TRACINGS FROM THE ACTS OF THE
APOSTLES
XIX. THE VOYAGE TO ITALY AND ARRIVAL
AT ROME.
ACTS xxvii. 1—xxviii. 31.
TO Rome the procurator sent Paul for the hearing of the
Emperor Nero. At Rome the Lord had previously determined that he should bear
witness to his Saviour. The Roman saints he himself had long wished to see;
and, if allowed, would, when present, impart unto them some spiritual gift,
that they might be established (Rom. i. 11). Roman law necessitated his
transmission to the capital. Divine purposes would be furthered by his presence
there. Cherished desires of his heart would also be fulfilled. Paul, then, was
not going against his will, though under circumstances which he had not
originally foreseen. Of travel by land and by sea the great Apostle already had
much and varied experience (2 Cor. xi. 25, 26). Yet possibly he had never been
in two such large vessels, as conveyed him, the one from Myra to Melita, and
the other from Melita to Puteoli. The corn ships of Alexandria were anything
but cockle-shells. Certainly, too, he had never made so long a voyage free of
charge.
Sidon, Myra, Fair Havens, Melita, Syracuse, and Rhegium, these
were the places at which they stopped, the stages on their journey between
Caesarea, the port of embarkation, and Puteoli, near Naples, where they finally
disembarked, to journey by land, and perhaps partly by canal also, onward to
the capital.
Sidon. Of Sidon we have had no direct mention
previously in the Acts. At Tyre Paul had landed on his last journey to
Jerusalem; and during the week's sojourn there, whilst the vessel was preparing
to proceed to Ptolemais, a distinct communication, as we have seen (xxi. 4), by
the Spirit had forbidden Paul's contemplated visit to the capital. Now in the
custody of the centurion Julius, Paul may have seen from the vessel the city
and harbour of Tyre, and that spot on the shore where all the Christians, men,
women, and children, had knelt in prayer with him and his company ere the
latter re-embarked for Ptolemais. But Tyre on this occasion was not to be
revisited, not being a port of call appointed for this vessel of Adramyttium,
which was bound for Myra in Lycia.
From Caesarea they sailed. Luke is
now again with Paul, as the first person plural "we" indicates. Aristarchus, a
Macedonian, was also with them, and perhaps homeward bound, so would part
company at Myra, where they were transferred to a vessel sailing directly for
Italy. Luke, however, continued with Paul, and they entered the gates of the
Eternal City together. Starting from Caesarea, they went straight along by the
coast northward to Sidon, which they reached the next day, covering in that
space of time the first sixty-seven geographical miles of their voyage. In this
very ancient, if, indeed, not the most ancient of the cities of Phoenicia,
there were Christians. And Paul, who had evidently special indulgence, was
allowed to go on shore to refresh himself with their company. Probably he had
visited Sidon on more than one occasion in past years, when travelling between
Jerusalem and Antioch; and we may well believe that when, in company with
Barnabas, he went through Phoenicia and Samaria, announcing the conversion of
the Gentiles (xv. 3), Sidon was not passed by without a visit from the
travellers. Be that as it may, Paul evidently was acquainted with some of the
Christians in Great Sidon, as it was once called (Josh. xi. 8, xix.
28).
This city, named probably after Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan,
and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, gave its name to the people of
Phoenicia, who are called in consequence in Scripture Sidonians (Deut. iii. 9
• Josh, xiii. 4, 6), but never Tyrians; for Tyre, the prophet Isaiah
teaches us, was a daughter of Sidon (Isa. xxiii. 12). Figuring though it does
in prophecy, the mother city is not, however, so prominently the object of
Divine denunciation as her more wealthy and more renowned daughter Tyre, nor
has she sunk so low.
We subjoin an extract from an eyewitness describing
the present appearance of the two. Of Tyre he first writes: "New Tyre is now
represented by a poor village. The ancient 'mistress of the seas' can only
boast of a few fishing-boats. The modern houses of a better class have had
their walls so shattered by earthquakes that the inhabitants have deserted
them; and the modern ramparts are so ruinous that I went in and out over them
in several places." Of Sidon he writes : "The aspect of Tyre is bleak and bare,
but that of Sidon rich and blooming. In fact, it is one of the most picturesque
towns in Syria. It stands on a low hill which juts out into the Mediterranean,
and is defended by old but picturesque walls and towers. On a rocky islet,
connected with the city by a broken bridge, is a ruined castle, once the
defence of the harbour. The ancient architectural remains about Sidon are few -
some marble and granite columns, some pieces of mosaic pavement, and some
fragments of sculptured cornice. But the tombs are interesting. They dot the
plain and the mountain side beyond, and have already yielded a rich harvest to
the antiquary - Phoenician sarcophagi, Greek coins, funeral ornaments, and
crystal vases. They would still repay a fuller inspection. The gardens and
orchards of Sidon are charming. Oranges, lemons, citrons, bananas, and palms
grow luxuriant, and give the environs of the old city a look of eternal spring.
