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Acts Chapter
Twenty-eight
I.
Content of the Chapter
Paul’s Witness on the Way and in
I. The witness in the island which was called
Melita:
A.
Paul was bit by a viper and no harm came to him (v.1-6).
B.
Paul healed the father of the leading citizen of the island and others who had
diseases (v.7-10).
II. They changed the boat and arrived at
III. Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with
the soldier who guarded him (v.16).
IV. Paul confessed and preached to the Jewish
leaders:
A. He
called the leaders of the Jews together and told them all the details
(v.17-20):
1. he had done nothing against his people or the
customs of his fathers;
2. The result of the trial showed that there was no
cause for putting him to death;
3. he was compelled to appeal to Caesar
not that
he had anything of which to accuse his nation;
4. for the hope of
B.
They answered that they had not received letters from
C.
When they had appointed him a day
many came to him at his lodging
to whom he
explained the
D. Some were persuaded and some
disbelieved and they departed (v.24-25a).
E.
Paul explained that the salvation was turned to the Gentiles through the words
of Isaiah the prophet (v.25b-29).
V.
Paul dwelt two whole years in
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 28:1 “Now when they had
escaped
they then found out that the island was called
YLT: “And having been
saved
then they knew that the island is called Melita
”
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “Now when they had escaped” “Escaped” indicates that their life was
kept (See the note in Acts. 27:44).
“They then found out that the island was
called
Enlightenment in the Word: Jehovah is my rock
and my fortress
and my
deliverer; God is my rock
in him will I trust------my shield
and the horn of
my salvation
my high tower
and my refuge
my savior (2Sam. 22:2-3).
Acts. 28:2 “And the natives showed us
unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome
because of
the rain that was falling and because of the cold.”
YLT: “and the foreigners
were shewing us no ordinary kindness
for having kindled a fire
they received
us all
because of the pressing rain
and because of the cold;”
Meaning of Words: “the natives”: barbarians; “unusual kindness”: kindness
friendliness.
Literal Meaning: “And the natives showed us
unusual kindness” “The natives” has
two meanings: 1) the uncivilized ones; 2) those who were not educated by the
Greek or Roman culture and were unable to speak Greek or Latin. Here the second
meaning of “the natives” should be more reasonable. And therefore in some
English versions they were called “the aborigines”. The residents in the island
were the descendants of the Phoenicians and they spoke Punic. They had been
civilized to a certain degree in their life style and they were not the
uneducated barbarian tribe.
“Because of the rain that was falling
and because of the cold” At that time it
may be in the end of October or in the beginning of November. It was in the
cold winter and the storm had just passed.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Jews in
2) Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Heb. 13:2).
Acts. 28:3 “But when Paul had
gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire
a viper came out because
of the heat
and fastened on his hand.”
YLT: “but Paul having
gathered together a quantity of sticks
and having laid [them] upon the fire
a
viper -- out of the heat having come -- did fasten on his hand.”
Meaning of Words: “fastened on”: clamp
unto.
Literal Meaning: “a viper” It is said that there is not viper in
“A viper came out because of the heat
and fastened on his hand” Concerning Paul’s
being fastened on by a viper
we were persuaded that it was of the will of God
so that the first moment Paul stepped on Malta the island
he drew the
attention of all the people in the island.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) From the matter that Paul had gathered a bundle of
sticks and laid them on
the fire
we could see that the one who is truly of Spirit will neither disdain
to do the petty things nor sit there still and wait to be served by those who
are around him.
2) Working diligently is the duty that everyone
should do when living in the world. If any would not work
neither should he
eat (2Thess. 3:10).
3) There is not the relative importance of work:
gathering a bundle of sticks
preaching and healing are equally important. Only
the unimportant ones would haggle over the work and reject to do the petty things.
4) The viper “fasted on his hand”; Satan tries its best to fast on our hands so
that we cannot serve God.
5)
The devil
as a roaring lion
walks about
seeking whom he may devour (1Pet. 5:8)
however
those who are truly of God
won’t be swallowed up even if their hands are fastened on (See v.5).
