Rome at Last!

The occasion to eat gave Paul an opportunity to give a visible display of his devotion to the Giver of all good things. Taking the role of a father or a host, he offered the blessing, distributed the food, and began to eat (v. 35). This description reminds us of the feeding of the five thousand (Luke 9:16), Jesus’s meal with the Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:30), and especially the institution of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19).

The men aboard the ship, however, were not taking the Lord’s Supper; they were eating for the sake of nourishment. Paul knew that hungry men are useless men. Nevertheless, “Paul’s calm consumption, and especially his public thanksgiving to the God of all grace, bears witness to the peace amid life’s storms that Jesus gives through the new covenant” (Johnson, Let’s Study Acts, 335). It wasn’t a sacred meal the men shared, but it was indeed a “sacred moment” (Bock, Acts, 740).

The crew of 276 men was “encouraged” (v. 36; cf. vv. 22,25) and followed Paul’s example by eating (v. 36). After the meal, they jettisoned the rest of the grain in order to lighten the ship (vv. 37-38). Buoyed by Paul’s words, they were confident that they would obtain access to food again; it was time to lift the boat higher in the water as they were drawing near to the shore (Bock, Acts, 740).

In looking back over Paul’s exemplary guidance, what can we learn about leadership in secular situations?

First, Paul was a man of both spiritual depth and practical wisdom. Paul wasn’t a wild mystic. He had a real faith in the living God that gave him the confidence he needed to stay calm and to lead. But he also had Proverbs-like wisdom that enabled him to give basic instructions to those in need. In secular situations we really need leaders who are both wise and in step with God, men and women who will serve as agents of hope in a world of darkness. John Stott says, “[Paul] was a man of God and of action, a man of the Spirit and of common sense” (Message of Acts, 392).

Paul also gave a clear and appropriate testimony in the situation (Fernando, Acts, 620). While we don’t see aggressive evangelism at work in this story, we do see Paul taking opportunities to point people to God. He spoke of his God in verse 23 before speaking God’s promise, and later he gave thanks to God in prayer in front of others before taking something to eat (v. 35). Paul spoke and prayed in the midst of hopelessness, giving the crew an alternate perspective, a ray of hope, and something important to ponder. We too should look for clear and appropriate ways to bear witness to Jesus in the public sphere.

As the sun appeared on the horizon, the crew could see a place to run the ship ashore. With the storm still blowing, they cast off the anchors, freed up the rudders, and went straight for the beach. That’s when the ship struck a sandbar. The bow was hung up on the sandbar, and the stern was exposed to the pounding waves. Soon the ship would be totally shattered, as Paul had warned.

At this point Julius’s soldiers faced a double threat. To stay alive, they needed to swim to shore. But if they make it to land and some prisoners escaped, the guards would face execution for those losses (cf. 12:19; 16:27). In light of this fear, the soldiers prepared to kill the prisoners before jumping overboard themselves. But Julius intervened because he wanted to save Paul. This move shows that Julius’s respect for Paul had grown, and he may have believed Paul’s prophecy. Julius ordered everyone to head for the land by swimming or floating to shore. Luke concludes, “In this way, everyone safely reached the shore” (v. 44). All survived!

Once again God’s word proves true. We can trust him.

The survivors must have breathed a massive sigh of relief when their feet hit the sand. Upon arriving on an island, they received some warm hospitality by some “local people” (v. 2)—that is, some non-Greek-speaking people (barbaroi, cf. Rom 1:14-15). They were rustic, preferring their own dialect, but the Maltese people weren’t barbaric in their character. They displayed “extraordinary kindness” to the survivors. They kindled a fire and welcomed everyone. I can only imagine how wonderful that fire must have felt to those men who had been in an open boat on a storm-tossed sea for so long.