Sidon is one of the few spots in Syria where Nature's luxuriance has triumphed
over neglect and ruin, and where a few relics of ancient prosperity still
remain in street, and mart, and harbour. It is instructive to compare Tyre and
Sidon. The former far outstripped the latter in grandeur, wealth, and power,
but its history has been briefer and more momentous. Once and again the tide of
war swept over Tyre, first leaving the old city desolate, and then the new in
ruins. Sidon has been more fortunate, or perhaps I should say less unfortunate.
The tide of war swept over it too, but the wave was not so destructive." *
*
Porter's Giant Cities of Sashan, pp. 274, 275
Leaving Sidon, now known
as Saida, their next port of call was Myra, a city of Lycia, which lay a little
off the coast, about two and a half miles up the river Andriacus. Their direct
course would have been to have passed to the south of Cyprus, and then to steer
straight for it. But the wind being contrary, on which as a sailing vessel they
were very much dependent, and of course could not go directly against, they had
to coast along the northern side of Cyprus, under its lee, to accomplish their
purpose. On the last occasion that Paul was at sea in these parts, going then
from Patara to Tyre, the wind favoured their taking the direct course, leaving
Cyprus, as Luke states, on their left hand (xxi. 3). On the present voyage,
meeting with adverse winds, they had to seek the shelter of the island from the
force of the wind, if they were to make any way.**
**"We sailed under
Cyprus, so that we remained near the shore (elevated above the level of the
sea), because the shifting winds were contrary, and therefore made a withdrawal
to a distance from the (northern) shoro not advisable" (Meyer).
Arriving
at Myra, the centurion found a ship of Alexandria bound for Italy. This decided
him, we may suppose, to venture on the long sea route, in preference to going
farther in their present vessel; and then crossing to Macedonia, to travel on
the Via Egnatia to the Adriatic, by which they would have landed at Brundusium,
now Brindisi. What determined their way, except it was the apparent fortuitous
circumstance of a vessel sailing direct for Italy, we are not able now to
settle. But God's hand was in it, and we can see it. Paul was to stand forth as
God's chosen servant before all, and Malta was to have blessing through sick
ones being healed.
Transferred to this vessel, a large one, for it
finally contained two hundred and seventy-six souls, its size or name unknown
to us, they set sail, bound for no port short of the Italian peninsula, or
perhaps Syracuse on their way. Again, and more persistently than before, they
experienced delays, owing to contrary winds. With difficulty, and after many
days, arriving opposite to Cnidus, a city of Caria, about a hundred and thirty
geographical miles from Myra, it became evident that a straight course was out
of the question. For the coast here trending towards the north, they would now
be brought face to face with the wind, without any shelter, as hitherto, from
the land on their right. A complete diversion was therefore determined on, and
they steered south, till, passing Cape Salmone, the eastern point of Crete,
they could coast along the south side of that island. By the time they would
reach its western extremity, they might hope that the Etesian winds, which had
blown for an unusual length of time that year, might subside, and a more
favourable wind waft them on their way: The wind did change before they cleared
the western end of the island. In that they had not miscalculated. Was it more
favourable for the ship ?
Fair Havens. We have mentioned the
Etesian winds. They blew from the north-west, and generally beginning in July,
stopped with the close of the month of August. But this year they had far
exceeded their accustomed duration, and the difficulty which they had
experienced between Myra and Cnidus beset them still, as they endeavoured to
make their way along the south of Crete. With difficulty, we read, they reached
the Fair Havens (xxvii. 8), near to which was the city of Lasaea. Here for the
present further progress was stayed, the north-west wind making it impossible
to proceed. The season was advancing. The fast of the day of atonement, on the
tenth day of the seventh month, was past. Autumnal storms, if not wintry
weather, must be looked for. To reach Italy that season was hopeless. The
pressing question then arose, Where should they winter? To launch out beyond
Crete no one thought of. Nautical experience of that day, with only the
appliances that they had, forbade such a rash venture. Where, then, on that
island should they find a safe winter anchorage? The Fair Havens had not such a
reputation. And one on board, the owner, if he only, had an interest in
preserving the ship and its cargo. They might of course risk wintering where
they now were. But would that be wise ? The question was evidently debated,
and, it would seem, openly. The master and owner, with most of those on board,
advised, if possible, to work their way on to Phoenice, or Phosnix, and there
winter. That had a harbour looking towards the north-east and the south-east,
having an island in front called Aradus. Those acquainted with navigation
counselled that. But one voice was against it - a voice now heard for the first
time in giving an opinion on this important matter. That voice was
Paul's.