6) “Warming” symbolizes seeking the warm of the
earth and men. When Peter warmed himself
he was bit by the old
snake------Satan and he was offended and even was afraid of confessing the Lord
(Mark. 14:66-72). Peter was bit by a viper in order to warm himself and
fortunately he suffered no harm (See v.5) by the Lord’s power of resurrection
(Mark. 16:18). It shows that when we testify the Lord and suffer desolation
we
should never seek the warm of the earth and men
lest we let the devil take the
opportunity to harm us.
Acts. 28:4 “So when the natives saw
the creature hanging from his hand
they said to one another
‘No doubt this man is a murderer
whom
though he has
escaped the sea
yet justice does not allow to live.’”
YLT: “And when the
foreigners saw the beast hanging from his hand
they said unto one another
`Certainly this man is a murderer
whom
having been saved out of the sea
the
justice did not suffer to live;'”
Meaning of Words: “the creature”:
beast; “justice”: righteousness
punishment
vengeance.
Literal Meaning: “when the natives saw the
creature hanging from his hand” “Hanging from his hand” could also be that the viper winded his
hand and it means that the viper not only bit him but also winded him
seriously.
“No doubt this man is a murderer” The natives saw that Paul was guarded by
soldiers and therefore knew that he was one of the prisoners and they had such
conjecture.
“Yet justice does not allow to live” “Justice” in the original refers to the
goddess who took charge of justice and vengeance in the Greek myth. The natives
may believe in another similar god and held that Paul’s being bit was the
heavenly punishment.
Acts. 28:5 “But he shook off the
creature into the fire and suffered no harm.”
YLT: “he then
indeed
having shaken off the beast into the fire
suffered no evil
”
Meaning of Words: “the creature”:
beast.
Acts. 28:6 “However
they were
expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had
looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him
they changed their minds
and said that he was a god.”
YLT: “and they were
expecting him to be about to be inflamed
or to fall down suddenly dead
and
they
expecting [it] a long time
and seeing nothing uncommon happening to him
changing [their] minds
said he was a god.”
Literal Meaning: “they were expecting that he
would swell up” “Swelling up” is
the medical term for inflammation. Only Luke used this word in the New
Testament.
“He was a god” Please note that Luke recorded this sentence not
to exalt Paul (See Acts. 14:11) but to criticize the superstition of the
natives. Some Bible exegetes wrongly quoted this sentence to prove that
Christian us “a god”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the superstitious religious faith
“men” are
always treated as “god”. However
the basic faith of Christianity is to know
men’s nature of corruption and then turn to the only “true God” (See Acts.
14:11-15).
2) Men are “men” and could never become “god”. All
beliefs in which “men becoming god” or “men calling themselves god” are
advocated are the heretic beliefs from Satan (See 2Thess. 2:3-4; 1Cor. 8:4-5).
3) Men are capricious. They held that one was
guilty of the most heinous crimes in a moment (See v.4) and they “changed their
mind” and thought he was “a god” in another moment. Today there are some people
in the church who flatter you in one moment and cheapen you in another moment.
And therefore we do not need to care about others’ judgment too much and we should
care about how God judges us (1Cor. 4:3-5).
4) Apparently Paul was a prisoner
however
he was
of God inwardly because God is in him. Therefore
from now on
we regard no one
according to the flesh (2Cor. 5:16).
5) All those who judge things only by the outward
smooth-going of things are the spiritual “natives”. Their sight is the
“earthly” sight. May we all have the spiritual and surpassing sight to discern
all things (See 1Cor. 2:15).
Acts. 28:7 “In that region there was
an estate of the leading citizen of the island
whose name was Publius
who
received us and entertained us courteously for three days.”
YLT: “And in the
neighbourhood of that place were lands of the principal man of the island
by
name Publius
who
having received us
three days did courteously lodge [us];”
Meaning of Words: “the leading citizen of the
island”: the chief one in
the island
the one of the first importance in the island; “Publius”: enjoying great popularity
being loved by
others.
