AP

Studies in Acts (Acts 28:1-16)

Hospitality on Malta

Paul and the mariners, soldiers, prisoners, and passengers had crawled up on the beach. There they were in their sopping clothes, shaking in the cold northeast wind, on what they found out was the island of Malta. The islanders came to meet them. Since these inhabitants were descendants of Phoenician colonists who presumably spoke a Canaanite dialect, close to Hebrew or Aramaic, it is likely that Paul and these people could understand each other reasonably well. Coastal dwellers in antiquity often had little sympathy for shipwreck victims. Usually they would be robbed, killed, or taken as slaves, but here the populace displayed extraordinary friendliness (Greek, philanthrōpia) and accommodation to the stranded strangers. This was no small matter, suddenly to be confronted with the need to provide 276 shipwrecked victims with food and shelter during the three winter months, but they welcomed them. Because it was cold, the residents of Malta started a huge fire, so that the survivors could get warm and dry their clothes.

Paul identified as God’s envoy

Paul helped diligently to keep the fire going. When he had found a large bundle of dry wood and thrown it on the fire, a poisonous snake slithered out and bit him on his hand. Thereby the apostle once again faced mortal danger. When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, the said to each other: “That man is surely a murderer; he escaped the sea, but now the avenging goddess Justice has nevertheless caught up with him! She is not going to let him live.” They thought that the goddess Dikē was carrying out a death sentence by means of this snake. These pagans at least believed that there were higher powers that maintained justice and righteousness, and that sooner or later a criminal would not escape punishment (cf. Romans 1:32; 2:14-15). But Paul remained calm. He shook the viper off into the fire and was unharmed. He knew that he had to testify of Jesus Christ before the emperor and a snakebite would not prevent him from doing so. The Lord had promised: “They will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them” (Mark 16:18).

The island natives looked to see how the goddess was about to kill this terrible criminal. After waiting a long time, the spectators saw that the poison had not harmed Paul at all. At that point, they changed their mind and thought that a man who survived a deadly snake bite possessed superhuman powers and must be a god. Paul would have denied this just as strongly as in Lystra (Acts 14:11-15). But Paul was indeed an envoy of God, and as such, the Lord had validated him by means of this miraculous sign. The Lord was fulfilling his promise — mentioned above — and was thereby authenticating Paul’s preaching on the island in advance. While he remained for three months on this island, Paul took the opportunity to keep preaching the Good News. Although the apostle remained a prisoner, by means of a snake bite the Lord opened the door for Paul’s preaching on Malta.

Healings in the name of Jesus

Not far from the bay where they reached land, there were estates on which stood some buildings. They were the property of Publius, the Roman governor of the island. This man allowed Paul (and his companions?) to come to him and entertained them for the first three days very hospitably. During this time, arrangements could be made to obtain lodging elsewhere on the island for all the survivors during the three winter months.

The father of Publius lay sick in bed with a fever and stomach ailment (Greek, dysenterion). If the fever were not to dissipate, they feared for his life. Paul, who apparently had requested to see the patient, went into the room where he lay. Now the apostles, no different than Jesus, never performed miracles on their own initiative, but always under the leading of the Holy Spirit and in God’s power (Luke 4:14; 5:17; Acts 3:12; 10:38; 19:11; John 11:41-42). Paul first prayed to ask if the Lord was willing to heal this extremely sick Gentile through him. When it became clear to him that this was indeed God’s will, he received the necessary power, laid his hands on the man, and he was healed. Of course, Paul mentioned that he was doing this in the name of Jesus Christ. Paul followed this with preaching in the villa of Publius who Jesus Christ is and everything that people may expect from him.

The news of the healing spread across the island. The other sick people on the island came to him, and they too received their health back. Once again, Luke says nothing about preaching. But in the context of his entire book of Acts, it is inconceivable that here on Malta only miracles would have occurred. As a result of the shipwreck, the name of the Lord Jesus became known there as well. Naturally, the miraculous healings drew the people to him.

The people were extremely thankful, especiallyfor the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he had confirmed so powerfully among them. Paul, together with Luke and Aristarchus who had assisted him with his preaching, were showered with everything they needed.