How the master, and the owner also, pressed their view Luke l;as
not related. What Paul said he has preserved, for it bears on the future
history of this voyage. "Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with hurt and
much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives" (10). Who
was he to give such a decided opinion, opposed to that of the master, who ought
to know, and to that of the owner, who must have had great pecuniary interest
in the preservation of his vessel ? A prisoner on his way to the Emperor's
judgment seat ventured his opinion against all the rest! He had, we
subsequently learn in verse 21, distinctly intimated that they should not leave
the anchorage where they now were. Yet no wonder that the centurion inclined to
the advice of seamen rather than to that tendered by Paul. Soon, however, all
would have to own the wisdom of Paul's advice, whilst the owner would live to
regret that his own views had been listened to, and he and all, the master
included, would come to put implicit confidence in whatever the prisoner might
say. Was not God, by the Etesian winds, bringing His servant into prominence,
and about to show to all in that vessel what a blessed thing it was to have
Paul on board? To Phosnice (or better, Phoenix), so named from its palm trees,
they were determined to go, and only waited for a favourable wind to
start.
The north-west wind ceased. A south wind sprang up. The anchor
was weighed, and they hoped that they had gained their point, and that their
patience would be rewarded. They set sail, not anticipating any storm; for
their life-boat was towed, instead of being on board. It was but a short run.
Phoenix would soon be reached. No need to trouble to hoist up the boat. Lulled
into security, they left Fair Havens. The desired anchorage they never reached.
A tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon [or, as we should read more probably,
Euraquilo], typhonic in character, swept down from Mount Ida, and caught the
ship. The north-west wind had been harassing. The northeast was far worse. It
drove them along. To reach Phoenix was out of the question. To run under
Cauda,* a small island south of Crete, was their resource. Under its lee they
managed to secure the boat, and to undergird the ship. To Crete they had now
bidden farewell. In the open sea, ,vith no land in sight after leaving Cauda,
the modern Gozzo, they felt themselves at the mercy of the winds and waves. All
precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the vessel, fearing lest they
might be driven on to the dreaded quicksands called Syrtis Major, off the coast
of Africa. Sail was struck, and they were driven. The vessel laboured. The
tempest tossed them about. They lightened the ship, throwing overboard freight.
That not enough, on the next day they (not, we) threw out the tackling of the
ship. The tempest continued. They could do no more. Alone in that raging sea,
with a boisterous wind, no friendly soul near, they could only resign
themselves to their fate. Death stared them in the face. Hope of being saved
was lost. The Fates were against them, the superstitious on board might
exclaim. Jupiter was angry with them, others might think. Neptune was
determined to engulf them in the turbulent waters, the sailors might say. God
was watching over them, Paul could have told them. There was One, as it were,
at the helm. There was an eye looking down on them from above, and guiding them
steadily and directly to the land that they were first to reach. For if the
reader will consult a good map, he will see that the run from Cauda to Melita
was as straight a course as could be. Steadily, too, we have said. Because it
is stated, on apparently good authority, that the time they passed between
Cauda and Melita, just a fortnight, is about what a vessel drifting would in
the present day take to reach the latter island. The vessel struck at length on
the first land which in their straight run from Cauda west they would reach.
Was not God, as it were, at the helm ? But ere they reached Melita angelic
ministry was in exercise on their behalf.
* Cauda very probably was the
original reading, not Clauda. And Euraquilo has certainly the preponderance of
Uncial MS. authority in its favour.
A Heavenly Communication.
