Snakes in the Wood

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Acts 28:1-10

 

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(ESV)

 

Before beginning this post, I wanted to explain why I have missed a few postings. My doctor recently diagnosed me with multiple kidney stones in both kidneys and am undergoing treatment to get rid of them with laser therapy. I had my first treatment this last Tuesday and they were able to pulverize 40 percent of the stones in my left kidney, which means that in a couple of weeks I will be undergoing another procedure on the same kidney to attempt to eliminate the remaining 60 percent of the stones. After the procedure, there is a lot of pain and fatigue which makes it difficult to concentrate, which is why I have missed some posts on this blog. Please pray for my full recovery as I will have at least two more procedures, and possibly more over the next weeks. Until completion of these procedures, the plan is to only make one posting to this blog per week, on Sundays. Please pray for a complete recovery from these kidney stones.

 

Perhaps due to humanity’s encounter with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, snakes are not usually on the list of favorite animals for most people. There is also the fact that some snakes are poisonous and have venom that is poisonous and even deadly. For Paul, his encounter with a snake was of the venomous variety with the natives of Malta believing Paul would die from his snake bite (Acts 28:6). However, God intervened, and Paul suffered no harm.

 

As promised, Paul and his shipmates have survived the shipwreck with no lives lost and only loss of the ship (Acts 27:22). They now find themselves safely ashore on the island of Malta where they encounter the natives who offer them unusual kindness, building them a fire since it was rainy and cold (Acts 28:1-2). Paul gathers sticks for the fire and discovers a snake in the wood who latches on to his hand (Acts 28:3). The natives who are familiar with the wildlife on the island knew the snake was highly poisonous and believe the snake has brought justice to a murderer who escaped death from the shipwreck (Acts 28:4). Paul shakes the snake off and suffers no harm (Acts 28:5). As the natives wait for Paul to die from the poisonous snake bite, they realize that Paul is suffering no harm and change their minds from believing Paul to be a murderer, to Paul as a god (Acts 28:6).

 

In the neighborhood of the natives lived the chief man of the Island, Publius, who received Paul and his shipmates, entertaining them hospitably for three days (Acts 28:7). Publius’ father lay sick from fever and dysentery with Paul visiting him, praying, and laying hands on him so he receives healing (Acts 28:8). Word of the healing of Publius’ father spreads throughout the island with people bringing their sick to Paul to receive healing (Acts 28:9). The people of Malta who were hospitable from the beginning now express gratitude for their healings and supply Paul and his shipmates with the supplies they will need to complete their journey to Rome (Acts 28:10).

 

Paul has a word from the Lord clearly stating that he will be going to Rome (Acts 23:11). Now having survived a shipwreck, the enemy makes one last effort to stop Paul, reverting to the use of a serpent, as he did in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7). However, instead of giving in to the venomous deceit of the devil, like Adam and Eve, Paul shapes off the venomous snake and suffers no harm (Acts 28:5). Instead of stopping Paul from going to Rome, the snake in the wood provides an opportunity for Paul to demonstrate the power of God by ministering healing to the natives of Malta (Acts 28:7-9).

 

Like the Apostle Paul, the Church has a clear mission from God to share the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). However, Jesus also told his followers that in this world they would suffer persecution with the promise He had overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus also told his disciples that the world hated Him and would also hate them for following Him (John 15:18-19). For revival to occur, the Church must understand its mission and that this mission will cause the world to hate them just as it hated Jesus, and that this will bring tribulation. However, Christians have the promise that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and the blessed hope of Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.