What does Acts 28:13 mean?
Luke's writing style seems especially happy when he can describe a sea voyage. He, Paul, and Aristarchus are on the home stretch to Rome. The first leg was a leisurely sail from Caesarea Maritima to Myra on the southwest coast of modern-day Asia Minor. The second leg included two weeks in a storm so fierce they couldn't see the sun. By the end, they found themselves swimming for their lives as their ship disintegrated under the power of the surf off the island of Malta (Acts 27). They then spent three months on Malta while Paul healed the sick and the locals responded with great hospitality toward the castaways. Once sea traffic resumed, the friends caught another ship to take them north (Acts 28:1–11).They left the northern coast of Malta and sailed to Syracuse on the eastern shore of Sicily where they stayed for three days (Acts 28:12). Now, they stop at Rhegium—modern-day Reggio di Calabria—on the costal tip of Italy and thread their way through the narrow channel past Sicily. A strong wind drives them 180 miles to Puteoli, modern-day Pozzuoli, about 25 miles west of Mt. Vesuvius. After the hardships just getting to Malta, they must find the quick trip to Puteoli ironic.
In Puteoli, Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus will meet fellow believers who invite them to stay. After a week, they start their walk to Rome, but are met part-way by Christ-followers from the city. Paul will spend two years under house arrest while Luke, presumably, writes his book The Acts of the Apostles. Paul will be released, but Luke will write no more about Paul's travels (Acts 28:14–31).
