Acts 28 Island Was Called Malta shows that reaching the destination does not mean the journey is finished. Malta brought unexpected kindness, healing, and honor. Rome brought another opportunity to explain the hope of Israel. Paul remained faithful through every circumstance. Even while guarded, he continued teaching about God’s Kingdom and Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance.
Obedience, God’s Covenant, Hardened, Faith, Gentiles, Honor, Healing, Grace, Justice, Judgment, Redemption Plan, Jesus Christ
📖 Acts 28:1 (NIV)
“28 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.”
After surviving the storm and shipwreck, Paul and everyone with him discovered that the island was called Malta.
The islanders showed unusual kindness, building a fire because the weather was cold and wet.
Even when a viper fastened itself to Paul’s hand, he was unharmed.
The islanders first judged him, believing justice had caught up with him, but their judgment changed when they saw that nothing happened to him.
Paul then entered the home of Publius, whose father was seriously ill.
After Paul prayed and placed his hands on him, he was healed.
Others who were sick on the island came and were also cured.
The islanders responded by honoring Paul and his companions and providing the supplies they needed when they continued their journey.
After three months, they sailed toward Rome.
Along the way, Paul met believers who welcomed him, and when he finally arrived in Rome, he was permitted to live in his own rented house with a soldier guarding him.
Paul immediately began speaking with the Jewish leaders.
From morning until evening, he explained God’s Kingdom and used the Law of Moses and the Prophets to persuade them about Jesus. Some believed, while others refused to believe.
Paul remained there for two years, welcoming everyone who came to him.
His circumstances did not stop his mission.
Acts ends with Paul proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
📖 Acts 28:1-4 (NIV)
“28 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”
He arrived there because the ship had been destroyed by the storm.
Yet the people of Malta welcomed the survivors with unusual kindness.
Sometimes circumstances change our plans, but God can still place opportunities inside those circumstances.
The people who helped Paul were not part of his original journey, but their kindness became part of the story.
God’s Covenant is larger than the circumstances we can see.
What looks like a detour can become another opportunity to experience grace, serve others, and demonstrate faith.
The journey to Rome was still continuing, but Malta became an important part of what God was accomplishing through Paul.
📖 Acts 28:5-8 (NIV)
“5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”
“7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 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.”
When the viper fastened itself to Paul’s hand, the islanders immediately formed an opinion.
They believed Paul must be a murderer and that the goddess Justice was finally punishing him.
Their conclusion was based on what they saw rather than what they understood.
People can make quick judgments when circumstances appear to prove their assumptions.
But what appears obvious from the outside may not tell the whole story.
Paul did not argue with them.
He simply shook the snake into the fire and continued living out his calling.
This teaches us to be careful about judging others based only on circumstances.
Justice ultimately belongs to God.
Human judgment can be incomplete, but God sees the heart and knows the whole story.
📖 Acts 28:9-12 (NIV)
“9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.”
“11 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. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. “
Paul had already survived a shipwreck, and now a poisonous snake had fastened itself to his hand.
Yet he continued forward.
His faith was not dependent upon having a comfortable environment.
Paul had learned to trust God through danger, opposition, imprisonment, travel, and uncertainty.
Faith does not mean that difficulties disappear.
It means that difficulties do not have to determine whether we continue serving God.
The same principle appears throughout Acts: the people may change, the location may change, the opposition may change, and the circumstances may change—but God’s Redemption Plan continues.
📖 Acts 28:13-16 (NIV)
“13 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. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 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. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.”
Publius welcomed Paul and his companions into his home.
When Publius’s father became sick, Paul prayed and placed his hands on him, and he was healed.
The healing opened another opportunity for people to experience God’s grace.
The people of Malta responded by honoring Paul and his companions and providing the supplies they needed for their journey.
The important lesson is not simply that healing occurred.
The event became part of a larger testimony of God’s work.
God can use an act of service, a prayer, a kindness, or a moment of healing to open hearts.
