Acts 28:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.

NIV: The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

NASB: The natives showed us extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and took us all in because of the rain that had started and because of the cold.

CSB: The local people showed us extraordinary kindness. They lit a fire and took us all in, since it was raining and cold.

NLT: The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.

KJV: And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

NKJV: And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.

Along with 272 soldiers, sailors, and passengers of the Alexandrian ship, Paul, Aristarchus, Luke, and Julius the centurion haven't seen the sun in two weeks. After barely surviving a storm, they have wrecked on the coast of Malta. They make it to shore by swimming or floating on the flotsam of the wreck and drag themselves onto the beach, whereupon it starts raining (Acts 27).

"Native people" is from the Greek word barbaros. Originally, the term meant people from any nation with a harsh-sounding language. It came to be used for any non-Greek, similarly to how Gentile means non-Jew. The people of Malta spoke primarily Phoenician, not Greek. The Maltese were considered barbarian by Greeks and Romans, but "Malta" in Phoenician means "refuge": a far more appropriate description.

The fire draws the attention of a dangerous viper that fastens onto Paul's hand as he reaches for firewood. While the islanders wait for Paul to drop dead, Paul shakes his hand until the snake falls into the flames. That feat apparently draws the attention of the island's leader. He invites Paul's entourage to his home. When Paul discovers the leader's father is sick with dysentery, he heals him, then heals the sick on the rest of the island. What begins as kind hospitality of a fire on a rainy day grows into everything the travelers need for their three-month stay (Acts 28:3–10).

Acts 28:1–6 describes the people of Malta's impression of Paul. He and others traveling on an Alexandrian ship have wrecked on the shores of the small island. As soon as they reach land, the weather turns cold and rainy. Paul surprises the islanders by surviving a viper bite unharmed. The locals quickly surmise he must be a god, and the island's leader invites him to stay in his home. Paul heals the leader's father and several others from the island, and the locals see to the survivors' needs (Acts 28:7–10).

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.