:14–15]
At Puteoli, Paul and his companions find some fellow Christians and stay with them a week, presumably with permission from Paul’s guards. The statement, thus we came to Rome, is probably anticipatory, introducing what follows: “This is how we came to Rome.” Word of the apostle’s arrival must have reached Rome during Paul’s weeklong stay with the church in Puteoli, since Roman Christians come as far as the Forum of Appius (about 43 miles from Rome) and Three Taverns (about 33 miles) to meet the party. Their hiking such a distance, presumably on foot, to meet him and his companions renews Paul’s courage and inspires him to give thanks to God. It is hard to overstate the value of such expressions of hospitality and esteem toward fellow Christians, especially those working hard or suffering for the gospel.
[28:16]
Once Paul reaches Rome, the “we” narrative ends, and Luke relates the final part of Acts, regarding Paul’s house arrest in Rome, in the third person (28:17–31). Luke thus suggests another subtle parallel between Paul’s sufferings and the passion of Jesus. Paul, like Jesus, was accompanied by disciples on his way to his trials and possible death. However, as Jesus was alone in his final imprisonment, Luke no longer mentions that any of Paul’s travel companions continue to support him once he is placed under house arrest in Rome. He is by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
Luke does, however, mention that Paul has visitors. And Paul’s Letters indicate that, at least in some of his imprisonments, other Christians were fellow prisoners with him (see sidebar).
Reflection and Application (28:11–16)
The pagans of Malta were particularly impressed by Paul’s miraculous survival from a poisonous snakebite and by the many healings the sick experienced at his hands. Evangelization in earliest Christianity, following the example of Jesus’ own ministry, was immensely aided by healings and other miracles, which effectively invited faith from those who witnessed them. As I was writing this chapter, I was visited by a former doctoral student who recently felt called by God to join a team with a worldwide mission. They travel especially to India and Africa for evangelistic preaching to crowds as many as hundreds of thousands. What makes their message particularly persuasive are the many healings that occur through their preaching and prayer with the sick. I was surprised to be reminded that numerous healings like those of Paul on Malta are still occurring, often in developing countries where people are more aware of their need for God’s help and have not raised rationalist barriers to divine intervention. The Acts of the Apostles, and Paul’s example in particular, challenge contemporary Christian witnesses to open ourselves more completely to faith in God’s power to heal and convert members of “every nation, tribe, tongue, and people” (Rev 14:6).
Even among Christians in developed nations, the tendency is to rely on modern medicine rather than God. However, all genuine healing comes from God (Ps 103:3), whether through medical means, directly through prayer, or through a combination of both. The teaching of Scripture about how to respond to sickness remains valid (Sir 38:1–12; James 5:14–16); Jesus’ promise about healing through the laying on of hands still holds (Mark 16:17–20). Even if evangelization in some situations may not emphasize healing as much as among poorer peoples, it still depends on God for its effectiveness. We still need to call on God’s power for whatever ministry he has given us to carry out.
