The perilous season for sailing is past and the Apostle Paul and his companions finally make it to Rome.
"After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island---it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux." (Acts 28:11) The men have spent three months on the island of Malta following their shipwreck. Now they find passage on a ship that had managed to make safe port at Malta to wait for more favorable conditions. No doubt the owners of the ship give the credit for making it safely to port to the images of the two "mascots" of the ship: the twin sons of the pagan god Jupiter. Castor and Pollux were superstitiously believed to bring good luck to sailors. Isn't it ironic that the prisoner Paul must board a ship with the images of false deities as he takes the gospel message of the one true God to Rome? The owners of the Alexandrian ship believe their gods are protecting them, but it is the living God who gets everyone safely to their destination.
"We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome." (Acts 28:12-14) The ship sails along the eastern coast of Sicily, making stops at the port cities along the way. The centurion Julius again shows Paul great kindness by allowing him and his friends to visit with the believers at Puteoli, an ancient city of Naples.
There are Christians at Rome waiting to greet the apostle and his friends. We don't know who first took the gospel to Rome, but how refreshing it must have been to be greeted by believers. "The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged." (Acts 28:15) Wherever we go in this world, when we are among believers we are among family. Paul has made a long and frightening journey to a foreign country. He doesn't know what awaits him there, but the first thing to greet his eyes as he steps off the ship is a group of fellow Christians. His response is to thank God and to draw encouragement from this development. How faithful and precious of God to make certain that this weary and apprehensive apostle is immediately greeted with loving welcome by believers in Christ!
"When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." (Acts 28:16) Paul, a man found to be innocent by both Governor Festus and King Agrippa, is awarded special privileges as he awaits his audience with Nero. He isn't placed in the general population in prison. He is allowed to live separately in a private dwelling, guarded by a soldier. This is like a person being under house arrest in our times. He can't wander about freely or leave the country, but anyone who wants to visit him is welcome to do so. The Lord has orchestrated every aspect of Paul's circumstances so that he can, in essence, set up a church in the house. Both Jews and Gentiles will hear the gospel. The entire community will be aware of Paul's presence there and of the citizens' interest in him and in the message he preaches. He will say in the letter he writes from Roman custody to the believers at Philippi, "What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel." (Philippians 1:12b) The persecution Paul endured did nothing to halt the spread of the gospel; it helped the gospel to travel farther.
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