Acts 28:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

NIV: They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

NASB: They also showed us many honors, and when we were about to set sail, they supplied us with everything we needed.

CSB: So they heaped many honors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we needed.

NLT: As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

KJV: Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

NKJV: They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.

Paul is the prisoner of Julius, a centurion, headed to Rome. After being falsely accused by the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem and wrongfully imprisoned by two different Roman governors in Caesarea Maritima, he appealed his case to Caesar. Aristarchus is apparently also a prisoner (Colossians 4:10), and Luke is with them.

The three Christ-followers, Julius and his cohort, and the passengers and sailors of an Alexandrian ship have barely survived a two-week-long tempest on the Mediterranean and a violent shipwreck. The ship's owner would not listen to Paul and remain moored off the island of Crete. To add insult to injury, Paul had to alert Julius to prevent the sailors from escaping, force everyone to eat so they'd have the energy to make it to shore, and watch while Julius's soldiers threatened to kill the prisoners (Acts 27).

Once the survivors landed on the beach on the island of Malta, Paul found a different reception. After Paul survived an encounter with a snake, the locals thought he was a god (Acts 28:1–6). The chief man invited Paul and others to his home where Paul healed the chief's father. When the islanders heard, they brought all their sick to Paul for healing (Acts 28:7–9). In appreciation, the locals provide the castaways with everything they need.

Paul and the others spend the winter on Malta before boarding another Alexandrian ship and landing on the mainland. As they walk the rest of the way to Rome, they meet local Christ-followers who provide support and encouragement. Paul will spend two years under house arrest. He will finally get the chance to speak with the Jews in the city about how Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the Mosaic law and the Old Testament prophecies. As in every place he preaches, some will listen to him and others will dismiss his message. But he will have a fruitful season, entertaining many and spreading Jesus' offer of reconciliation with God even to the servants of Caesar's household (Acts 28:11–31; Philippians 4:22).

Acts 28:7–10 records how Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, and 273 other shipwreck victims find their situation greatly improved. Paul has survived a snake attack, drawing the attention of the leader of the island of Malta. The leader invites Paul's group to stay at his home for a few days and Paul heals the leader's sick father. Before long, every person on the island struck with a disease shows up. Paul heals them, and they provide for their guests for their three-month stay as well as their final voyage to Rome.

Acts 28 records Paul's three-month stay on the island of Malta and two-year house arrest in Rome. On Malta, God empowers Paul to perform healing miracles which endear him to the locals. Once he reaches the shores of Italy, many other believers accompany him on his last leg to Rome. In Rome, he finds the Jews just as accepting of Jesus as elsewhere; some believe, but many don't. Paul reaffirms his mission to the Gentiles and spends his time preaching while under house arrest.

Acts 28 is the end of Luke's story of the witness of Jesus' story (Acts 1:8). After his wrongful imprisonment in Caesarea Maritima, Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:1–12). He, Aristarchus, and Luke survived a raging winter storm before finally reaching Rome (Acts 27). Again under house arrest, Paul is able to share Jesus' offer of forgiveness with any who wish to visit. While there, he writes the letters Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. After two years, Paul is released; tradition says he takes one more evangelistic tour before being arrested and eventually martyred around AD 67.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.