Acts 28:11-16 11And after three months, we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, from Alexandria, marked with the twin gods. 12And putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days, 13and from there, casting off, we arrived at Rhegium. And after one day, when a south wind sprang up, on the second day we came to Puteoli, 14where, afer finding brothers, we were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15And from there, the brothers, when they heard about us, came for a meeting with us as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. when Paul saw them, thanking God, he took courage. 16And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Paul and all those on the ship spent three months on Malta. Luke condenses this time into a short statement. His purpose in Acts was not to write about every detail in every place he, Paul, or other early Christians traveled. He was telling a story, but it was a theological one, with a clear message. That message began in chapter one with the call to believe and be a witness. Paul evidenced both of these on his journey to Rome. We can be assured that he did not stop preaching the gospel after being shipwrecked. Whatever the conditions were on the island, it was a time of revival, evidenced by the many people who were healed. A vibrant church must have been established on that island in the three months he was there. The ship was another one from Alexandria, Africa, like the last ship that got beached and destroyed. This ship may have had grain like the first one, but its captain had been wise enough to find a good harbor to winter in. Luke remembered the twin gods, called the Dioscuri, located at the prow of the ship. These gods, Castor and Pollux, the sons of Zeus and Leda, were known as the protectors of sailors.
Luke summarizes the next part of the journey in a few verses as the ship came to Syracuse, located on the island of Sicily, and then to Rhegium, on the tip of Italy, and finally to Puteoli, where the sea travel ended, possibly because that was the intended destination for the grain ship. This part of the trip went quickly, with good weather and winds. The reference to Rome in verse 14 does not mean they were in the actual city, since it was still about 130 miles by land to Rome. This note indicates that Paul had arrived in Italy and that his primary goal was largely achieved.
In that city, somehow, through God’s grace and the travelers’ courage, they located other believers (brothers). How these believers could join Paul for a whole week indicates both God’s blessing and the trust Paul received from his Roman guard. He had already proven himself to be trustworthy and honest. He would not escape or cause trouble. It is possible that some of his guards, including the centurion Julius, could have become believers and seen God’s power and presence at work in Paul, though Luke never mentions this. This trust and relative freedom are emphasized in verse 16, where Paul was allowed to stay in his own place rather than locked up in a dungeon. Even while a prisoner, God continued to bless and use Paul, but Paul still had other trials ahead of him. The brothers who came to see Paul greatly encouraged him for what lay ahead. They were all powerless to free him, but they could offer prayer and fellowship that could free Paul from any fear and uncertainty.