Right away Paul, as a servant leader, began gathering sticks for the fire. His actions remind us that no job was beneath Paul. During the whole trip he displayed a servant lifestyle. William Barclay helpfully comments: “It is only the little man that refuses the little task” (quoted in Stott, Message of Acts, 621).

In his search Paul picked up more than sticks. A poisonous snake bit down on his hand! From this the natives drew the conclusion that Paul was guilty of a great crime, like murder (v. 4). “Justice” in this passage is personified as a goddess, the daughter of Zeus and Themis (Bock, Acts, 743). But to the natives’ surprise, Paul suffered no harm from what should have been a deadly bite. They thus concluded he was “a god” (cf. 14:11).

While Paul was certainly not a god, the God who rules heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in it, was with Paul. And the islanders received a visible display of God’s power through his servant’s immunity to the snake’s venom. As we have noted previously in our study, God often revealed himself to various groups of people in Scripture in ways that got their attention and helped make his saving message known to them (cf. Acts 19). What happened to Paul, then, was an act of God’s kindness displayed to the superstitious islanders. They were surprised by the event; Paul was probably surprised at the ministry opportunity the snake’s bite afforded him. Since the shipwrecked group stayed on the island for three months during the winter (v. 11), Paul had time and opportunity to make God’s truth known to the barbarians.

The leading man of the island, Publius, hosted the visitors for three days (v. 7). His mention provides another example in Acts of Paul’s establishing a relationship with the leading figures in an area (cf. 13:7; 16:22; 17:19; 18:12; 19:31). It also serves as an example of a pagan displaying kindness and warm hospitality and of a believer receiving it! We should notice that Paul didn’t act like a Pharisee and try to distance himself from those on the island who shared neither his beliefs nor his traditions. Instead, he acted like Jesus did and became a friend of sinners.

Scripture’s mentions of Julius and Publius—whose combined names sound like the name of a great hip-hop group—illustrate how, in God’s common grace, even unredeemed humans can display lovely virtues. While every human is sinful and in need of redemption, unbelievers do have an innate capacity to do good. Believers, then, should compliment unbelievers when such acts of kindness are displayed, perhaps even using those acts to draw attention to the characteristics of our Savior. Jesus, love itself, invites everyone—Jew, Greek, Barbarian, slave, free, educated, uneducated, kind, and unkind—to his banquet (cf. Luke 14:21-24; Col 3:11).

In verse 8 we learn that Publius’s father was sick with fever and dysentery (v. 8). This kind of fever could last for months or even a few years (Bock, Acts, 744). Paul, apparently without invitation, visited the sick man and prayed, making clear to everyone that healing power comes from God (cf. 3:12; 9:34,40). He laid his hands on him (cf. 9:12,17; Jas 5:13-14) and healed him (cf. Luke 4:38-39). And in doing so, Paul—though held unjustly as a prisoner—proved a blessing to everyone (ibid.).

News of what happened traveled quickly, and soon sick people from all over the island flocked to Paul and received cures. They displayed their gratitude not only with words but also in deeds, offering provisions to the crew for the rest of the voyage. I love to hear about creative ways the Lord provides for his people!

Had my kids been traveling on the journey to Rome, they would’ve been asking, “Are we there yet?” by verse 11. To this Paul might have responded, “Almost.”

The ship that took Paul on the 210-mile journey to Italy in mid-February was also a ship from Alexandria (Bock, Acts, 745; v. 11). On its bow it had a figurehead of the “Twin Gods,” Castor and Pollux, who were seen as protectors. It was the Lord of all creation, however, who was the real protector of those onboard. Once the travel was underway, the crew first stopped at Syracuse for three days and then went on to Rhegium, at the toe of the Italian mainland. Not long after that they finally reached Puteoli, the port of Neapolis—present-day Naples, which sits about 130 miles south of Rome.

Paul was invited to stay with the Christian brothers there for seven days. This stop was probably due to Julius’s wanting to rest before making the remainder of the trip by foot. The freedom given to Paul was probably due to the level of respect Julius had for Paul and was another display of the man’s kindness. It’s possible that the church provided fresh provisions for the rest of the trip.