Many days had passed, and neither sun nor stars appeared ; the tempest
continued; so hope of safety had fallen to almost the vanishing-point, when
again the prisoner's voice was heard. For Paul stood forth in the midst of the
fasting company, and spoke as follows : "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto
me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss"
(xxvii. 21). Paul had been right after all. What use, however, would it have
been in such circumstances to have forced on them all simply a recognition of
that? It might have enhanced their judgment of Paul's perceptive powers, but it
would have comforted none of them. And he certainly would have been the last
person to parade himself before his fellows simply as one who could form a
better judgment than they. Day after day had they been tossed about at the
mercy of the elements, drifting in Adria. Fourteen days of that must have
pretty well worn them out, what with anxiety, want of food, and doubtless lack
of rest. Now he had a more encouraging communication to make. Of life he could
speak, not of death. So he proceeded : "And now I exhort you to be of good
cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship"
(20). They had been expecting nothing but death. He spoke with certainty of the
preservation of their lives. Cheering words indeed, if true. But how could he
promise that ? No land was in sight. No succour was seen at hand. No abatement,
it would seem, of the tempest. No rift in the clouds had let them see once more
the face of the sun, nor could they scan the heavens to recognise well-known
stars. Was he mocking them? He will explain. "There stood by me this night an
angel of the God whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou
must be brought before Caesar: and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail
with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall
be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be east upon a certain island"
(23-26).
"Be of good cheer," he said, and repeated it. He was God's
servant. And his God, the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who hath
measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, had spoken by His angel; and
Paul implicitly believed Him. In the midst of the sea of Adria God knew where
Paul was, and thus communicated with him. Hopeless had the crew deemed their
position. Helplessly drifting about at tha mercy of the elements and of the
currents in the sea, they were powerless. God, however, knew the very spot
where they were ; and an angel, unknown to them, had actually stood on board
that night. The owner saw him not. The centurion was unaware of his presence.
Even Luke had not perceived that he was near. But Paul saw him and heard him.
The God of heaven had a message for that prisoner in the storm and in that
vessel. Paul must go to Rome. The vessel, therefore, could not founder in the
open sea with all on board. Further, no life would be lost; for God had given
to that prisoner, as they regarded him, the owner, the centurion, the soldiers,
the prisoners, and the crew. Could that be true ? A sign was forthcoming. " "We
must be cast," said Paul, " on a certain island."
The Last Night.
But where was the island and what was its name? No one on board then knew, nor
had the angel said. At midnight, however - and that night was a dark one - the
practised ears of the sailors detected that land was near. Thay very likely
heard the noise of distant breakers. Yet none could see against what they were
dashing. Were Paul's words really coming true? Had they neared the unnamed
island? By sounding they discovered that the water was twenty fathoms deep.
Sounding soon after, the depth had decreased. It was now only fifteen fathoms
to the bottom. Evidently rapidly approaching some shore, they deemed it prudent
to anchor, and to await for the day. So casting out four anchors from the
stern, which would speedily arrest the onward progress of the vessel, they
would avoid the danger of running aground in the dark. The sailors now
attempted, by means of the boat, to save themselves, intending to desert in the
hour of peril the rest on board. So "they launched it under pretence of casting
out anchors from the foreship. A word from Paul unmasked their design to the
centurion. "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved" (31). At once
the soldiers cut the ropes, and let the boat go adrift. The centurion had
evidently some authority on board. And the Apostle had acquired a well-deserved
influence over him and the soldiers. They listened now to him.
The
Last Meal. For the day they all waited. Sleep, doubtless, was banished from
every one that night. Again Paul spoke. Each one would have shortly to put
forth efforts to reach the shore. But worn out and famishing men are not in the
best condition to make extra exertions. So the cheery voice of the Apostle was
heard calling them all to partake of food. Paul seemed in command now. It was
his word which made the soldiers cut adrift the boat. It was his voice which
was now summoning all on board to eat. But eat in earshot of breakers? Eat with
shipwreck imminent? Eat at such a time of intense anxiety? Yes. "This day," he
said, "is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having
taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your
health [or rather, safety] : for there shall not a hair fall [rather, perish]
from the head of any of you " (33, 34). But who would begin? Who would set the
example? Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.
When he had broken it, he began to eat. Encouraged by his example, all were of
good cheer, and took some food, and were refreshed. They all eat of it together
- prisoners, crew, centurion, and master. It was their last meal on board, but
not just the prelude to death. Death was not before them, for not a hair of
their head should perish. Not a few, doubtless, since that day have partaken of
their last meal on board their vessel, with the consciousness that they would
never reach land, but be engulfed in the yawning sea around them. How
differently situated were those in that vessel, and what a companion was Paul,
the guide, the comforter, of them all in those trying circumstances ! What
blessing to have him in their midst!
