Where is this coming from?

Acts 28 contains an interesting set of events. Paul was part of a shipwreck while he was being transported to Rome. The crew and all the prisoners ended up on the Island of Malta, and the natives received them warmly (verse 2). When Paul went to gather some sticks, a viper fastened itself to his hand (verse 3). Notice the reaction of the natives.

The text tells us that when the natives saw that Paul had been bitten, they thought, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow him to live,” (verse 4). Where did this idea come from? To some people, it must certainly mean something that a man survived a shipwreck and swam to shore only to be bitten by a venomous snake bite him. To the people of Malta, it seemed obvious that Paul is guilty.

Paul shook off the viper into the fire, and his hand did not swell up. The people of Malta then reasoned that Paul was a god (verse 5-6). Again, to some people it certainly must mean something that a person who already survived the shipwreck could also survive the snake bite. To the people of Malta, it seemed obvious that Paul must be a god if he could endure the bite without even any swelling.

Reading this text reminds me of Ephesians 4:14. This is where the brethren were told not to be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. The people on the island of Malta were all over the map with their reasoning. They were too quick to draw conclusions, just as we see many people do today. Here is why people often think the way they do:

Their beliefs are not based upon fact. Whether superstitions or the traditions of men, people can easily convince themselves of things. Regardless of the conclusion, these ideas all come from the mind of man. In other words, they believe whatever they want (Matt. 15:9; 16:13-14). When you push people about where their beliefs come from, you will usually find that the ideas came from man and not the Lord.

They were impatient and wanted to believe quickly without inquiring. This is why Paul used children as an example in Ephesians 4. Christians were told not to be like children being tossed to and fro. Children are quick to believe and trust blindly. This is exactly what happened with the people of Malta when the viper bit Paul. They did not even ask Paul why he did not swell. Clearly, we need to ask (Matt. 7:7). We can have the truth if we seek it (John 8:32). It is far easier to just believe what everyone else does rather than verifying it.

 Their “logic” excluded other possibilities. The people of Malta concluded that Paul was a murderer and then that Paul was a god, yet neither were true. Rather than investigating, the conclusions were drawn quickly (and erroneously). This is a common problem today as well. People believe things to the point that their minds are closed, and there is no room for discussion. Without a willingness to consider other viewpoints, the odds of coming to a proper conclusion are zero! This is what our Savior was taught when He was punished: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?” (John 18:23).  Jesus was not rejecting the idea of being accused – He was rightfully demanding that it be proven.

They did not know any better. We should not be surprised when people believe falsehoods. The text in Acts 28 reveals that Paul healed and helped many people on Malta (verse 8). Eventually, Paul was able to talk about the God of heaven and how He gets the glory. It was never about Paul, and he knew that. Just because man does not know better does not mean they are without excuse – they all need to hear the truth (Rom. 10:14-16).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Chuck