Luke’s premature comment, “And so we came to Rome,” in verse 14 rather than in verse 16, is explained in various ways. It may be that Luke is eager to get to the climax of the story, as he anticipates their actual arrival in Rome (Fernando, Acts, 615). That is, he may be saying something like, “Here’s how we came to Rome . . .” (Witherington III, Acts of the Apostles, 787). Or he may view Puteoli as part of greater Rome. Or better yet, related to this second option, he probably is saying that for all practical purposes, the goal for reaching Rome is as good as attained (Polhill, Acts, 536–37). To this idea John Polhill adds, “In a real sense, v. 14b can be considered as the climax to the entire Book of Acts” (ibid., 538). We can’t read of Paul’s arrival in Rome without reflecting on Jesus’s plan for his witnesses to go “to the ends of the earth” (1:8).

After resting, the men had before them about a five-day walk to Rome by means of two well-traveled roads, the Companion Way and the Appian Way (Bock, Acts, 746). Word reached the church in Rome that Paul had arrived in Italy. His magisterial letter—Romans—had reached them three years earlier. Some of the Roman believers thus decided to meet Paul along the way (v. 15). Some others met him at the famous Forum, or market of Appius, which was about forty-three miles from Rome and lacked a great reputation. Others met Paul at Three Taverns (a settlement that had grown around an isolated inn by that name), ten miles closer to the capital. Cicero mentions both locations as resting places along the way (Witherington III, Acts of the Apostles, 787). When Paul saw these men who shared his faith, he “thanked God” and “took courage.”

Here once again we can observe how sweet Christian fellowship is. The sight of other spiritual brothers and sisters in what was once faraway Rome must have filled Paul’s heart with delight.

Nearly two and a half difficult years had passed since Paul was given divine assurance in Jerusalem that he would reach Rome (Fernando, Acts, 614), but finally he made it. Though Paul was a prisoner, he had some freedom to minister.

Back in 27:23 Paul told the distressed ship’s crew that the God to whom he belonged and whom he served assured him of safe arrival to Rome. In saying this, Paul identified what it means to be a Christian. Christians know they belong to God through Jesus and have the indwelling Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 6:20; Gal 5:24). Christians also worship and serve God, through Jesus, by the Spirit. We don’t serve the idols of money, pleasure, or success. We serve and worship God in easy times and in difficult ones. So, if you aren’t certain that you are serving God in this way, it’s time to ask, “Do I really belong to God through Jesus?” (cf. Rom 8:9). If you can’t answer in the affirmative with absolute certainty, then embrace him. Trust him. He is the Savior of all types of people (cf. Col 3:11). He will not turn you away.

Those who belong to Jesus can take courage and be thankful as they consider Paul’s story. Let me encourage you with three applications from the current passage.

First, you can trust in the providence of God. God is at work, accomplishing his purposes and conforming us into Christ’s image (cf. Rom 8:28-30). God keeps his promises. William Cowper reminds us in his classic hymn of these sweet words:

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face. (“God Moves in a Mysterious Way”)

Though you may not understand everything that’s happening when you consider the twists and turns of your life, know that God is working for believers’ good and for his glory. You can always trust him.

Second, you can rejoice in the saving grace of God. Think about it. If you’re a Christian, you are among the reached. The gospel came to you. That’s a beautiful miracle you should never get tired of pondering! Paul wanted to get the gospel to Rome and then to Spain. Just as it took a lot for Paul to get to Rome, it took a lot for the gospel to get to you. Marvel at God’s grace.

Third, you can align yourself with the mission of God. Acts 27–28 remind us of 1:8. Jesus has a mission that extends to the ends of the earth. And what a mission it is! Let’s not waste our time on earth. We must use it wisely and missionally for the good of the nations and for the glory of our great King.