From Malta to Rome

Meanwhile, in one of the harbours of Malta, the centurion had found another ship from Alexandria. It too had wintered on the island and as soon as the shipping season opened, it would set a course for Italy. The only question was whether it could take along the 276 survivors. In any case, space was found for Julius, the soldiers, the prisoners, and Paul with his companions. After spending three months on Malta, the time had arrived. One early spring day, when a south wind was blowing, the captain decided to attempt the crossing from Malta to Sicily. The distance was about 80 km, which under this favourable wind could be covered in a little more than one day. Then people could sail without much danger along the coast and past a few ports. The ship had on its prow the images of Castor and Pollux. According to Greek mythology, these were twin sons of the god Zeus. They were worshipped as the protectors of sea travel. In reality, the ship was sailing under the protection of Paul’s Sender, the glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

The voyage to Syracuse, a harbour on the east coast of Sicily, went well. The layover there lasted three days. From there they sailed along the east coast of Sicily to Rhegium, to the leeward side of Italy. Now the ship had only to navigate the narrow, dangerous sea lane of Messina between Italy and Sicily. In that day, this was famous for its dangerous currents swirling at its narrowest point. It was not without reason that the mythological Scylla and Charybdis were situated there. After one day, however, the wind came from the south, the ideal direction for traversing the straits quickly from south to north. Within two days the Dioskouri had made such significant progress that the ship could moor in the port of Puteoli on the north side of the Gulf of Naples.

In Paul’s day, this city, with its hundred thousand inhabitants, was the most important port of Italy. It lay just north of Pompei, which was also a port, near Vesuvius. When Paul sailed past this place, he could not have imagined that hardly twenty years later, this city would be buried under the lava of the volcano that erupted in AD 79. And that Drusilla, the wife of Felix, would perish with her son in this catastrophe. Later excavations have shown that Christians lived in Pompei at that time, and in nearby Herculaneum. Passengers usually disembarked in Puteoli to travel the final 200 km on land. This is what Julius did with his solders and prisoners. The voyage, including the wintering on Malta, had taken at least six months, and was now coming to an end. All that was left was a trek of about five days, and they would be in Rome.

It is not surprising that Paul found Christians in this international centre of business and commerce. Believers who could not keep silent about the Lord Jesus were already busy spreading the gospel. The brothers in Puteoli invited them to stay with them for a week. Was the centurion also invited, and had he already become a Christian? So it is that seven days later, having been strengthened by the fellowship of the saints in Puteoli, they found themselves travelling the Via Appia, the most beautiful and busiest Roman imperial road, en route to Rome.

Welcomed by Roman brothers

In view of the heavy traffic between the two cities, it was not hard to notify the church(es) in Rome of Paul’s arrival. He was certainly not unknown to the believers there, nor they to him. About three years ago by now, they had received from him “the epistle to the Romans,” in which he asked them to greet 28 members of the church and asked for prayer regarding his coming to Rome (Romans 15:30-16:16). After a walk of about 110 km, they reached the Forum Apii (the Appian market), a mail outpost and rest area along the Via Appia, about 65 km outside of Rome. To his great joy, a deputation from the church(es) in Rome was waiting there for him! In the Three Taverns, a village about 15 km further, a second deputation welcomed him. They had already heard some things about him: that he had spent two years in prison, suffered shipwreck, and would arrive within a few days in Rome. They were now testifying of their love to him by joining him in travelling some 50 or 60 km, accompanying him to the capital city.

This meeting was deeply significant for Luke. He describes it with a term for welcoming a new ruler or dignitary. In that time, when someone made a state visit (parousia) to a particular city, the citizens did not wait for him to arrive, but went outside the gate some distance to meet him and give him a festive welcome. So too we will go to “meet” (the same term) the Lord Jesus at his parousia to welcome him to earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Something similar to such a royal welcome is what Luke was seeing when brothers from Rome had travelled to meet and accompany him to their city.

How wonderfully the Lord had protected Paul since his arrest in Jerusalem, almost three years ago! Now standing around him were representatives of the church whom he had so fervently longed to see. This, then, was the beginning of being “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,” about which he had written in his letter (Romans 1:11-15; 15:23). New courage and strength streamed through all of them. The mutual love that was displayed in this meeting and greeting must have made a deep impression on the centurion Julius as well. Paul, the prisoner, was accompanied by an honour guard of believers.

Rome

At that time, Rome was a metropolis in which an estimated one million people lived. Just like our modern world cities, ancient Rome manifested glaring contradictions.

