Acts 28:1-6

How quick we are to judge things—and people. I am not sure why we have such a tendency to think people deserve what they get, as the natives did here. They falsely assumed that Paul was bitten by the snake because he was guilty of some heinous crime. Yet when Paul was unaffected by the poisonous snakebite, they quickly swung to the opposite conclusion and assumed he was a god. How fickle we can be at times.

Jesus addresses this very mindset in Luke 13:1–5 NLT:

“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. ‘Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?’ Jesus asked. ‘Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.’”

Stuff happens; however, not all stuff happens because of our actions. We live in a fallen world where suffering and hardship have been a part of the human condition ever since what took place in the Garden of Eden. Jesus makes it clear in Luke that tragedy is not necessarily evidence that someone is a worse sinner or somehow more deserving of judgment than someone else.

Rather than using another person’s misfortune as an opportunity to judge them, Jesus turns the attention back on us: What about you? Are you right with God? His message necessitates the need for repentance and deliverance from the clutches of this world’s system.

In Christ, we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and though we live in this world, we are no longer of this world. We serve in an ambassadorial role as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, under the authority and care of our King. God’s supernatural protection of Paul was demonstrated vividly here. A sign? Yes! A wonder? Absolutely! And it certainly caught their attention and opened the door for much ministry on the island of Malta.

Speaking of Malta, when you look at a map of the Mediterranean, it really is a relatively small island surrounded by a whole lot of water. Malta lies about 50 miles south of Sicily, and considering that their ship had been driven helplessly by the storm for two weeks, the fact that they found the island—and that all 276 people made it safely to shore—was nothing short of miraculous.

But God!

This was just another chapter in Paul’s journey to Rome, where God had promised he would testify before Caesar. The storm couldn’t stop him. The shipwreck couldn’t stop him. And now, even a poisonous snake couldn’t stop him. God had a purpose for Paul, and until that purpose was accomplished, nothing was going to prevent him from reaching the destination God had appointed for him.

Yet even this unexpected stop was not wasted. There was work for Paul to do during his stay on Malta. What looked like a detour became an opportunity for ministry.

The same can be true for us. Wherever you find yourself—even if it is somewhere you never intended to be—there are opportunities to make a difference for God. Sometimes what looks like an interruption in our journey may actually be a divine appointment along the way.

Make the most of the opportunities God places before you.