Acts 28:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him.

NIV: 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.

NASB: And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with a recurring fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after he prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him.

CSB: Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

NLT: As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

KJV: And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

NKJV: And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him.

Paul and 275 other crew and passengers of an Alexandrian ship are wrecked on the island of Malta. They barely survived a two-week-long tempest on the Mediterranean Sea. The native Maltese people responded by building fires so the castaways could get warm. Paul reached over to grab some wood and was immediately swarmed by a snake that refused to let go. The locals assumed he must be a murderer and although he had survived the gods' judgment on the sea, he would not survive on the land. Paul merely shook the snake into the fire and went about his business. The people quickly changed their opinion and determined he must be a god (Acts 28:1–6).

Perhaps in response to this miracle, the chief man of the island invites Paul and some others to his home. Paul discovers the leader's father is ill. Instead of touching the man, dropping a cloth on him, or letting his shadow pass over him (Acts 5:15; 19:12), he stops and prays. In this way, he shows more fully where his power comes from. Luke doesn't mention if Paul talks about Jesus on Malta; he probably does. But Luke does record that the islanders bring their sick to Paul for healing and, in response, provide the shipwreck survivors with everything they need for their three-month stay as well as their journey on to Rome (Acts 28:9–11).

Paul's pointed use of prayer is something mature Christians should keep in mind. Sometimes we become so used to the work God does in and through us that we forget to identify to others how we do what we do. It is good to show God's love in practical ways (Matthew 5:16)—but good works don't lead people to Christ if they don't know from Whom the good works came.

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.