This final chapter centers on resurrection. Its primary focus is the Word of God, which concludes the book and echoes in Rome as the resurrected, free, and unhindered One, proclaiming the name of Jesus. After the shipwreck, the passengers realize they are on the island of Malta. In the detailed account of events, Paul shows the power of the Word, which is always accompanied by signs and miracles, just like in Jesus’ ministry. The travelers set sail again, and Paul reaches his destination, where the Jewish community welcomes him. When they hear Paul’s preaching, the community becomes divided—some accept the Gospel, while others reject it.
At the end of the book, modern readers remain curious about Luke’s account of Paul’s final fate. We know from other sources that the Apostle was martyred in Rome around A.D. 66 during Nero’s persecution and that he is buried there. What happened during his two years of captivity? Was he released and able to take his eagerly awaited trip to Spain (Rom 15:24-28)? Did he endure a second Roman imprisonment that ended in martyrdom? Luke does not answer all these questions. In reality, the book of Acts is not a biography of Peter or Paul but the story of the Word of Jesus, which—guided by the Holy Spirit—advances triumphantly, freely, and without chains both in the Rome of the narrator’s time and around the world today. Peter and Paul were witnesses to this Word in the church that was born two thousand years ago; today, anyone who believes in Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and Savior of the world, becomes a witness as well.