The Shipwreck. All cheered,
refreshed, and reinvigorated, measures were now to be taken to run the vessel
on shore, if possible. The boat adrift, to beach the ship seemed a natural and
proper course. For this they lightened it, and cast out what remained of the
cargo of wheat into the sea, in readiness for further steps to be taken, when
by the light of day they should discover exactly their position. The day
eagerly desired at length dawned, and they then could perceive a certain creek
or bay, with a beach, a smooth shore or strand, just in front of them. To run
the vessel on that was their desire, and the best thing they could do. So
casting off the anchors, as Luke wrote, they left them in the sea, having no
more use for them. Then loosing the rudder bands, and hoisting the foresail
(not, mainsail) to the wind, they made for that spot. Impelled by the wind, the
vessel moved forward to it; and the forepart having struck, and remained
immovable, they discovered that two seas there met; for what seemed part of the
mainland on the right was in reality a little island, now called Salmonetta.
Hence it was that, while the forepart of the vessel stuck fast in the tenacious
mud, the hinder part was beaten by the violence of the waves, which came
through the narrow passage of about a hundred yards wide between Salmonetta and
Malta.
But a new danger threatened Paul, to be promptly, however,
averted by the centurion. If the prisoners were unchained to reach land they
might escape, and their guards would be punished for want of care. The soldiers
therefore, to save themselves, counselled to put the prisoners to death. To
carry out that purpose would have involved Paul in the slaughter - Paul who had
been so helpful and encouraging. The centurion therefore negatived the
proposition for Paul's sake. So a second time, because of Paul, the prisoners
were preserved from death. And now at the command of the centurion they all
left the ship, and got on shore each as best he could. Those who could swim
were to precede the rest, who on planks or some other pieces of the vessel got
through the surf and reached the land. It seems to have all been done in a very
orderly way; no demoralisation is hinted at. Probably Paul's presence and
calmness throughout conduced to that at the end. " There shall be no loss of
life among you," Paul had declared (22). "There shall not a hair perish from
the head of any of you'' (34), he had that very morning promised. It all came
true. The island was reached, and the muster-roll could be called over, to find
no one missing of the company which had left the Fair Havens. What a thing it
was to have been thus linked with Paul! All, given by God to him, were saved
from shipwreck. And we can say that all given by God to Christ will certainly
be saved. The gifts of God are without repentance.
How remarkably had
Paul been brought forward by God in this voyage! A prisoner on his way to Rome,
chained, we presume, to soldiers, who would have thought about him? His first
advice disregarded, the master learnt by experience the folly of his own. When
encouragement was needed, Paul gave it, and announced the gift to himself from
God of all on the vessel (24). When direction was required, Paul furnished it
(31). When the last meal on board was to be taken, Paul summoned them to it
(34), and so they were strengthened for the work before
them.
Providential Guidance. And now a word on God's providential
guidance. When they had lost all control of their vessel on the open sea, far
from land, and when neither sun nor stars for many days appeared, God, as we
have already remarked, graciously guided the ship to the first land in front of
them. Then nearing the shore, though they could not as yet see it, they cast
out anchors from the stern, hearing the breakers dashing wildly against the
rocks of Koura Point,* which are at the entrance of Paul's Bay, and a little to
the left of the course which the vessel in the darkness had taken. Had she run
on the rocks, would any have survived to tell the tale? But the breakers ahead
and the soundings taken had warned the sailors to anchor providentially just
where they did. But would the anchors hold? They did. And it appears that the
anchorage ground is formed of very tenacious clay, which effectually prevented
the ship dragging. So they were kept fast and safe throughout the rest of that
night. And then when daylight lit up the scene, there appeared in front that
strand, on which they could drive, as they did, the weather-beaten vessel.
Shall we not admit the hand of God in all this? An angel of God visited the
ship. The eye of God rested continuously on it. The hand of God safely guided
it. And the communication from God to Paul was like a light shining in a dark
place, and gilding the edge of the thick dark cloud of their misfortunes with a
bright line of hope.
Melita. Safe on shore, they learnt - i.e.,
Paul and all - where they were. An island they knew, for Paul had predicted
that. Now its name they learnt was Melita. Into the controversy, now definitely
settled by Mr. Smith of Jordan Hill, in his Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul,
as to the relative claims of Malta, or Meleda, a small island in the Adriatic,
to have been the scene of the shipwreck, we need not enter. The claims of
Meleda have been quite put out of court. The well-known island of Malta,
anciently called Melita, was without doubt the one on which the ship was
driven; and Paul's Bay is the place where it was lost. The island had been long
known, colonised anciently by Phoenicians; but since the second Punic war it
had passed from under the Carthaginians to the Romans, about B.C. 218, in whose
hands it was when Luke wrote, and subject to the propraetor of Sicily.