What we receive from God can become an opportunity to point beyond ourselves toward Him.
📖 Acts 28:17-20 (NIV)
“17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
When Paul reached Rome, he continued explaining God’s Kingdom from Scripture.
Some were convinced, while others refused to believe.
Paul then reminded them of Isaiah’s warning about hearts becoming calloused.
Hearing does not automatically produce understanding, and seeing does not automatically produce belief.
This connects Acts 28 to one of the major movements of the entire book.
The Gospel began in Jerusalem and continued moving outward toward the nations.
God’s Covenant was never limited to one generation or one location.
Through Jesus Christ, the message of salvation was being proclaimed to people throughout the world.
📖 Acts 28:21-24 (NIV)
“21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
“23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.”
Paul witnessed from morning until evening, explaining the Kingdom of God and using Scripture to persuade people about Jesus.
Some believed. Others did not.
The difference was not a lack of information.
They had heard the message.
Isaiah’s words describe people who could hear but would not understand, and see but would not perceive.
Their hearts had become calloused.
We can hear God’s Word repeatedly and still choose not to respond.
Faith involves more than hearing words.
It involves what happens in the heart.
God offers grace, but people still have a choice about whether they will receive what they hear.
📖 Acts 28:24-27 (NIV)
“24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:”
“26
“‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
“27
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]”
Paul arrived in Rome as a prisoner, but Acts does not present him as defeated.
For two years, he welcomed people and continued teaching.
His chains restricted his movement, but they did not stop his testimony.
This is one of the powerful connections throughout Acts.
Paul had faced persecution, beatings, imprisonment, false accusations, storms, shipwreck, and a snakebite.
Yet every obstacle became another setting in which the message of Jesus Christ could be proclaimed.
God’s Redemption Plan did not depend upon Paul having perfect circumstances.
God worked through Paul exactly where he was.
📖 Acts 28:28-31 (NIV)
“28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29] [b]”
“30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”
Acts ends with Paul proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
He was still under guard.
His journey had included suffering and danger.
Yet the Gospel was moving forward.
The book began with Jesus telling His followers that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Acts closes in Rome with the Gospel being proclaimed.
The journey changed Paul, but it did not silence him.
The final picture is not of a man whose circumstances became perfect.
It is of a man who continued faithfully despite imperfect circumstances.
The story reaches Rome—but God’s story does not end there.
From Jerusalem to Malta and from Malta to Rome, God’s Covenant continued moving forward.
The storms could not stop it. The shipwreck could not stop it.
The snake could not stop it.
Opposition could not stop it.
Imprisonment could not stop it.
God had promised that His message would reach beyond Israel, and Acts shows that the Gospel was being carried to the Gentiles.
Human beings can resist, reject, or become hardened, but God’s promises remain.
Through Jesus Christ, God’s Redemption Plan reaches beyond one place, one people, or one generation.
What God promises, He continues to accomplish.
Acts 28 teaches us that obedience does not guarantee an easy journey, but it can give purpose to every part of the journey.
Paul remained faithful through circumstances he could not control.
We also learn that kindness matters, judgment can be misleading, faith can remain strong under pressure, and healing can become a testimony.
Most importantly, hearing God’s Word requires a response.
Our circumstances may change, but our opportunity to live by faith remains.
Paul’s final example challenges us to continue forward—not because everything is easy, but because God’s purpose is greater than our circumstances.
Acts began with the risen Jesus Christ commissioning His followers to be witnesses.
It ends with Paul in Rome still teaching about Jesus.
That connection matters.
The Gospel did not stop at Jerusalem.
It traveled through persecution, miracles, disagreements, imprisonment, storms, shipwreck, Malta, and Rome.
Every road kept pointing toward the same message: Jesus Christ is Lord, He died, He was raised, and salvation is offered through Him.
Paul’s final words in Acts are not about the chains around him.
They are about the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.
With all boldness and without hindrance.
The journey reached Rome.
The Gospel kept going.