Literal Meaning: “an estate of the leading
citizen of the island
whose name was Publius” “Publius” was a Roman name and probably he
was the administrative officer who was accredited by the
“Who received us” “Us” here included both Paul and Luke and all the
people in the ship.
Acts. 28:8 “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.”
YLT: “and it came to
pass
the father of Publius with feverish heats and dysentery pressed
was
laid
unto whom Paul having entered
and having prayed
having laid [his] hands
on him
healed him;”
Literal Meaning: “the father of Publius lay
sick of a fever and dysentery” “A fever” was a
popular enterogastritis in that island and it was brought about by the
microorganisms in the milk of goat that was made in the island.
“And he laid his hands on him and
healed him” “Healing him” in
the original means “curing”. Today the Charismatic people like using this word
in the matters of God’s healing.
Paul the apostle was bit by
the viper and suffered no harm (See v.5). Here he laid hands on the sick one
and he was healed. Upon Paul
the Lord’s announcement that He made after His
resurrection (Mark. 16:17-18) was fully proved.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) He entertained them
for three days (See v.7) and then his father was healed. And let us not grow
weary while doing good
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart
(Gal. 6:9).
2) Though we Christians do not have the gift of
healing
we should stretch out our hands with mercy and pray for all those who
suffer the pain of sickness (including the sickness of body and soul).
Acts. 28:9 “So when this was done
the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.”
YLT: “this
therefore
being done
the others also in the island having infirmities were coming and
were healed;”
Literal Meaning: “were healed” Here
it is the medical term in the original and it was different from “healing” in
v.8. It means healing by medical skills and medicines. From this we could know
that Luke the author of this book may partake in this service (See the note of
“us” in v.10).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul became the blessing of all the people in
the ship on the voyage (Act. 27:24). And now in the
2) Wherever Paul arrived
he could find the objects
that he could serve and preach to. We Christians should prepare ourselves so
that we shall be able to give help to the needy at all times.
3) Today some people who advocated God’s healing
excessively held that believers should not receive the cure of medicine and
should look upon God’s healing by faith. Actually v.8 and v.9 tell us that
there are at least two kinds of services of healing: Paul served by wonders and
Luke served by medicines.
Acts. 28:10 “They also honored us in
many ways; and when we departed
they provided such things as were necessary.”
YLT: “who also with many
honours did honour us
and we setting sail -- they were lading [us] with the
things that were necessary.”
Meaning of Words: “many”: abundant
great
much; “honor”: respect
value
esteem.
Literal Meaning: “They also honored us in
many ways” “Honor” and
“honor” (1Tim. 5:17) are the same in the original and it implies “money paid”.
And therefore “honored in many ways” means that they not only showed their
honor but also gave them various kinds of gifts and articles for daily use.
Undoubtedly “us” included Luke the author of this book who was a physician and
his medical skill was used to heal the sick ones.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians should help others with the intention
of not seeking repayment
however
helping others is to help
ourselves------when we benefit others
we gain benefits unconsciously.
2) Those who preach the gospel should live from the
gospel (1Cor. 9:14). Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double
honor (1Tim. 5:17).
Acts. 28:11 “After three months we
sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers
which had
wintered at the island.”
YLT: “And after three
months
we set sail in a ship (that had wintered in the isle) of
Meaning of Words: “Alexandrian”: protector of men; “the Twin Brothers”: the sons of Jupiter.
Literal Meaning: “After three months”
The weather is not good in winter and the boats are not allowed to sail in the
sea and the season of voyage begins again till the third part of February or
the beginning of March. And therefore they were compelled to stay in the island
for such a long time.
“We sailed in an Alexandrian ship” “An Alexandrian ship” probably was also a boat that transporting
food (See the note in Acts. 27:6).
“Whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers” At that time
men liked to decorate the
bows of the boats that sailed in the
Acts. 28:12 “And landing at
YLT: “and having landed
at
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “And landing at
Acts. 28:13 “From there we circled
round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next
day we came to Puteoli
”
YLT: “thence having gone
round
we came to Rhegium
and after one day
a south wind having sprung up
the second [day] we came to Puteoli;”
Meaning of Words: “circle round”:
having gone round; “Rhegium”: a breach; “Puteoli”: sulfur spring.
Literal Meaning: “From there we circled round
and reached Rhegium” “Circling round”
was probably a technical term in the navigation at that time because the road
was straight to the north from
“Rhegium” was in the northern end of Italian
peninsula. It was facing off the northeastern corner of Sicilia the
“And the next day we came to Puteoli” “Puteoli” was on the south bank of Naples
gulf which was about more than one hundred and twenty kilometers away from the
south Rome. It was the second to none seaport in
Acts. 28:14 “where we found brethren
and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward
YLT: “where
having found
brethren
we were called upon to remain with them seven days
and thus to
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “where we found brethren” “Brethren” refer to brothers in the Lord
and they are different from brothers in the flesh (See v.17).
“And so we went toward
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus promised Paul Himself that he
would bear witness to Him in
2) If the Lord had pointed out the destination to
us
even if we experienced various dangers on the way
we shall arrive at the
destination. And therefore let us
looking unto Jesus
run with endurance the
race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1-2).
3) When bearing witness to the Lord
everything is
not smooth
however
He shall guide and protect us by Himself and help us to go
through the toughest journey.
Acts. 28:15 “And from there
when the
brethren heard about us
they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three
Inns. When Paul saw them
he thanked God and took courage.”
YLT: “and thence
the
brethren having heard the things concerning us
came forth to meet us
unto
Appii Forum
and Three Taverns -- whom Paul having seen
having given thanks to
God
took courage.”
Meaning of Words: “Appii Forum”: the market of Claudius
the market of
persuading men; “took”: accept
hold; “courage”: boldness.
Literal Meaning: “when the brethren heard
about us” Paul and the group
stayed in Puteoli for seven days (See v.14). During
this period
brothers in Puteoli brought the message that Paul came to Puteoli
to brothers in
“They came to meet us as far as Appii
Forum and Three Inns” “Appii Forum” was a commercial town that was about more
than sixty kilometers away from
“When Paul saw them
he thanked God and
took courage” In other words
Paul was received the courage from brothers. At that time Paul was very
sophisticated in the Spirit
however
he still needed the courage from brothers
in the Lord. It shows that there is a feature in the spiritual life that the
one who has life loves having communion with those who have the same life
(1John. 1:3).
It was three years ago
Paul
wrote “the Book of Romans” (See the note in Acts. 23:3) to the Roman Saints.
However
he had never reached
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse shows that the early Christians laid
special stress on “having communion with each other”. Not only the brothers in
2) We Christians all have the life of God and one
of the features of God’s life is that they love having communion with
Christians who have the life of God. And therefore we love meetings and do not
like solitude.
3) Even if believers like Paul need brothers’
meeting and encouragement
the common Christians need care and help from
members more.
Acts. 28:16 “Now when we came to
YLT: “And when we came to
Literal Meaning: “the centurion delivered the
prisoners to the captain of the guard”
This sentence is only recorded in a few old handwritten copies. “The captain of the guard” refers to the commander of the bodyguards
in the capital city.
“But Paul was permitted to dwell by
himself with the soldier who guarded him” Probably
Festus the governor stated in the
letter concerning the matter of delivering Paul that he did nothing deserving of death or chains (See Acts.
25:25-27; 26:31-32). And therefore he was specially treated well: he was not
imprisoned with other prisoners and the soldier guarded him
lest he run away.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul was specially permitted to dwell in his own
rented house with the soldier who guarded him (See v.30) and did not need to be
imprisoned with other prisoners. This case again proves that the Lord took care
of him in tribulation who suffered for the Lord.
