Read and pray: “Therefore take knowledge that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. And they will hear it.” (Acts 28:28)
TO THE ISLAND OF MALTA, PERFORMING MIRACLES
Acts 28:1-2 says: “Once we were ashore, we found that the island was called Malta. The barbarians showed us extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and received us all because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold.” The Greek term translated "barbarians" refers to those who did not speak Greek or Latin, but not necessarily uncivilized.
In verses 3 to 5, we have the continuation: “But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, Justice does not allow to live.’ But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.”
Literally, the Greek term for "viper" in verses 4 and 5 is "beast." But medical writers used this term to denote poisonous snakes. First, the barbarians thought that Paul was a murderer because he was bitten by a viper. But, as verse 6 indicates, they eventually changed their opinion about him: “However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.”
The apostle was not a god, as the superstitious barbarians thought, but expressed, in his living and ministry, the true God, who in Jesus Christ went through the processes of incarnation, human life, crucifixion, and resurrection, and now lived in him and through him as the all-inclusive Spirit.
In his teachings, recorded in the Epistles, Paul emphasized the matter of walking in the Spirit. Throughout the journey, and now on the island of Malta, he certainly walked in the Spirit. He certainly lived the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ. His life was the expression of the Spirit who gives life. In every situation of his daily life, he was the expression of Christ Himself, whom he preached.
He preached the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ as the Spirit who gives life, and on the island of Malta, he lived such a Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit. This is indicated by what he later wrote in Philippians 1:20-21a: “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ.”
He only cared about living Christ and magnifying Him. On the island of Malta, he lived Christ and magnified Him as the Spirit who gives life. When we read Luke's account, we see that Paul's life was the all-inclusive Spirit as the consummation of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and exalted Christ by God.
In verses 7 and 8, we read: “In the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.” Dysentery was a common but hard-to-cure disease. However, Paul, who lived as a king ruling his kingdom, now became a doctor to heal Publius' father.
Verse 9 says: “So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.” Here we see that Paul became a doctor and even a savior to the whole island. All the sick that they brought to him were healed.
In the sea, during the storm, the Lord had already made the apostle not only the owner of his fellow travelers (27:24) but also their guarantee of life and comfort (27:22-25). Now, on land, in a peaceful situation, the Lord made him even more, not just a magical attraction to the eyes of the superstitious (vs. 3-6) but also the one who heals and brings joy to the barbarians (vs. 8-9).
In all of Paul's extensive and unfortunate journey as a prisoner, the Lord kept the apostle in His sovereignty and empowered him to live far above the sphere of anxiety, dignified with the highest standard of human virtues, expressing the most excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one He Himself had lived on earth years before. It was Jesus living again on earth, in His divinely enriched humanity!
This is the marvelous, excellent, and mysterious God-Man who lived in the Gospels, continuing to live in Acts through one of His many members, a member who was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and exalted Christ by God.
Paul, in his journey, lived and magnified Christ. No wonder people distinguished him and his companions with many honors (v. 10), that is, with the highest respect and highest consideration!
Acts 28:10 says: “They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary for us.” This verse indicates that the natives of the island of Malta treated Paul and his companions as if they were members of a royal family. Paul was the king, and Luke was part of the family.
According to verse 10, the natives put everything necessary for the journey on board. The Lord sovereignly provided food for two hundred seventy-six people. Every king needs to provide food for his people. As king, Paul received the supplies from the natives, but he owed them nothing for it, as he had healed many of the sick among them. In a sense, the people paid him by putting the necessary food supplies on board for the journey.
Enjoy more: Hymn S-35
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