Barbarians. The inhabitants Luke terms Barbarians, meaning that
their language was neither Greek nor Latin. Certainly they were not barbarous;
for they received the shipwrecked men most kindly, and ministered to them,
kindling a fire because of the rain, and because of the cold. Wet and cold must
those two hundred and seventy-six men have been, considering the way they had
been saved. But large as their company was to be thrown thus suddenly on the
islanders, they found the kindness of the latter equal to the occasion. Who the
new-comers were, beyond the fact that some of them were Romans, the islanders
probably knew not. Soon, however, were they to hear that one of the company, of
no commanding exterior, nor eloquent in speech, was anything but a common
person ; and further, that his unexpected visit to the island would be fraught
with blessing to the sick and suffering in their midst. How they first
discovered something about Paul we are now to hear.
* In 1810 the British
frigate Lively was wrecked at night off Koura Point. It was put in evidence at
the court martial that the land could not be seen even at a distance of a
quarter of a mile away, though the surf on the shore was discernible. A
north-east wind makes the surf beat on the Point with great violence (Article "
Melita " in Imperial Bible Dictionary).
f We should here read, " We knew."
For Paul, who had foretold the approaching shipwreck on an island, knew not
what that island would be till they had landed. Its name had not been disclosed
beforehand. A fire kindled, Paul, ever ready to help, collected some sticks to
feed it. And now a word spoken by One in Palestine years before, and of whom
all the islanders were as yet ignorant, was to come true, and they were to be
eyewitnesses of it. A viper, aroused from its dormant condition by the heat of
the fire, having been unawares taken up by Paul with the sticks, came out of
the heat and fastened on the Apostle's hand. A venomous snake all knew it to
be, and one indigenous to the island. His fate they, the natives, thought was
sealed. To be poisoned by it he could not escape, even if perchance his life
was spared. Perfectly familiar with the effects of the bite of such a reptile,
they watched to see its victim swell or to fall down dead. To their surprise
neither happened. He quietly shook it off into the fire.
Seeing it
fastened to his hand, they formed an unfavourable opinion of the Apostle. No
doubt, was their thought, that he is a murderer whom Vengeance, or Justice,*
suffereth not to live. He had escaped drowning. By the bite of the viper he
would now be killed. Learning, probably, that he was a prisoner on his way to
Rome, they the more readily jumped to this conclusion. But when, after shaking
off the venomous creature, Paul felt no pain, they as quickly changed their
minds, and jumped to the conclusion that he must be a god. All wrong we know
they were, and ignorant, of course, of our Lord's promise to His disciples
(Mark xvi. 18). Yet they were unbiassed witnesses of the faithfulness of the
Lord to His word. That it was a venomous snake there can be no doubt. The
expectations of the islanders and their surprise at the result attest that.
That Paul was unharmed by the reptile is also beyond, dispute. Miraculous it
was all must admit. But instead of Vengeance pursuing its victim, it was God
attesting that Paul was His servant.
* The ancients viewed Diche - i.e.,
Justice - as a goddess. It has been said that there are no vipers in the
island, nor wood either. But Mr. Lewin, visiting Paul's Bay in 1853, writes of
a viper, as he believed, about the spot, and a little wood for kindling also.
If so late as that vipers could be seen in that now densely populated island,
there can be no difficulty in trusting Luke's account that there were vipers
then.
Publius. From the shore where they had congregated at
first, we are next taken to the house of Publius*, called the chief man, of the
island. This was his official designation - viz., First or Chief of the
Meliteans. Kind had been the islanders. Kind, too, was the governor. Near that
bay he had lands, and he received them, and entertained them courteously. Such
hospitality was not to pass unrequited. His father was sick of a fever and
dysentery. Paul visited him, prayed and placed his hands on him, and healed him
(Acts xxviii. 8). Never before in that island had such a thing been known.
