The Final Journey: Well Done Thou Good and Faithful Servant

Paul began his final journey after his arrest and trials in the holy land. As Luke describes the situation, Paul was under house arrest for some time as these trials unfolded. Part of the reason he was under house arrest was to keep him safe. Eventually, Paul was able to make his defense, which Luke describes as conclusive, but was not released because he had appealed to Caesar. This resulted in Paul finally being able to make his long-awaited journey to Rome.

This week, we’ll examine the final journey and how Paul’s story ends in Acts.

A Long Voyage

As Paul was under arrest, he needed to be transported to Rome under supervision. The Centurion Julius and members of the Augustine Regiment, of which he was commander, were charged with seeing that he safely arrived in Rome and was presented before the emperor (Acts 27:1). Eventually, Paul, other prisoners, his traveling, committed companions (Luke) and another brother Aristarchus from Thessalonica set sail on their journey to Rome (v. 2).

In those days, sailing vessels were small, and it was in the best interest of the safety of the passengers to stay as close to shore as possible. This was especially true in this case because the winds were contrary. They traveled north up the coast of the Mediterranean Sea until they got to Sidon, which is part of modern Lebanon. For those who keep track of current events, Sidon is not far from the Litani River and the scene of current military operations by Israel in the Middle East. At Sidon, Paul was allowed to visit with friends (v. 3).

Leaving Sidon, they sailed east of Cyprus so that the island’s mountainous terrain would shield them from the contrary wins. From there, they sailed further north until they came to Mira. There, they transferred to a larger vessel, more seaworthy, for the long trip to Rome (v.6). setting sail again, they fought country wins until they could sell south of the island of Crete near Salome (v. 7). Eventually, they came to Fair Havens (v. 8). In Fair Havens, they encountered difficulty. Paul and his companions had left on their journey late in the year, and by the time they arrived in Fairhaven, it was beyond the regular sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea during that time. There was, therefore, a grave danger that if they continued from there, the ship would be lost. Paul advised that they stay in Fair Haven (v. 10).

Julius was of a different mind. He was anxious to get the ship to Rome and complete the task which he had undertaken. In any case, the harbor at Fair Havens was unsuitable for the entire winter, so the ship set sail, hoping to reach Phoenix Harbor in Crete, which was much safer (vv. 11-12). Unfortunately, the favorable wins soon gave way to a severe storm, what we would call a “North Easter.” The ship was caught in the storm and could not possibly make its way into the wind (v. 14-15). From that point on, Paul and his companions were in grave danger. They had to run cables around the ship to keep it from being crushed by the heavy seas (v. 17). They were required to throw overboard part of the boat’s cargo (v. 18). Eventually, they had to through overboard the sales and tackle of the ship (v. 19). They were now at the mercy of the sea. The seas were so heavy that the crew and passengers could not eat for many days (v. 21).

Finally, Paul told them they must eat because they needed their strength for what was to come. In this speech, Paul revealed to the sailors that God had spoken to him amid the storm (v. 23). He told them that the God he serves sent an angel to tell him not to be afraid, for he would be brought before Caesar for trial, and those with him would be saved. He advised everyone on board to take heart because God assured Paul they would not die (v. 25). Finally, Paul prophesied that everyone with him would be safe (v. 24).

After fourteen days of misery, everyone began losing hope (v. 27-28). The ship could not be steered and ran in great danger of running upon the rocks  (v. 29). The sailors eventually decided to desert the ship, leaving the passengers to their fate (v. 30). Paul told the Centurion to cut away the ropes that attached the small skiff to the boat so that this could not happen (31-32). Once again, Paul urged everyone to take some food to strengthen them for the final ordeal ( v. 34).

In a manner resembling Jesus’ last words, he took bread, thanked God, and began eating in their presence. Everyone felt encouraged by Paul’s symbolic act (v. 35-36). Once again, they lightened the ship, throwing out what remained of its cargo (v. 38). At daybreak, they could see a small beach. Running out the anchors to create drag, they slowed the ship until it ran into the ground (vv. 39-40).

At this point, Julius was faced with his obligation to put the prisoners to death so that they would not escape. This would have followed Roman custom, and his soldiers urged Julius to do precisely that (v. 42). However, Julius wanted to keep Paul safe if possible (v. 43). Therefore, he let everyone swim ashore. As Paul had predicted, everyone was saved (v. 44).

A Miracle on Malta

The island upon which they had landed was the island of Malta (28:1). Once the tired men arrived at the shore, cold and wet, they canceled the fire to shelter them against the winter cold (v. 2). As Paul went to collect some sticks, a snake came out of the fire because of the heat and bit him (v. 3). It was poisonous. The natives saw this happen and thought that Paul would certainly die because he was a murderer (v. 4). He did not. Therefore, they concluded he must be a god! (v. 6). This is a pretty good indication of human fickleness. Paul went from being a murderer to a god in a matter of seconds.

