Acts 28:7-10

Publius and his sick father, 28:7-10

Verse 7: The chief man of the island of Melita, Publius, had possessions in this section. As with the kind initial reception of the common people, so this leader “received us, and lodged us three days courteously.”

Verse 8: While they were lodging there, the father of Publius was or became sick “of a fever and of a bloody flux.” This afforded Paul another opportunity to confirm his faith by signs following (Mark 16:18 “they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”). Paul went in to the sick father of Publius. Paul prayed, laid his hands on him, and by the power of God healed him. Additionally, he repaid kindness with kindness. “to whom Paul entered in” suggests that this was neither asked nor expected by Publius, but that Paul saw the man’s condition and spontaneously rendered aid.

“There is a poignant thing here. Paul could exercise the gift of healing; and yet he himself had always to bear about with him the thorn in the flesh. Many a man has brought to others a gift which was denied to him.”[1]

Verse 9: Hearing of this, now the Melitans know the power of healing in Paul. Other diseased folk on the island came, and they were also healed. In the Greek language, verse 8 uses the word ἰαομαι for healed; verse 9 uses the word θεραπευω for healed.[2] For this reason, coupled with Luke writing “they honoured us, some have suggested that verse 8 refers to miraculous healing (by Paul) and verse 9 refers to medical healing (by Luke). Barcly writes, “…in verse 9 there is a very interesting possibility. That verse says that the rest of the people who had aliments came and were healed. The word used is the word for receiving medical attention; and there are scholars who think that this can well mean, not only that they came to Paul, but that they came to Luke who gave them of his medical skill.”[3] While this is within the realm of linguistic and practical possibility,[4] since Luke was a physician, this is a case of looking in the Bible for something that is not actually mentioned. The context does not suggest it. The two words are synonyms. The word θεραπευω simply means “to cure or heal,” is not limited to “therapeutic” or medical healing, and is used in reference to other miraculous healings recorded in the Bible (Cf. Matthew 4:23-24; 8:16; Mark 3:15).[5]

Verse 10: “honoured us with many honours” At times “honour” can mean some kind payment or honorarium,[6] but should not be considered so here, as if the Melitans paid Paul for working miracles. To receive payment for exercising the gift of healing would violate the apostolic commission: “he gave them power…to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease…freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:1, 8). “when we departed” In chronological order, the last statement of the sentence happens simultaneously with verse 11.

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[1] Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 189.
[2] θεραπευω from which Greek word, mediated through Latin, we get our English words such as “therapy” and “therapeutic.”
[3] Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 189.
[4] That is, in the meaning of words, and in relation to Luke’s profession.
[5] Even interchangeably in an immediate context, that is, using both words for the same miraculous healing, such as Matthew 8:7 (θεραπευω, I will come and heal him) and Matthew 8:8 (ἰαομαι, speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed). Luke himself uses θεραπευω for both miraculous healing and medical healing (Cf. for examples, Luke 4:23; 6:7; 8:43; 9:6; 13:14).
[6] Honorarium: a fee paid for a nominally free service; a payment in recognition of acts or services for which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set.