EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Acts 28:1-31

Good News for Everyone

Acts

Marion Adams

Chapter 28 On the island called Malta, 28:1-10

v1 We arrived on the shore. We discovered that the island was called Malta. v2 The people who lived there were very friendly to us. It was raining and it was cold. So, they made a fire to welcome us. v3 Paul gathered some sticks. As he put them on the fire, a snake fastened itself to his hand. It had come out because of the heat. v4 The people who lived there saw the snake. It was hanging onto Paul’s hand. They said to each other, ‘This man probably murdered someone. He did not drown in the sea. But Justice (see note) will not let him live!’

v5 However, Paul shook off the snake and it fell into the fire. The snake had not hurt Paul at all. v6 The people expected him to swell up (become larger) or to die suddenly. They waited for a long time but they did not see anything unusual happen to Paul. So, their attitude changed towards him. They said, ‘He is a god!’

v7 Near that place, there were some fields. Publius, the island’s chief official, owned them. He was very friendly and he welcomed us. We stayed in his home for three days. v8 Publius’s father was in bed. He was very hot and he had an illness in his stomach. Paul went into his room and he prayed. Then, he put his hands on the man and he cured him. v9 When that happened, everyone on the island brought sick people to Paul. They all became well again. v10 The people respected us very much. Just before we sailed away, they gave things to us. They gave to us everything that we needed.

Verses 1-4 They were now on Malta. Malta was about 805 kilometres (500 miles) west from the place called Fair Havens. The people there were very kind and they looked after everyone.

Paul was a very clever man and he was a great leader. But he was happy to do practical tasks. He helped to collect wood for the fire. He was not too proud to get his hands dirty!

But there was a sleepy snake among the sticks. It bit Paul and it hung on to him. The people in Malta believed that this was a judgement for Paul. They used the word ‘Justice’ as if it were a god’s name. Justice means that everything is completely fair.

Paul was a prisoner. The people thought that Paul had killed someone. So it would be fair that he, too, must die. In other words, that would be justice. If you took someone’s life away, the gods took your life away, too. That is what they believed. They thought that this was fair.

Verses 5-6 But Paul remained calm and he shook off the snake. He knew that God was protecting him. (See Acts 23:11.) However, the people expected him to die and they watched him carefully. They saw that the snake had not hurt him. It was a *miracle! So, they decided that he was a god.

Verses 7-10 We do not know whether Publius was the *Roman *governor. It is possible that he was just a local official. He was very friendly, too. Paul and his companions stayed at Publius’s house. Publius’s father was very ill. But God cured him by means of Paul. This news spread and many sick people came to Paul. God cured them all by means of Paul.

The people wanted to thank Paul and his companions. The people were generous. They gave Paul and his companions everything that they needed for the voyage.

From Malta to Rome, 28:11-16

v11 Three months later, we sailed away in a ship from Alexandria. That ship had spent the winter at the island. The ship was called ‘The *Twin Brothers’. v12 We arrived at Syracuse and we stayed there for 3 days. v13 From there, we sailed to Rhegium. The next day, a south wind began to blow. In two days, we came to Puteoli. v14 We found some *believers there and they asked us to stay with them. A week later, we left for Rome.

v15 Some of the *believers in Rome heard that we were coming. They met us at the ‘Market of Appius’ and at the Three Inns (small hotels). When Paul saw the *believers, he thanked God. He felt cheerful and brave.

v16 We arrived in Rome. The officials allowed Paul to live alone. A soldier guarded him.

Verse 11 They had to stay in Malta for the winter. It was too dangerous to sail. They probably left Malta in early February. They were travelling to Sicily, which was 129 kilometres (80 miles) north from Malta. Their ship was probably carrying grain.

‘The Twin Brothers’ were the *Greek gods, Castor and Pollux. (Twins are two children that were born together from the same mother.) People believed that those gods protected sailors.