On the one hand was a glittering city. Not only in the centre, the forum Romanum, but elsewhere as well, marble temples, palaces, and colonnades rose in exalted beauty. An enormous number of images and other ornaments decorated the streets and plazas of the districts where the dignitaries lived. Many fountains delivered fresh water that flowed a long distance by means of large waterways. The capitol with its temple to Jupiter towered above all of this, along with various buildings and the Palatine Mountain with its imperial palaces. The outskirts of the city featured the villas of the wealthy Romans, situated in parks, many of which were open to the public.

All of this, however, formed a glaring contrast with the inner city, where the proletariat was housed in narrow, winding streets and overcrowded blocks of houses. It was unbelievably busy there, with the continuous din sounding all day and all night. People made their way pushing and shoving through the narrow streets. Wealthy people would have a pair of strong slaves walk ahead of them to open a path with their fists and elbows.

When Paul looked out through a window, he saw a diversity of people walking by. Refined Romans being carried on a sedan by slaves. Slaves from every country. Bakers. Beggars. Street vendors. Sailors. Greek philosophers. Egyptian priests. Blond Germans, Black Africans. School children. Processions associated with eccentric religions. And among them all, many Jews as well. The fact that Rome dominated the entire world was visible in the shopping districts where products from many countries were for sale: Greek oysters, Swiss cheese, black fish, Arab spices and perfumes, India pearls, marble from Asia Minor, Egyptian linens and glassware, and even Chinese goods had reached the city by means of a lengthy commercial route. One could buy daily necessities, but there were also bookstores and hair salons. Soup kitchens offered inexpensive meals. Bankers had their own district, where one could exchange currency and purchase travellers checks that could be exchanged elsewhere for silver.

In the great circus that in Paul’s day could seat 60,000 spectators, the popular chariot races were held. The public was entertained as well with the bloody gladiator games, in which the swordsmen fought each other to the point of death. In addition, various theatres featured stage productions. The many luxuriant bathhouses contained separate areas for cold, lukewarm, and hot baths, massage facilities and conversation halls. In this immense city lived the Christians to whom Paul had written his letter to the Roman house churches before his arrival. Those had probably been established by Messiah-confessing Jews (cf. 2:10 “visitors from Rome” on Pentecost). In Romans 16, Paul mentions many of them by name. Together with converted Gentiles, they separated themselves for Christ’s sake from the sins that Paul describes in Romans 1:18-32.

In AD 64, shortly after Paul’s two-year house arrest in Rome, the great fire erupted that destroyed a large part of the inner city. The Christians would be blamed for this, and at Nero’s command, would undergo bloody persecution. According to tradition, the apostle was beheaded here just before the suicide of Nero (9 June 68).

Paul is placed in protective custody

After the Christians from Rome had accompanied Paul on the final two days of his journey, they parted ways. They went home, and he had to be taken into protective custody. But when the centurion had delivered his transport of prisoners in Rome, he must have pleaded with the authorities for the apostle to be given exceptional treatment. In addition to Paul’s Roman citizenship and his conduct during the voyage, Julius could use the report of Festus as the basis for his request. That report must have contained the comment that Paul had not committed any crime (26:31), but that he had been arrested because of a Jewish religious dispute. In response, Paul received permission to live by himself outside the barracks as he awaited his trial, though prevented by his chains and a guard from going in and out (v. 30). There he was able, for two years, to proclaim the name of the Lord Jesus Christ unhindered. We assume that Christians in Rome and elsewhere had paid his rent and provided him with food, clothing, and other necessities for daily life (as Epaphroditus did, cf. Philippians 2:25).

Just think of whom he met there during his two-year house arrest! His guards were alternated regularly, so that during his imprisonment he would have become acquainted with many soldiers, and they with him. He was guarded day and night, so that he was never alone for a moment, not even when he slept. They could follow every conversation that he had with his visitors, and they could also hear him pray and sing. Paul was able to bring some of them to faith as well. From his letter to the Philippians, which Paul wrote while he was in Rome, we learn that his imprisonment had not hindered the proclamation of the gospel but advanced it. “I want you to know, brothers,” he wrote, “that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13). The Lord knows to what far reaches converted guards have spread the gospel!

Questions:

The civilisation of Rome was both sophisticated and cruel. How are we to understand the relationship between Christ and human culture?

Christian fellowship was itself a testimony to a pagan society. How is this true, also in our own times?

– Alida Sewell