These small group Bible studies of Acts 28 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Acts 28 – Snakes, Superstitions, and Hospitality
Outline
I. Shipwrecked on Malta (1-10)
II. Paul arrives in Rome (11-16)
III. Paul in Rome (17-31)
I. Shipwrecked on Malta (1-10)
Discussion Questions
• What are your observations about the local people?
• What was their assumption about Paul?
• What does the Bible say about the idea that when something bad happens, it must be judgment from God?
• When people around us experience hardships, should we declare that God is judging them?
• Who else made similar assumptions in Scripture?
• When was Paul, God’s appointed messenger to the Gentiles, “randomly” bitten by a poisonous snake?
• How come Paul was unaffected by the snake bite? What lessons can you learn from that?
• Should we do things like handle snakes to prove God’s power?
• How do we see God’s sovereignty in this passage?
• What can you learn from Paul regarding his treatment of others, even though he was a prisoner who had been shipwrecked?
• How did Malta provide an unexpected place for ministry?
• Have trials or difficulties ever opened up unexpected doors for the gospel for you?
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. God was with Paul, though it was hard to see –
Paul had spent two years as a prisoner awaiting the conclusion of his trial. He was then shipped to Rome on a boat. The boat hit a storm and Paul spent weeks lost at sea in terrible conditions with the passengers all fearing death. Finally, the boat is broken into pieces on a reef and Paul either swims or floats to shore.
Once there, things don’t get much better. The weather is cold and rainy. They have to build a fire. Then a poisonous snake bites Paul.
Have you ever had a stretch of trials as serious as those?
Yet through all of these trials, God was with Paul. He repeatedly encouraged Paul through visions. The Lord providentially caused the boat to ground at Malta instead of being swept out to the open sea. Everyone on board, including Paul, survived. The native people were friendly and hospitable. God supernaturally protected Paul from the venom of the snake.
Reflect – Which is easier for you to see, the difficulties or God in the midst of them? How can we better focus on God in the midst of the storm instead of the storm itself?
A believer in Paul’s position could look at all of the bad or at all of the good. The bad was easier to see than the good. God was with Paul the entire time, though it was at times difficult to see.
Trials are not proof of God’s absence and successes are not proof of God’s approval.
These chapters should make it clear that the prosperity gospel is false. God does not promise to give us a healthy, easy, or wealthy life. He does not guarantee to deliver us from all hardships. Paul had plenty of faith, but faith did not assure deliverance.
Hebrews 13:5 – I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Romans 8:35-39 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Nothing can separate us from God’s love.
Application – When you face trials, remember that God is with you in the midst of them. Intentionally look for what God is doing. He doesn’t bring trials into your life without a purpose.
The storm provided multiple opportunities for Paul to share about the living God with people who didn’t know Him.
2. Assumptions about a snakebite –
Acts 28:3-4 – When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
Paul was bitten by some type of viper. The locals apparently were familiar with its species and concluded that Paul would die very soon. They assumed that the snakebite was some kind of divine judgment against Paul’s crimes.
Their superstition is a commonly held belief. Buddhists believe in karma, which essentially means that bad actions lead to bad results and good actions lead to good results. They may assume that a loss of a job, sickness, or some other difficulty is the universe’s way of returning a person’s mistakes to them.
Job’s friends held similar beliefs. They assumed that the disasters in his life were due to a secret sin he refused to repent of.
That same mentality was still prevalent in Jesus’ day when His disciples asked Him about a blind man, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?”
During that time, the cause of suffering was often considered to be sin. If somebody had a sickness or a disease, many assumed it was a direct result of their sin. This problem became troublesome, though, when a person was born with a handicap. It couldn’t very well be a result of their own sin and it wouldn’t be that fair if they had the handicap because of their parent’s sin. So some of Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus to help them solve this difficult dilemma.
First, Jesus shows that their assumption is wrong. Neither this man nor his parents had committed any specific sin leading to his handicap. It doesn’t mean they had never sinned, but that the handicap wasn’t a direct result of any specific sin. Wrong assumptions will lead to wrong conclusions, so be careful about making assumptions. The Sadducees made a wrong assumption that in heaven there would still be marriage, so their conclusion was that if a person had married several people on earth, it would be a mess in heaven. Make sure your assumptions have a Scriptural base.
Second, Jesus told them the specific reason for this particular disease. It wasn’t the direct consequence of somebody’s sin, but rather an opportunity for God to be glorified and His works to be shown. The man was born blind to give Jesus a chance to heal Him publicly for everyone to see and give us a lasting witness of His healing power. This should motivate more people to believe in Jesus, just as the man himself did later on in this chapter.
Sometimes we know the immediate reason for someone’s disease or suffering. Sexually transmitted diseases are often caught because of immorality. If a child disobeys his parents and runs into the road, he may be hit by a car.
But more often, we don’t know why certain people have cancer, why they are handicapped or crippled. We don’t know why they lose their job or have their house burned down, etc. Jesus is Almighty and knew, but we don’t.
Application – Be careful not to assume that a person’s trials are due to their sin or bad choices. God allows trials for many reasons. When you face a trial, prayerfully seek God to try to understand what He wants to do in the midst of the trial.
The snakebite gave Paul instant credibility among the natives of Malta. Although the text does not tell us, it is almost certain that Paul shared the gospel with them. The storm provided opportunities for Paul to witness to the ship’s passengers and now the snake provided new opportunities.