This particular incident is recounted in the edited version of the end of Mark, where the author explains that snakes may bite believers and still live. Mark concludes as follows:

He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my Name, they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:15-18)

Contrary to those who believe this is a prescription for current worship behavior, I think this reflects what has already transpired in the past. It’s not an invitation to deliberately be bitten by a snake. It is an indication that if snakes bite us while on God’s business, God can frequently be trusted to save us. This indicates that God will provide signs of his presence at every point in human history. If the enemies of God try to harm believers, they can expect a certain amount of protection. In addition, this protection is designed to see that the gospel reaches the ends of the earth.

After a while, a prominent local citizen named Publius took the little, ragged band of survivors into his home (v. 7). Publius’s father was sick with fever and dysentery. Paul, praying for him and laying on hands, was able to heal him (v. 8). Having seen this sign of Paul’s relationship with God, many people brought those with diseases to the apostle for the laying on of hands and prayer (v. 9). All this, was a sign that God was with Paul and had enabled him to do the same kind of signs and wonders that characterized Jesus himself. This is the last instance of a central theme of Acts: The apostles were commissioned with God’s power and could do what Jesus himself had done.

After three months, a ship arrived from Alexandria with a figurehead of the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux. Having wintered in Malta, the group prepared to go to Rome (v. 11). They sailed and landed at Syracuse, where they stayed for three days. From there, they ended up in the port of Puteoli (v. 13). There, they found some Christians and were invited to stay for seven days, and then they departed from Rome (v. 14). The citizens of Rome had heard of Paul’s arrival, and so they sent out a welcoming party to meet them. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged that everything would be fine.

When the group finally arrived in Rome, Julius, the Centurion, had completed his task. He delivered Paul to the captain of the guard, where Paul was placed again under house arrest. Three days later, the brothers and sisters of the church in Rome came to visit Paul. At this point, Luke recounts for a final time his defense of Paul’s ministry:

“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. They examined me and wanted to release me because I was not guilty of any crime deserving of death.  The Jews objected, so I was compelled to appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. For this reason, I have asked to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.” (Acts 28:17-20).

This particular provision resembles the defense we discussed last week. It supports the view that one of Luke’s primary intentions in writing  Acts was to defend Paul and his ministry.

Eventually, Paul was able to inhabit some lodges in the city of Rome. Then, he continued his apostolic ministry. The final part of Acts reveals Paul as teaching about the kingdom of God, the consistency of the ministry of Jesus with the law of Moses and the prophets, and the Messi ship of Jesus. As everywhere else, not everyone believed the apostle’s words. Some Jews rejected Paul and departed (v. 25). Luke sees this as a fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah that the Jews would hear and not perceive, that they would see and not understand the Messiah (vv. 26-27). Having ministered in Rome in precisely the same manner as Paul ministered everywhere else, he then began to teach Gentiles about Jesus. The final words are that no one, implicitly no authority in Rome, took any action against him. Neither should Caesar (v.31).

Conclusion

To some readers, the book of Acts ends abruptly, as if it is incomplete. We are simply told that Paul lived in Rome for two years at his own expense, welcomed people into his home, proclaimed the kingdom of God, and was not hindered in his ministry (vv. 30-31). Interestingly, we are not given a rendition of what happened when Paul appeared before Caesar. We are not told about the death of the apostle. Most of the questions that we would typically have are not answered. Why is this so?

Scholars ponder two different explanations. First, it’s possible that Paul was released without a trial before Caesar because it was felt unnecessary. Those who follow this way of thinking believe that Paul was released, continued his ministry, traveled west as far as return to Rome, was arrested, and then put to death. The second possibility is that this particular imprisonment ended with the apostle’s death, which, for some reason, Luke did not want to recount. A final possibility is that having written two books, Luke and Acts, each of which is about one scroll length, Luke reached the end of his capacity to record the actions of Paul and the other apostles. Perhaps there was some interruption that made it impossible for him to complete the book in the way he originally planned. I find the third explanation unconvincing.

This summer, Kathy and I were on a trip with some people from the Moody Bible Institute. Their take was that Paul was released, did continue his ministry as far as Spain, returned to Rome, and was arrested during the rain of the emperor Nero. At that point, he was put to death.

From a spiritual point of view, the ending is entirely satisfactory. The ministry of Jesus was continued by the apostles, including the apostle Paul. The work of the Holy Spirit was not finished when Jesus was crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. It continued in the early church. It is also not over when Paul is arrested or when Paul dies. It continued then as it continues today. The book ends with the continuation of the ministry of Jesus. Perhaps that’s the way we ought to think of our own lives. The Work of Jesus continues today in us as we create little communities of wisdom and love.

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