2) The Lord took care of Paul in the circumstance
not for his own ease but to give him convenience to preach the
Acts. 28:17 “And
it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews
together. So when they had come together
he said to them: ‘Men and brethren
though I have done nothing against our
people or the customs of our fathers
yet I was delivered as a prisoner from
YLT: “And it came to pass
after three days
Paul called together those who are the principal men of the
Jews
and they having come together
he said unto them: `Men
brethren
I --
having done nothing contrary to the people
or to the customs of the fathers --
a prisoner from Jerusalem
was delivered up to the hands of the Romans;”
Literal Meaning: “Paul called the leaders of
the Jews together” The prohibition
that the Roman Emperor drove the Jews out of
The word “brethren” has two
applications: 1) it is used to call believers who all have God’s life (See
v.15); 2) it is used to call fellow citizens who are of the Jewish lineage.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The world always misunderstands Christians and
says that “we forget our own origins”: we are unfilial because we do not cry
for our parents when they are dead; we do no respect the elders because we do
not worship them on bended kneels. But actually the true filial piety does not
lie in the outward form but the inward intention.
2) Paul seemed to explain for himself
showing that
preachers could explain for themselves if necessary. However
Paul’s
explanation is to make preparation for the next time of preaching the gospel
(See v.23) instead of caring about his own gain and loss. And therefore our
explanation should be for the gospel and witness instead of our own
reputation.
Acts. 28:18 “who
when they had
examined me
wanted to let me go
because there was no cause for putting me to
death.”
YLT: “who
having
examined me
were wishing to release [me]
because of their being no cause of
death in me
”
Acts. 28:19 “But when the Jews spoke
against it
I was compelled to appeal to Caesar
not that I had anything of
which to accuse my nation.”
YLT: “and the Jews having
spoken against [it]
I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar -- not as having
anything to accuse my nation of;”
Literal Meaning: “I was compelled to appeal
to Caesar” It is regarded by
the Jews not patriotic that one appeals to Caesar. And therefore Paul had to
explain that it was the way that he was compelled to choose.
“Not that I had anything of which to
accuse my nation” It shows that he
was compelled to defend for himself instead of being the accuser.
Acts. 28:20 “For this reason therefore
I have called for you
to see you and speak with you
because for the hope of
YLT: “for this cause
therefore
I called for you to see and to speak with [you]
for because of the
hope of
Literal Meaning: “the hope of
Acts. 28:21 “Then they said to him
"We neither received letters from
YLT: “And they said unto
him
`We did neither receive letters concerning thee from
Meaning of Words: “evil”: wickedness.
Acts. 28:22 “But we desire to hear
from you what you think; for concerning this sect
we know that it is spoken
against everywhere.’”
YLT: “and we think it
good from thee to hear what thou dost think
for
indeed
concerning this sect
it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against;'”
Meaning of Words: “sect”: party
heresy; “be spoken against”: contradict
deny
reject.
Acts. 28:23 “So when they had
appointed him a day
many came to him at his lodging
to whom he explained and
solemnly testified of the
YLT: “and having
appointed him a day
they came
more of them unto him
to the lodging
to whom
he was expounding
testifying fully the reign of God
persuading them also of
the things concerning Jesus
both from the law of Moses
and the prophets
from
morning till evening
”
Meaning of Words: “explain”: speak
cite
expose; “solemnly testify”: earnestly testify.
Literal Meaning: “both the Law of Moses and
the Prophets” refers to quoting
from the Old Testament (See Luke. 24:27
44).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though Paul was imprisoned
he utilized every
environment and chance to preach the gospel. Preach the word! Be ready in
season and out of season (2Tim. 4:2).
2) Christians preach the truth neither according to
our own favor or knowledge nor preaching the social benefits or philosophy.
However
we persuade all the people “concerning Jesus” from the Bible.
Acts. 28:24 “And some were persuaded
by the things which were spoken
and some disbelieved.”
YLT: “and
some
indeed
were believing the things spoken
and some were not believing.”
Literal Meaning: “some were persuaded…and some disbelieved” The tone of “disbelieved” is stronger than the
words that they did not receive the gospel and it means the open rejection.