Verses 12-15 This time, the voyage was much easier. The wind helped them and they travelled quickly to Puteoli. Puteoli was the port for Rome. It was 225 kilometres (140 miles) from Rome. It was an important city. There were some *Christians there and they welcomed Paul. Paul stayed with them for a week. Meanwhile, Captain Julius was probably reporting to the *Roman government that he had arrived with Paul.

When the news about Paul’s arrival reached Rome, some *Christians travelled to meet him. The ‘Market of Appius’ was about 69 kilometres (43 miles) from Rome. The Three Inns (small hotels) were about 53 kilometres (33 miles) from Rome.

Paul had never met these *Christians before. But their love and kindness encouraged him. *Christians show special love for other *Christians, even when they have never met before. Jesus gave us a command. He said, ‘Love other *believers as I have loved you’ (John 15:22). We must do this. Then, people will see that the *Holy Spirit lives in us.

Verse 16 In Rome, Paul did not go to the prison. Instead, he lived alone, with just a soldier to guard him. He had some freedom and people could visit him. Probably, this was because he was a *Roman citizen. Also, Festus and Captain Julius had said good things about him.

Paul speaks to the *Jewish leaders, 28:17-20

v17 Three days later, Paul asked some of the *Jewish leaders to meet together. He said:

‘My friends, I have never done anything to hurt our people. I have done nothing against our *ancestors’ customs. But people arrested me in *Jerusalem. The *Jews there handed me over to the *Romans. v18 The *Romans examined the *charges against me. They wanted to let me go free. I had done nothing that deserved death. And the *Romans discovered that. v19 The *Jewish leaders disagreed with them. So, I had to *appeal to the *Emperor. But I do not have anything to say against my own people. v20 That is why I have asked to see you. I have asked to talk with you. People have tied me with chains because of the person that we *Israelites hope for.’

Verses 17-20 Rome was the most important *Gentile city in the world. But, Paul still followed his usual custom. He *preached to the *Jews first. He told them why he was there as a prisoner. He said these three important things:

1. He had done nothing against the *Jewish people. And he had done nothing against their customs.

2. The *Romans wanted him to go free. They did not think that he had done any serious crimes. He had not done any crimes that deserved death.

3. The *Jews did not agree that Paul was not guilty. So, Paul had to *appeal to the *Emperor.

Paul wanted the *Jews to know that he was a true *Jew. That was why he asked them to meet him. He was a prisoner because of his belief in the *Jewish *Messiah.

Paul *preaches in Rome, 28:21-31

v21 The leaders replied, ‘Nobody from *Judea has written to us about you. We have not had a bad report from our people there. They have not said anything bad about you. v22 But we want you to tell us about your ideas. That is because you belong to that new group. We know that people everywhere are saying bad things against it.’

v23 So the leaders agreed about a time when they would meet with Paul. On that day, many more leaders came. They came to the place where Paul was staying. He explained to them about God’s *kingdom. He tried to convince them about who Jesus is. He used examples from Moses’ *Law. And he used examples from the *Prophets (the books that the *prophets had written). He spoke from morning until evening. v24 Some of the leaders agreed with what he said. But other leaders did not agree. v25 The leaders argued and they could not agree with each other. As they left, Paul said some final words to them. He said, ‘The *Holy Spirit told the truth to your *ancestors. v26 By means of the *prophet Isaiah, he said:

“Go to these people and say:

You will listen and you will continue to listen.

But you will not understand.

You will look and you will continue to look.

But you will not see.

v27 These people are *stubborn.

They have closed their ears.

And they have shut their eyes.

So, they cannot see and they cannot hear.

They cannot understand.

If they could understand, they would ask me for help.

And then I would cure them.” ’

v28 Paul also said, ‘This is what I want you to understand. God wants the *Gentiles to believe his message about *salvation! They will listen to that message!’

v29 After Paul said that, the *Jews left. They were arguing strongly with each other.

v30 For two years, Paul stayed in a house that he had rented. He welcomed everyone who visited him. v31 He *preached boldly about God’s *kingdom. He taught the facts about the *Lord Jesus *Christ and nobody tried to stop him.

