"Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold." (Acts 28:1-2) Luke says their hospitality is unusual. He may have expected the islanders to be hostile to them since their party is made up mostly of convicted criminals. We know the islanders are aware that most of them are prisoners, for later they will comment on the prisoner status of Paul, so I think Luke expects the people of Malta to be afraid when a large group of unchained prisoners comes straggling out of the sea. But God has already prepared the hearts of the people to receive the group warmly.
God goes ahead of us to prepare the way, just as He went ahead of the shipwrecked men. Did the storm take God by surprise? No. Did the shipwreck take God by surprise? No. He had a plan all along, so He allowed the storm, and He allowed the shipwreck, and He gave Paul grace in the eyes of the centurion so his life and the lives of all the prisoners would be spared, and He gave the whole group grace in the eyes of the islanders so their needs would be met, and He arranged for the islanders to be ministered to in the name of Jesus Christ.
How often do we fall into despair while God is faithfully working in our situation? Remember how Luke told us they all gave up hope of being saved? And yet while they gave in to hopelessness, God was at work. God already had everything figured out. God already had everything in place. Time and time again I've despaired as if God isn't at work in my situation. I'm ashamed of how many times I've felt hopeless about this or that. Then when God comes through I wonder why I didn't just relax and trust Him on the journey. I bet Paul and Luke and their friend Aristarchus wonder the same thing as they wash up on the island of Malta and are greeted with such wonderful kindness. They could be saying to themselves, "Oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" I've had to say that to myself before and I probably will again. It's so difficult for us in our human weakness to believe in what we can't see. We can believe in the raging storm as we quake with fear, but it's so much harder for us to believe that the God we can't see is busy working things out on our behalf.
The fire the islanders built is probably a large bonfire because it has to be big enough for all 276 passengers from the ship to gather around it. It takes a lot of work to keep a fire that size going, especially in wet weather. Paul wants to thank the islanders for their hospitality, so he does his part to feed the fire. He doesn't just sit there while they minister to him. He wants to minister to them as well. But Satan doesn't want the people of Malta to hear the gospel and he doesn't want the people at Rome to hear it either, so he makes yet another attempt on Paul's life. "Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand." (Acts 28:3)
The islanders know Paul is a prisoner and that most of the 276 men sitting around the fire are prisoners. That's why they say what they say next, "When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.'" (Acts 28:4) See how much these people need Jesus? They are pagans who worship gods that don't exist.
"But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god." (Acts 28:5-6) The islanders are bound by the chains of superstition. They interpret anything and everything as a sign from the gods. They declare anyone who survives a deadly situation to be a god. Just a minute ago they thought Paul was a murderer who doesn't deserve to live and now they are ready to bow down and worship him.
Luke doesn't tell us that Paul preaches the gospel to these people, but he doesn't have to tell us that for us to know it. Paul would not allow them to worship him as a deity. He would have told them about the One who is to be worshiped. Paul is a man who preaches the gospel wherever he goes and at every opportunity; there is no doubt whatsoever that he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Malta. To prove that the gospel message is the truth, God is going to perform miracles of healing through the Apostle Paul. The people of Malta are going to hear the word of God and they are going to see the power of God.
"There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him." (Acts 28:7-8) A number of Bible scholars believe the father of Publius is stricken with an illness still present in the world today that is most often known as Malta Fever. It's official medical term is "brucellosis". It is present in the milk of infected animals and can be transferred to humans when they drink the unpasteurized milk of infected animals. The symptoms are quite debilitating and can persist for months or years. In our times it is treated with antibiotics, but there were no antibiotics in Paul's day. Untreated brucellosis can be deadly in two to five percent of cases, for it sometimes causes inflammation of internal organs, most notably the brain or heart. Luke tells us that the father of Publius already has the severe inflammation of his intestinal tract known as dysentery, so we know the illness is beginning to effect this man's internal organs. I believe he very well may have died if Paul had not been present to heal him through the power of Christ. The doctors of Malta have not been able to cure him and Dr. Luke isn't able to provide any additional help. Only God can save this man's life.
The healing of Publius leads to droves of sick people coming to Paul who, beyond a shadow of a doubt, tells them all about the One in whose name he performs these healings. "When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed." (Acts 28:9-10) The Greek that Luke uses indicates that the honors they receive have nothing to do with being worshiped. The islanders aren't treating them as gods. They are honoring them with food and other necessary supplies, along with love, gratitude, and friendship.
Luke doesn't tell us whether any of the islanders of Malta accepted Christ. I hope they did. But now we can see why the Lord allowed Paul to endure a long storm at sea, a frightful shipwreck, and what should have been a deadly snakebite. These troubles were all part of God's plan to get the gospel to the people of Malta. Those who accepted the message obtained eternal life. If any of them rejected the message they can never say God wasn't fair to them, because He gave them the opportunity. I picture Paul and his friends rejoicing as they board the ship they will board in tomorrow's study. I believe they praise God for the trouble they've been through because it led to the saving of souls.
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