Healing power entrusted thus to a man was something to those islanders quite
new. The report of this miracle soon spread, and others, the rest in the island
who were sick, came and were healed. Considering that Melita is only seventeen
and a quarter miles long by nine and a quarter broad, and contains an area of
about ninety-five square miles, and so about two-thirds of that of the Isle of
Wight, we can readily understand that during their stay of a quarter of a year
there was time for the welcome news of Paul's powers to permeate the island,
and for individuals who had need to profit by them. A wonderful man the
islanders thought him when he shook off the viper and had received no harm.
What a dispenser of blessing they must have found him to be, whom chance,
people might say, had thrown on their shores ! The ship-men and the centurion
and all the soldiers could have told of the comfort Paul had been to them in
the storm. Now the islanders could relate instance after instance of healing,
and not merely some relief, but the full removal of suffering. How God honoured
His servant, and fulfilled in Paul's case the promise of the Lord, "They shall
take up serpents . . . and lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover "
(Mark xvi. 17, 18)!
* An inscription found at Civita Vecchia, the ancient
capital of the island, confirms Luke's accuracy in thus describing the
governor.
To Italy. Very likely the grateful islanders would have
welcomed a longer sojourn of the Apostle. But the time for continuing their
voyage drew nigh, and the centurion must have been anxious to proceed, to
deliver up all his prisoners at Rome. Spring then came, and they prepared to
move on. Now the gratitude of the islanders was manifested. They loaded Paul
with many honours, and provided things suitable for his voyage. Pleasantly,
surely, must those three months have passed. No perils encountered, no
persecutions endured. And now an Alexandrian vessel, which had wintered in the
isle, more fortunate than the one in which they sailed from Myra, was about to
proceed; so the centurion put his prisoners on board of her. Her sign was The
Twin Brothers - i.e., Castor and Pollux.* They accordingly left Malta, bound
for Puteoli, by Syracuse and Rhegium. Their course took them through the
Straits of Messina, and through a volcanic region, past Etna in Sicily,
Stromboli in the Lipari Islands, and subsequently Vesuvius in the Bay of
Naples, and then sighting Ischia with its volcanic cone. Beautiful must the
sight have been to the travellers as they sailed along through the Straits, and
in sight of the Isle of Capri, formerly the abode of the Emperor Tiberius, and
across the Bay of Naples to Puteoli on the northern side of it. Beautiful still
is that region; yet more beautiful must it then have been, for Vesuvius had not
begun to manifest the devastating power that lurked within it.
* " These
two were viewed as helpers of sailors, and generally as protectors in dangers "
(Meyer).
To Rome. Arrived at Puteoli, a stay of seven days was
allowed, which Paul spent in intercourse with the Christians at that seaport.
Then they commenced the land journey to Rome, distant about one hundred and
forty-one miles. At Sinuessa, about thirty-three miles on their way, they fell
into the Appian Way, which connected Home with Brundusium, and then travelled
along it. This road, a trunk one, was well provided with horses, vehicles, and
halting-places. How they travelled Luke has not informed us. At Terracina, on
their way, a canal could be utilised, or they might still travel by road, the
two meeting, and the canal ending, northward at Appii Forum, where they were
welcomed by a company of Christians, who had come from the capital thus far,
forty-three miles.
Why Appii Forum was the meeting-place may be
understood, as has been suggested, because, there the canal and the road
meeting, the travellers must certainly pass through it; whereas if the brethren
had proceeded farther south, in the uncertainty, perhaps, which route would be
selected by the centurion from Terracina northward, they might have missed Paul
and Luke. Again, about ten miles nearer Rome, at the Tres Tabernse, or Three
Taverns,* other brethren met them. Paul was cheered. He thanked God and took
courage. His chains did not deter those saints from manifesting their love, and
doubtless giving substantial proofs of Christian fellowship. How God honoured
him, to be thus met! How God thought of him, to be thus cheered What a
privilege it is to be a true servant of the Lord Jesus Christ ! Now, thus
surrounded by them all, they entered Rome, as Luke probably wrote (Acts xxviii.
16).
* Of these two places, well known in those days, Treponti is near the
site of Appii Forum, for close to tlie former was found the forty-third
milestone from Rome; Oiiterna is near that of Tres Tabernte.