Verse 21 During the winter, ships did not come to Italy from elsewhere. But after the winter, ships started to reach Italy again. The ship on which Paul had travelled was among the first ships then. No letter or message from *Judea had arrived before Paul. So, the *Jews in Rome knew nothing about his *trial. Perhaps the men in the *Sanhedrin did not want to write to Rome anyway. The *Emperor might say that Paul was not guilty. Then, the *Roman government might punish them instead. Things like that happened sometimes.

Verses 22-23 There were *Jews in *Rome. However, they had received no report from *Judea about Paul. But they knew something about him. They knew that he was a *Christian. And they had heard bad things about the ‘group’ called *Christians. So, they wanted to hear Paul’s opinions. They were very polite to him. They were curious about his message. So, they arranged a time when he could talk to them all.

On that day, very many *Jews came to Paul’s house. We think that it was probably a large house! He *preached to them for a whole day. He talked about God’s *kingdom. After he had risen from death, Jesus talked to his *disciples about it, too (Acts 1:3).

Also, Paul tried to persuade the *Jews that Jesus is the *Messiah. He showed them proof from the *scriptures. Paul belonged to a new group but he had not changed his religion. He was still a *Jew. He believed that God had promised a special thing to the *Jews. But Paul knew also that the special thing had now happened by means of Jesus. And Paul wanted the *Jews, too, to know that.

Verse 24 Some of the *Jewish leaders believed in Jesus. But some other *Jewish leaders did not believe. That had happened many times before when Paul *preached. It had happened at Paul’s *trial in *Jerusalem (Acts 23:9).

Verses 25-28 Just before they left, Paul said two important things.

1. He said some words from Isaiah 6:9-10. Jesus had said these same words about the people who did not believe in him (Matthew 13:14; Matthew 13:15; Mark 4:11; Mark 4:12). Some of these *Jews in Rome did not want to hear the message about *sin and *salvation. As Paul said, the message came from the *Holy Spirit. But they were *stubborn. They had chosen not to see or hear. So, they could not understand the message. They had *rejected God’s *Messiah. They had *rejected his message. They had *rejected *salvation.

2. Now, the *Gentiles would hear God’s message about *salvation. They would listen with open minds.

Verse 29 Many *Jews did not want to listen any longer. Paul had upset them enough. They were still arguing as they left. (This verse appears only in an ancient *Greek copy of Acts that is called the ‘Western Text’.)

Verses 30-31 For two years, Paul rented a house. Probably, he made tents again to pay the rent. He was able to *preach about God’s *kingdom. He was able to teach about Jesus’ life, death and *resurrection.

‘Everyone’ who came to Paul included both *Jews and *Gentiles. Paul was still a prisoner but the *Roman government let him speak freely. So, the good news spread through Rome and beyond that city too.

We do not know what happened to Paul after this. Some people say that he had a *trial in front of the *Emperor. But Luke does not mention that. Paul expected that the *Romans would let him go free. We know that because of what he says in his letters (Philippians 2:24 and Philemon 1:22). Probably, the *Romans did let Paul leave Rome. After this, many people think that Paul went on a fourth journey. Probably, he continued to *preach the *gospel. And probably he continued to encourage *Christians in the new *churches.

However, in *AD 64, the *Emperor Nero started to *persecute *Christians. He said that they had started a big fire in Rome. Then he punished many *Christians by death. In a traditional story, people say that the *Romans killed Paul during that period. That is, between *AD 65 and *AD 68.