Reflect – Have you ever faced trials that opened new doors of ministry?
3. Hospitality and healings –
God continued to care for Paul and his companions even in the midst of their trials. Publius was a local chief. He had no obligation to take care of prisoners and treat them so well. But he did. Why?
Somehow God moved him to do so. God cares for us in many ways. He providentially moves in weather patterns, ocean currents, and even people’s hearts. All of these are in His hands and He turns them where He wishes.
Reflect – Share about a time when God providentially worked behind-the-scenes on your behalf?
Paul, meanwhile, did not isolate himself with self-pity regarding his “bad luck.” He wasn’t focused on himself at all. Shipwrecked on Malta, he was still ministering to others. He was praying for and healing many people, surely while sharing the gospel with them.
Someone once wisely said, “Never put a good trial to waste.”
When we face rock bottom, it is easy to turn inward with a “woe is me” attitude. Let’s learn from Paul’s example and continue to reach out to serve others. If you are facing discouragement, staying in your room to contemplate how bad things are will not help you. Taking your eyes off yourself, getting out of the room, and serving others will. You will have a real purpose and a changed perspective.
II. Paul arrives in Rome (11-16)
Discussion Questions
• Why do you think Luke mentions the ship had “the twin gods as a figurehead?”
• What does verse 14 tell us about the spread of the gospel?
• Would you happily open your home for seven days to believers who were traveling through?
• How come hospitality today is not as common or warm as it was in those days?
• What helped Paul to take courage from this meeting?
• What was Paul’s situation like in Rome?
Cross-References
Romans 12:13 – Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. A ship with the twin gods as the figurehead –
Acts 28:11 – After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead.
The twin gods is a reference to Castor and Pollux. These Greek mythical figures were known as the sons of Zeus. They were often associated with warfare, but especially with the protection of sailors. The front of the ship was decorated with some kind of carved image or emblem of these characters, most likely as a type of good luck charm, hoping that they would bring good fortune.
Luke was a historian who often included realistic details from the culture and settings around him. Doing so was another way to place the events of Acts within a clear geographical and historical setting.
It is a reminder of the pagan world that Paul sought to bring the gospel to. Culture was steeped in idolatry and false religion. Yet the light of Christ was spreading like an unstoppable force through the darkness.
2. The group finds brothers in Italy –
Acts 28:14 – There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.
The city they were in was Puteoli. It was the primary port city for Rome. It was heavily commercial and cosmopolitan. It was a 140-mile (225 KM) trip to Rome that would take about seven more days to arrive on foot.
The phrase “we found brothers” indicates that they were looking for believers there. From this, we see a few things.
A. The church had spread throughout many regions. It wasn’t that difficult or uncommon for them to come to a new city and find the church already there. Paul had evidently not been to Puteoli before. But the gospel had gone ahead of him. Paul and his team were not the only ones sharing the gospel. It continued to spread from city to city organically as believers shared the faith with those around them.
B. It’s a beautiful thing to have a spiritual family around the world. Many people live apart from their physical family. Others are even persecuted by their family. But followers of Jesus have another, closer, family.
Reflect – Have you ever traveled to a place far away and been blessed by believers you had never met before? Have you ever unexpectedly encountered believers who encouraged or supported you?
If you follow Jesus, you are not alone.
Luke 18:28-30 – And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
Application – Be family to someone who needs it. Is there a believer in your church who is alone or far from their family? Maybe a student facing the first Christmas away from her parents? Maybe an outcast who has been rejected by his family because of his belief in Jesus? Reach out and let them know they are not alone.
C. We should show hospitality to one another. These strangers Paul had never met received him and his companions for seven days. Presumably, they gave them lodging and food. It likely upended their schedule and plans. But it seems they were happy to do it. Serving the brethren took precedence over their own personal lives.
That mentality does not seem very common in the Western world in the twenty-first century. Our personal life, rights, and convenience are often highly valued. Instead of viewing the home as a place to openly host and bless others, it is often treated as a private sanctuary. It is common for people to religiously avoid having anyone come into their home, especially children.
Reflect – Where does this mentality come from? Why do many people not show hospitality?
God wants us to be hospitable. It is one of the spiritual gifts, but even those without this gift should seek to grow in this area.
It is commanded.
1 Peter 4:9 – Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Reflect – Why does Peter add the “without grumbling” condition? What might cause a person showing hospitality to grumble?
The visit encouraged Paul. He took courage from the believers there (Acts 28:15). Paul had been through a lot. These believers were able to encourage him in the middle of that trial.
Application – Let us seek to be like Philemon and refresh the hearts of the saints through hospitality.
Philemon 1:7 – For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
What is a practical way God is calling you to show hospitality?
3. Paul arrives in Rome –
Paul’s trip to Rome took many months, perhaps around six. Finally, he arrived. He was given some freedom in Rome. He was allowed to stay by himself and was guarded by only one soldier (Acts 28:16). Essentially, he was under house arrest. This meant that there was freedom for people to visit and for Paul to continue to share with visitors, which is exactly what happened.
Meet the Author: Jason Dexter has been serving the Lord overseas in the 10/40 Window for more than twenty years, making disciples, teaching the Bible, and equipping believers to understand and apply God’s Word. These Bible studies were written by him, not by AI.
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