Acts 28

1-6

This is a peculiar text that I had to think on for a while.  I read some commentaries that confirmed what I was thinking to why the Author would include such a story.   There is small denomination of people in the United States who handle poisonous snakes and often get bitten by them.  They’re reasoning for doing this doesn’t make logical sense to me other than they take text such as this and turn it into something normative.  What these scriptures are saying is not to go looking for poisonous snakes and perform some kind of ritual with them, but the Author is showing us that Paul is not under some kind of divine judgement as the barbarians thought.

The commentaries I read also provided another story of a fugitive who escape a shipwreck only to be bitten by a poisonous snake and die.  They even made a poem to commemorate the fugitives destiny with doom.  So it would not be far fetched for everyone to think Paul to be some wicked man whom the gods are punishing, rather, upon seeing no hurt coming to him after the snake bite, they reverse their previous judgment and conclude he is a god himself.

What is happening to Paul is the fulfillment of what the Lord said to Ananias concerning him, that he should suffer many things for His name’s sake.   In the crucible of Paul’s life, many would look at Paul and from the surface assume he is a cursed man, guilty of some wicked thing.   But oddly enough in the midst of Paul’s suffering is the providence of God, sustaining his life where in another’s circumstance would be forfeit.  It is a lesson never seen before by pagan eyes.  God uses Paul in that place for three months until they can leave on another ship, healing the sick and no doubt speaking of Christ.

There is something about the Gospel message being grift-wrapped in suffering that testifies of its genuine power, it is not a farce put on by pagan idols and sorcery.  Jesus suffer for us that some might be saved, and so through the suffering of the saved does the Gospel message permeate the earth.  Our suffering commemorates the suffering of Christ.     The Christians suffering is the continuation of Christ’s sacrificial love that converts the hardest of hearts.  “For better or for worse”  Christ’s love is faithful.