Obviously
those who disbelieved were in the majority and therefore Paul said
that “the hearts of this people have grown dull” (See v.26-27) and “the
salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles” (See v.28).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning Paul such a spiritual man with great
power
men reacted differently to the gospel that he had preached and even those
who disbelieved were in the majority. Our responsibility is to try our best to
preach the gospel and we should commit the effect to the Lord.
2) When we preach Christ’s gospel
the effect of
two aspects are always brought in
“we are the fragrance of Christ among those
who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the
aroma of death leading to death
and to the other the aroma of life leading to
life” (2Cor. 2:15-16).
3) The same message may not bring in the same
effort in the hearts of every listener and the reason lies in the intention of
listeners (See Matt. 13:19-23). We should pray to the Lord for searching our
hearts so that we could receive the spiritual benefits.
4) The best preachers may also encounter failure in
bringing men to the Lord. The Lord Jesus was not respected when he preached in
His own hometown (Matt. 13:58). Since we know that some people may refuse us we
should not faint. It is worthy of our thanksgiving that some people are willing
to receive the gospel.
Acts. 28:25 “So when they did not
agree among themselves
they departed after Paul had said one word: ‘The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet
to our fathers
”
YLT: “And not being
agreed with one another
they were going away
Paul having spoken one word --
`Well did the Holy Spirit speak through Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers
”
Literal Meaning: “The Holy Spirit spoke
rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers” The following words in v.26-27 are quoted from
Is. 6:9-10.
Acts. 28:26 “saying
‘Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing
you will hear
and shall not understand; And seeing you will see
and not
perceive;”
YLT: “saying
Go on unto
this people and say
With hearing ye shall hear
and ye shall not understand
and seeing ye shall see
and ye shall not perceive
”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) But the natural man does not receive the things
of the Spirit of God
for they are foolishness to him (1Cor. 2:14).
2) We have to use the right ears to hear God’s word
and use the right eyes to get in touch with the spiritual things. If the ears
and eyes in our hearts are wrong
everything shall be in vain.
Acts. 28:27 “For the hearts of this
people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing
And their eyes they
have closed
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn
So that I should heal
them.’”
YLT: “for made gross was
the heart of this people
and with the ears they heard heavily
and their eyes
they did close
lest they may see with the eyes
and with the heart may
understand
and be turned back
and I may heal them.”
Literal Meaning: “For the hearts of this
people have grown dull” In Chinese version
it is translated into “the hearts of this people are covered by oil” “Oil” was
the good thing in the sacrifice and it should be sacrificed to God (See Lev.
3:16). However
they kept it for their own or “their hearts were occupied by
good things” and then they were dull to God Himself. The hearts of the Jews
were occupied by the Law
ceremonies and letters except God so that they
reacted dully to God Himself.
“Their
ears are hard of hearing
And their eyes they have closed” It indicates that their ears cannot hear
God’s voice and their eyes cannot see God’s revelation.
“Lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
Lest they should understand with their hearts and
turn
So that I should heal them”
“Lest” has two applications: 1) it refers to the hardness of the hearts of
those who disbelieved: they were unwilling to listen to God’s words
lest they
shall be moved; 2) it refers to God’s misgiving: God does not fear that men
repent and turn to Him and He is afraid that men turn to Him from a good thing
and may turn to another thing which they themselves regard as better and more
spiritual and lay God aside.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Keep thy heart more than anything that is
guarded; for out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).
2) “Oil” is the good thing that men possess. The one
who has nothing won’t be proud. Once one has something
he will be proud and
pride would make him be unable to see what he lacks.
3) Men’s virtue
advantages
good points
self-righteousness and etc sometimes become men’s hard points that hinder them
from receiving God’s grace.
Acts. 28:28 “‘Therefore
let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles
and they will hear it!’”
YLT: “`Be it known
therefore
to you
that to the nations was sent the salvation of God
these also
will hear it;'”
Meaning of Words: “hear”: hearken
take heed of.
