Acts 28:16-20, 28:30-31
Chapter 28
After three days, Paul called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them:
“Brothers, although I have not done anything against our people or the traditions of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
They examined me and wanted to set me free, because they saw nothing in my case that deserved death.
But the Jews objected, so I was forced to appeal to Caesar without any intention of bringing any charge against my own people.
Therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, because it is for the hope of Israel that I am wearing these chains.”
Paul stayed for two full years in a house he personally rented, where he received everyone who came to visit him freely.
He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught the truth about Jesus Christ, the Lord, quite openly and without any hindrance.
Commentaries
Malta and Rome.
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.