#BibleStudy Expressions of Faith Jumping to Conclusions Acts 28
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Acts 28:1-6
Paul helps make a fire after their ship wrecks on the rocky coast of Malta.
- A snake bites him as he's tossing brushwood on the fire.
- The locals immediately conclude Paul is a murderer getting his due by the goddess Fate/Justice.
Of course, any animal
- Try to escape a fire.
- Attack the creature trying to put it in a fire.
When Paul doesn't die, the crowd jumps to a different conclusion.
Paul is a god.
The last time Paul was called a god, he denied it. (Acts 14:9-18)
This time,
- Luke does not record Paul's immediate reaction.
- he reports Paul's healing ministry after the fire incident because, his focus is on the action, not the actor.
Take a look at your track record.
- How often do you jump to a conclusion about a person or situation without knowing the facts?
- How many times have you hopscotched directly to another conclusion when your first conclusion proved erroneous?
Don't be like the inhabitants of Malta.
Take time today to ask God to help you
- to curb your obsession with conclusions and
- to change your focus to what's important in a situation.
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