Ep 456 – Acts 27:39-28:10

Let’s face it. Bad things happen to good people. We may not understand why. We may not even like that it happens, but we can’t argue the fact that it’s a part of life. And when we read Luke’s account of Paul’s journey to Rome, we can’t help but notice that nothing seems to go right for this faithful servant of God. In fact, he had been warned in advance by God, that he would suffer. And God was true to His word. Everywhere Paul went, he faced opposition of all kinds, from verbal attacks to physical beatings. And even as he made his way to Rome on ship commandeered by the Romans, he still encountered trials that would make of us throw up our hands in despair and raise our voices in criticism of God. But Paul took it all in stride. In Acts 27:39-28:10, Luke provides a detailed account of Paul’s seemingly ill-fated voyage and eventual shipwreck. And even when he and all the other passengers of the ship washed up on the shores of Malta alive and well, he ended up getting bitten by a poisonous snake. Even the natives of Malta thought Paul was cursed. He had survived the shipwreck but would die from a snake bite. As far as they could tell, he must have been guilty of something pretty serious because the gods were angry. But little did they know that Paul’s God was anything but angry. He was simply going to use Paul as a means of revealing his power to the citizens of Malta. Even as a prisoner, Paul was still God’s messenger to the Gentiles.