PAUL . . . PRAYED, AND LAID HIS HANDS ON HIM, AND HEALED HIM

Paul’s God-given prediction of the safety of everyone involved in the storm was vindicated by events. The shipwreck was terrifying but not a life was lost, 27. 40-44. They found refuge on Malta (‘Melita’, KJV), an island in the centre of the Mediterranean, 100 kilometres south of Sicily. It had been under Roman control since 218 BC. The natives are called barbarians in verses 2 and 4, but this merely means that they did not speak Greek. They were far from barbarous in their treatment of the survivors of the storm. The weather was cold and rainy, so they began by kindling a fire.

Paul, who was never on his dignity when there was work to be done, helped by gathering sticks, and gathered a viper as well. It fastened on his hand, convincing the islanders that he was a murderer; but when he calmly shook it into the fire and was unharmed, they decided that he was a god!

The chief official on Malta was Publius, who owned property there and who extended hospitality to his unexpected visitors. He never had cause to regret it. His father was suffering acutely from fever and dysentery. Paul learned about this and promptly visited the sick man.

He began with prayer. This does not surprise us for he knew better than most about the power of prayer. It brought God right into the circumstances. It also turned the sick man’s thoughts upward to the living God, rather than to Paul, His servant. This reflects the Apostle’s selfless humility and his desire to exalt the Lord. Next, he laid his hands on the patient, as though to identify with his sufferings and to calm his restlessness. Then he healed him, bringing sweet relief, not only to the sufferer but also to Publius and to the other members of his household.

The blessing did not end there, for ‘others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed’, v. 9. Moreover, we can be sure that Paul seized every opportunity during his three months in Malta to tell out the gospel among the islanders. He knew the limited value of healing the sick without leading them to Christ. A healthy body is of great value on earth, but a saved soul is an eternal asset which endures in heaven throughout eternity.