In
Rome. At last Paul had reached the city he had for so long wished to visit
(Rom. xv. 23). What thoughts may have crowded on his mind as he trod its
streets on the way to his appointed dwelling-place - a private house! What a
time had it been since they left Caesarea! How eventful! Winds and storms had
they encountered; the elements had been against them; but persecution for the
time had ceased. From the strife of tongues they had been kept free. The Lord,
too, had repeatedly honoured His servant, both in the vessel and at Melita. And
now, at the close of their travelling, Paul, as we have seen, was cheered by
the presence and fellowship of the brethren who met him. A man of like passions
with ourselves, human sympathy and Christian love were not extended to him in
vain. And that continued with him through life. The visits of that humble
brother Onesiphorus he valued much. "He oft refreshed me," wrote Paul, " and
was not ashamed of my chain ; but when he was in Rome, he sought me out
diligently, and found me" (2 Tim. i. 16, 17). Others may have neglected him -
Onesiphorus did not. It was service to Paul which he never forgot. It was a
service done to one of Christ's own, and the Spirit would place it on record. "
A word spoken in due season, how good is it! " (Prov. xv. 23).
Of two
days in the city we shall now read, and of two years spent there we shall also
hear, but all briefly told. On the third day after his arrival Paul sent for
the chiefs of the Jews, and acquainted them with the cause of his appeal to
Caesar (Acts xxviii. 17-19). Ignorant, it seems, they were of the real
controversy which had raged in Judaea; ignorant, too, of the bitter enmity of
those in Jerusalem against Paul, they expressed a willingness and a desire to
hear what he could say of the sect everywhere spoken Rgainst. A day appointed,
many attended at Paul's lodgings. We see that what had been his practice
throughout was his practice still. To the Jews first. As at Damascus (ix.), so
in Rome - his own nation he sought out, their welfare he desired. Were those in
Rome more willing to listen? Prejudice and bigotry such as those at Jerusalem
had displayed the Jews in Rome were apparently free from. But the human heart -
what about that! Ah! it is the same everywhere, till God deals with the
conscience. From morning till night of that second day Paul spoke to them,
opening up their Scriptures, "testifying the kingdom of God, and persuading
them concerning Jesus botli out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets."
With Paul it was evidently not an address just interlarded with a few
quotations from the Word, but he opened up the Word. A whole day was he at this
task, showing the bearing of many a passage in the Hebrew Scriptures, and the
fulfilment likewise of many of them, all new to these Jews. It was a discourse
such as they had never listened to in their synagogue.
What was the
result? Some believed, and some did not. So the meeting terminated with a
quotation made by Paul from Isa. vi. 9, 10, from the Septuagint. The state of
the nation was hopeless. What it had been in the Lord's day (Matt. xiii. 14,
15) that it was still. And the prophetic announcement of Isaiah received that
day in Rome a sad endorsement in the refusal of many of the Jews to receive the
truth presented by the Apostle. Still was it true, "Yet a remnant shall be
saved" (Rom. ix. 27). Some believed. How rejoiced must Aquila and Priscilla
havo been, who, we may well believe, were present, as Paul on that day opened
up the Word, and as some drank it in ! But neither the personal presence,
service, or ministry of the Lord, nor the subsequent testimony of the Holy
Ghost, won the nation as such to grace. Obdurate it had been. Obdurate it
continued to be still.
Was God's grace, then, to be offered in vain? No.
"This salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles," were Paul's parting words to
the unbelieving Jews;" and,"he added, "they will hear it " (Acts xxviii. 28).
Everywhere the mass of the nation was the same. At Jerusalem, at Antioch in
Pisidia, and now at Rome they refused the grace of God.
Two years went
on, during which Paul dwelt in his own hired house, receiving all that went to
him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ, no man forbidding him. The Jews looked only for the kingdom in
power. The kingdom then was, and is still on earth in mystery - i.e., not yet
openly displayed - though to be seen now by all true saints, but them only; and
entered, toe, by all born of water and of the Spirit (John iii. 3, 5). The
sufferings of Christ had to precede His glories. This the Jews had not seen,
and would not humbly receive.
Paul, then, continued ministering to all
who came to him. The Lord thus cared for His servant, and permitted him still
to labour. He who had borne witness to Christ at Jerusalem was now permitted to
bear witness to Him in Rome. Of the Lord's words to the Eleven on the day of
His ascension (Acts i. 8) this book of the Acts in a measure records the
fulfilment. The Lord's promise to Paul in the prison at Jerusalem this last
chapter of it assures us was being carried out : "No man forbidding him." It
ends, then, with Paul still labouring. The Word of God was not bound. Long,
long ago Paul personally entered into rest. Yet the truths he contended for and
the gospel he proclaimed are, thank God, still heard on earth. In our day some
of them have been specially revived. Gentiles still hear them, and some Jews
still receive them.
Go To Chapter Twenty