Enlightenment in the Word: Why did Paul condemn the Jews openly (See v.26-27)
and enrage them purposely? Calvin commanded it that
“actually if we want to
have peace with God
we have to fight with those who despise Him” (it is
translated from the Chinese version).
Acts. 28:29 “And
when he had said these words
the Jews departed and had a great dispute among
themselves.”
YLT: “and he having said
these things
the Jews went away
having much disputation among themselves;”
Acts. 28:30 “Then Paul dwelt two whole
years in his own rented house
and received all who came to him
”
YLT: “and Paul remained
an entire two years in his own hired [house]
and was receiving all those
coming in unto him
”
Meaning of Words: “receive”: welcome
accept.
Literal Meaning: “Paul…in his own rented house” “His own rented house” implies that he paid for
the rent. At that time
Paul was bound with this chain (See v.20) and he could
not make a living by making tents (See Acts. 18:3; 20:34). And therefore
probably he made a living by the gifts and help from churches in various places
(See Pill. 2:25; 4:18). In a word
Paul was not imprisoned but dwelled in his
rented house with the soldier who guarded him (See v.16).
“Dwelt two whole years” It shows that Paul waited two years and
the case was still unsolved. The reason why so much time was consumed may be:
1) calling the accuser to the Roman court from Jerusalem and the time was
delayed on the way; 2) they checked in various places whether Paul actually had
stirred up the sedition and betrayed Caesar (Acts. 24:5; 25:8).
It is deduced that Paul wrote the four so-called
“prison letters”: Ephesians (See Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20); Philippians (See Pill.
1:7
14
17); Colossians (See Col. 4:3
10
18) and Philemon (Philem. 1
9).
Some signs showed that Paul was set free for a
short time after these two years: 1) the Acts of the Apostles ended suddenly;
2) Paul disclosed that he was confident that he would be set free shortly
(Pill. 2:24; Philem. 22); 3) some details that Paul mentioned in the later
“Pastoral Epistles” disagreed with the background that was described in the
Acts of the Apostles. And therefore many Bible exegetes deduced that after the
Acts of the Apostles
Paul returned to Macedonia
Crete
Nicopolis
Troas
Miletus and other places from Rome to visit the churches (See 1Tim. 1:3; Tit.
1:5; 3:12; 2Tim. 4:13
20). Probably he was arrested again before he arrived at
“And received all who came to him” According to Paul’s epistles written in
the Roman prison
he had received: 1) the Saints who were sent by churches in
various churches and ministered to his need (See Pill. 2:25); 2) all those who
came to hear him preaching and even those that were of Caesar's household
believed in the Lord (See Pill. 4:22); 3) the prisoners who were also
imprisoned with him
including Onesimus who secretly fled to Rome. He was
therefore converted (See Philem. 10).
Acts. 28:31 “preaching the
YLT: “preaching the reign
of God
and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness
-- unforbidden.”
Meaning of Words: “with all
confidence”: with all boldness
with all freedom
frankly.
Literal Meaning: “preaching the
“And teaching the things which concern
the Lord Jesus Christ.” “Teaching” is
different from “preaching”. “Preaching” stresses on declaring and spreading and
“teaching” stresses on training the disciples. Paul preached the
“No one forbidding him” is a single word in the original and it
could be translated into “there is no prohibition at all” or “free without any
prohibition”. The Acts of the Apostles ends with the cheer of victory.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men could bind the preachers of Christ
however
they cannot bind the word of Christ. Paul himself once said that “in which I
suffer even unto bonds as an evil-doer: but the word of God is not bound”
(2Tim. 2:9).
2) God is the supporter of Paul’s preaching
working. All men’s opposition and means cannot block the spreading and final
triumph of the gospel.
3) The witness of Paul the Apostle in
4) It is mentioned two times in this chapter that
Paul preached “the kingdom of God” and then it is recorded that he taught and
persuaded men with “the things that concern Jesus Christ” (See v.23). It shows
that the word of the
5) Jesus Christ is the real content of the
6) Today
the church is the fullness of Him who
fills all in all (Eph. 1:23). In other words
the true spiritual church is the
reality of the
7) “No one forbidding him” in the original could be translated into “there
is no prohibition at all”. The gospel cannot be forbidden at all because it is
God that opened the door of utterance (See Col. 4:3) and no man can shut the
door that He has opened (Rev. 3:8).