The *church continued to grow. Today, the *church is growing even faster. But there are still many people who do not know the *Lord Jesus. They have not heard the *gospel. That is why we must tell people about Jesus. Like Paul, we must trust God and we must be bold. God will help us. We have good news for everyone!

miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power; a wonderful thing that happens.
Roman ~ a person from Rome; a word that describes someone from Rome; or it describes something from Rome. The Roman soldiers fought against people in many countries. And they defeated them. They made the people obey the rules that officials in Rome made. They made the people pay taxes to Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
governor ~ an important ruler.
twins ~ two children that were born together from the same mother.
believer ~ a person who knows *Christ and accepts him.
Greek ~ the language that the people from Greece spoke; the language in which authors wrote the New Testament; a person from Greece.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
ancestors ~ a person’s relatives that lived a long time ago.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
charges ~ when people accuse someone of crimes; these crimes are called charges.
appeal ~ to ask an important person, like the Emperor, whether a legal decision is right or not.
emperor ~ the most important ruler in Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
emperor ~ the most important ruler in Rome.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
Israelites ~ another name for the Jews. They are the people from Israel.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Gentile ~ not Jewish; a person that is not a Jew; a person who does not know God. ‘Gentiles’ can mean people from all countries (but it does not include Jews).
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
preach ~ to tell the good news about Jesus to a person or people; and to explain it to them.
Messiah ~ in the Old Testament, the anointed king; in the New Testament, Jesus. It means the same as *Christ.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
anoint ~ to mark a person with oil. This shows that God has chosen him or her.

New Testament ~ the Bible’s last part, which the writers wrote after Jesus lived on earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church. It is about what Christians believe. And it is about what they do.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.
church ~ a group of Christians that meet together. (A church is not just the building that they meet in.) It can also mean all the Christians in the world.
Christian ~ a person who obeys Jesus *Christ; a person who believes in him.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Judea ~ a region in the country where the Jews lived.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
kingdom ~ where a king rules; a country where a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
prophet ~ someone who tells God’s messages; a person that God sends to speak for him.
stubborn ~ when people do not want to change their ideas, even when they are wrong.
salvation ~ when God saves us from sin’s results and he saves us from its power; when a person is sorry for his or her wrong behaviour and God forgives the person. And then that person obeys Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible; the name means that he is above all other things; a name that we use for Jesus when we obey him; someone with authority.
trial ~ a legal examination in which a person answers questions. Then the judge decides whether the person is guilty of a crime.
Sanhedrin ~ a special group in Israel that met together to be judges over the people. The priests’ leaders were in it. The important Jews were also in it. And the men that taught about the Law were in it. The high priest led the group.
Jew ~ a person that is a member of Abraham’s, Isaac’s and Jacob’s big family; a person that believes the Jews’ religion, which is called Judaism.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.

high priest ~ the most important priest in the Jewish Temple.
Judaism ~ the Jews’ religion.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew; or it describes anything that belongs to a Jew.
temple ~ a building where people worship God (or a false god).
Temple ~ the Temple was the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
worship ~ to give honour to God with praise and thanks.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city in Israel.
praise ~ to tell God how great he is. We can do this when we are praying to him. Or we can do it when we are singing to him.
Israel ~ the country that is the Jews’ home.
Rome ~ the most famous city in the world when Jesus lived on earth.
disciple ~ someone who follows another person and he or she learns from that person; someone whom Jesus taught. It also means someone who believes in Jesus. This person also does the things that Jesus teaches.
scripture ~ the Bible, the book that contains God’s holy messages; the Old Testament.
holy ~ very, very good; separate from sin. Only God is really holy.

Old Testament ~ the Bible’s first part, which the writers wrote before Jesus lived on earth; the holy things that the writers wrote before *Christ’s birth.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil things; not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things that we do. We do them against God or against other people.
reject ~ not to accept.
resurrection ~ when someone comes back to life after death; when someone rises from death to life.
Gospel ~ a book at the beginning of the New Testament. There are 4 Gospels. They are called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
gospel ~ the good news about Jesus; the message that Jesus came to save us.

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