Acts 28
Read: Acts 28
The concept of God’s providence is yet again on display in the final chapter of Acts. Paul should have died multiple times in the previous chapter; then when he made it to the island a snake (likely poisonous) bit him and he still survived! The island natives had a rational explanation for why this happened; they believed that Paul must be a terrible person in order to have escaped death once, only to get bit by a snake and end up dying anyways. Yet to their surprise, Paul lived and ends up ministering to and healing the people of the island. They quickly changed their minds about him and think he is a god, but I’m sure Paul set them straight and told them about Jesus.
Because of Paul’s ministry to the people in Malta, the survivors of the shipwreck gained favor with the natives so that when the weather was good enough to sail, they honored them and gave them the things they needed for the journey. Yet again Paul’s presence was blessing to his captors. The favor they received from the island natives was because of Paul. Though he was still a prisoner, Paul was definitely the MVP of this trip! Once they arrive in Rome, Paul was hardly even treated like a prisoner anymore. He was allowed to live by himself with one guard, he called the leaders of the Jews in Rome together and told them about Jesus, and many came to him where he was staying to hear him expound and testify about Jesus and persuade them from the Law and Prophets that these things had been foretold. Like in other places Paul had been, some believed and some didn’t.
The Book of Acts ends letting us know that Paul stayed in his own rented house in Rome for two years teaching and proclaiming the message of Jesus “without hindrance.” That’s a lot of freedom for a Roman prisoner! Clearly God’s hand was at work in freeing Paul up to do the ministry he had brought him there for. Little is known what happened next. During this visit, it is uncertain whether Paul actually stood before Caesar or not; it is possible that Paul could have been released from imprisonment if his accusers from Jerusalem never showed up. However, historical record tells us that this was not the end of the story for Paul. He was somehow released and went on to minister for a few more years, maybe even in Spain (See Romans 15:24). He also wrote 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy all after his first Roman imprisonment. A few years after his first Roman imprisonment, Paul finds himself back in prison in Rome. This time it is believed that Paul faced Emperor Nero and was executed.
Overall, Luke left the end of Acts open ended. This mission is far from over, and just as we saw the baton being passed from Jesus to the apostles, and then from Paul to those that he ministered to; the baton now lies in our own hands. We have the choice to stand around looking into the sky waiting for Jesus to come back (See Acts 1:9-11) or we can join in and run the race. I pray that as a result of this study in Acts, we are empowered and emboldened to run the race God has set before us, and trust him to guide us every step of the way.