8) As long as the witness of Christians is faithful
to the
9) The limitation of environments is nothing. If
men stand in the right position
there will be no prohibition in God’s work. If
men stand in the wrong position
men themselves are the block of the Lord’s
work.
10) The Acts of the Apostles is a book that does
not have an ending. It shows that the risen Lord’s work through the Holy Spirit
on the earth does not end and it still continues till today. We
the Lord’s
vessels
should have the sense and ambition of partaking in His work. May the
Lord use us and do the things that He should do.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
A Fine Example of Preacher
I. His conduct------was worthy of the gospel (See
Pill. 1:27):
A.
Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire (v.3)------he
did all the great things and trifles by himself.
B. He
shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm (v.5); Paul prayed
and he laid his hands on him and healed him------he was full of the power of
the Holy Spirit by faith.
C. The
father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him
(v.8a)------he sympathized others’ sufferings.
D.
Where we found brethren
and were invited to stay with them seven days
(v.14)------he stressed on the fellowship of the body.
E.
When Paul saw them
he thanked God and took courage (v.15)------he received the
provision from members.
F. I
had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers
(v.17)------he observed all rulers and regulations.
G. For the hope of
II. The Objects to whom he preached:
A.
Paul called the leaders of the Jews (v.17)------he preached to his own fellow
citizens first (See Rom. 1:16).
B. To
the Gentiles (v.28)------he was instructed by the Lord to be the apostle of the
Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-8).
C. He
received all who came to him
preaching with all confidence (v.30-31)------all
those who seek the truth.
III. The places where he preached:
A.
Many came to Paul at his lodging
to whom he explained (v.23)------the house
where he was arrested (See v.16).
B. In
his own rented house…Paul preached with all confidence (v.30-31)------the same
as above
i.e. the prison.
IV. The time that he preached:
A.
After three days (v.17)------he was in a tearing hurry.
B. They had appointed him a day (v.23a)------in the
appointed day.
C.
From morning till evening (v.23b)------he even forgot sleep and food and was very
diligent.
D. Two
whole years…preaching with all confidence (v.30-31)------in season
out of
season.
V. The way that he preached:
A.
Explaining (v.23b)------expounding.
B.
Testifying (v.23b)------proving with facts.
C.
From both the Law of Moses and the Prophets (v.23b)------quoting from the
Bible.
D.
Persuading (v.23c)------convincing earnestly.
E.
Preaching (v.31a)------declaring and spreading.
F.
Teaching (v.31b)------teaching earnestly and tirelessly.
VI. The theme that he preached:
A. The
hope of
B. The
salvation of God (v.28).
C. The
D. The
things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ (v.23c; 31b).
VII. The burden that he preached:
A. He
was full of love (v.17-20)------his love to his fellow citizens was shown.
B. He
was full of patience (v.23 “explained” in the original means “in detail”).
C. He
was full of zeal (v.23 “testified” in the original means “zealously”).
D. He
was full of sincerity (v.25-28)------he warned them frankly and condemned those
who hardened their hearts and disbelieved.
E. He
was full of faith (v.31 “with all confidence” for faith).
The Three Obstacles that Christians should
Break through
I. Breaking through men’s wrong idea:
A.
Judging one’s goodness and evilness by his circumstances (v.3-4).
B.
Judging one’s identity by his performance (v.5-6).
II. Breaking through men’s slander:
A. He
explained for himself and cleared up all the misunderstandings that may be
brought about (v.17-20).
B. He
preached the faith that he kept so that men could understand our faith (v.23).
III. Breaking through men’s obstacle:
A. He
turned the prison to the workshop (v.30).
B. He
preached with all confidence and broke through his own limitation------being
timid (v.31).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren