3三至五节说，『那时，保罗拾起一捆柴放在火上，有一条毒蛇因热出来，缠住他的手。土人看见那毒蛇悬在他手上，就彼此说，这人必是个凶手，虽然从海里安全得救，公理还不容他活著。保罗竟把那毒蛇甩在火里，并没有受伤。』四节和五节的『毒蛇，』直译，兽。但是医学作家用这辞指毒蛇。起先，因为保罗被毒蛇所咬，土人就认为他是个凶手。然而，如六节所说，他们至终改变了对他的想法：『土人等著看他肿起来，或是忽然仆倒死了，但等了多时，见他无事，就转念说，他是个神。』使徒不是好奇的土人所迷信的神，乃是在他的生活和职事中，将真神彰显出来。这位真神在耶稣基督里，经过成为肉体、为人生活、钉死十架、复活的过程，成了包罗万有的灵，活在使徒里面，并藉著他活出来。保罗在他书信里所记载的教训中，强调在灵里生活行事。在整个航程中，并现今在米利大岛上，保罗的确是在灵里生活行事。他所过的生活，的确是那成为肉体、钉死十架、复活、升天的基督。保罗的生活实际上就是赐生命之灵的彰显。在他日常生活的每个景况中，保罗都是他所传扬这位基督的彰显。他传扬那成为肉体、钉十字架、复活、升天而成为赐生命之灵的基督；在米利大岛上，他就是活这样一位成为包罗万有之灵的基督。保罗后来在腓立比一章二十、二十一节上半所写的话指明了这一点：『这是照著我所专切期待并盼望的，就是没有一事会叫我羞愧，只要凡事放胆，无论是生，是死，总叫基督在我身体上，现今也照常显大，因为在我，活著就是基督。』保罗只关心活基督并显大基督。在米利大岛上，保罗活基督并显大这位成为赐生命之灵的基督。我们读路加对保罗生活的记载，就看见他所活的，乃是包罗万有的灵，就是那成为肉体、钉死十架、复活、升天、被神高举之基督的终极完成。七、八节说，『那地附近有些田产是岛长的，这人名叫部百流，他接纳我们，亲切的款待了三天。当时，部百流的父亲患热病和痢疾躺著，保罗进到他那里，祷告并按手在他身上，医好了他。『痢疾虽是普通的疾病，却很难医治。然而，保罗生活一直如同统领国度的王，现今成了医生，医治部百流的父亲。九节接著说，『这样一来，岛上其余的病人也来得了医治。』这里我们看见保罗成了医生，甚至成了全岛的救主。凡被带到保罗这里的病人都得了医治。在风暴的海上，主已经使保罗成为与他同船之人的主人，（徒二七24，）也成为他们生命的保证人和安慰者。（徒二七22，25。）如今在平安的陆地上，主进一步使他不仅在迷信的人眼中成为神奇的吸引，（徒二八3～6，）也成为土人的医治者和喜乐。（徒二八8～9。）在他漫长、不幸且受监禁的航程中，主保守使徒在祂的超越里，使他活出一种生活，远超忧虑的境域。这种生活是全然尊贵，有最高标准的人性美德，彰显最高超的神圣属性，与多年前主在地上所过的生活相似。这是耶稣在祂被神性所丰富的人性里，再次活在地上！这是从前活在福音书里那奇妙、超绝、奥秘的神人，藉著祂许多肢体中的一个，在使徒行传里继续活著！这是成为肉体、钉死十架、复活、被神高举之基督的活见证人！保罗在他的航程里活基督，并显大基督，（腓一20～21，）难怪人对他和他的同伴多方尊敬，（徒二八10，）给与上等的礼遇和最高的敬意。
3Verses 3 through 5 continue, “But when Paul had collected a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. And when the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, whom, though he has been brought safely out of the sea, Justice has not allowed to live. However he shook off the snake into the fire and suffered no harm.” Literally, the Greek word for “snake” in verses 4 and 5 is “beast.” But medical writers used this term to denote poisonous snakes. At first, the natives thought that Paul was a murderer because he was bitten by a viper. However, as verse 6 indicates, they eventually changed their minds concerning him: “But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But while they were expecting for a long time and beheld nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” The apostle was not a god in the superstition of the curious natives, but he expressed, in his living and ministry, the true God, who in Jesus Christ has gone through the processes of the incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection and who was then living in Paul and through him as the all-inclusive Spirit. In his teaching as recorded in his Epistles Paul emphasized the matter of walking in the Spirit. Throughout the voyage and now on the island of Malta Paul certainly was walking in the Spirit. He surely lived a life that was the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ. Paul’s living was actually the expression of the life - giving Spirit. In every situation of his daily living, Paul was the expression of the very Christ he preached. He preached the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ as the life-giving Spirit, and on the island of Malta he lived such a Christ as the all- inclusive Spirit. This is indicated by Paul’s word, written later, in Philippians 1:20 and 21a: “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death; for to me to live is Christ....” Paul cared only to live Christ and to magnify Him. On the island of Malta Paul lived Christ and magnified Him as the life - giving Spirit. As we read Luke’s account of Paul’s living, we see that his living was the all - inclusive Spirit as the consummation of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ. Verses 7 and 8 say, “Now in the vicinity of that place were the lands of the leading man of the island named Publius, who welcomed us and gave us hospitality three days in a friendly way. And it came about that the father of Publius was lying down sick with fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to him, and having prayed and laid his hands on him, cured him.” Dysentery was a common disease, but it was difficult to cure. However, Paul, who had been living like a king ruling over his kingdom, now became a physician to heal the father of Publius. Verse 9 goes on to say, “And when this happened, the rest also in the island who had sicknesses came to him and were healed.” Here we see that Paul became the physician, and even a savior, to the whole island. All the sick who were brought to Paul were healed. On the sea in the storm, the Lord had already made the apostle not only the owner of his fellow voyagers (27:24), but also their life-guarantee and comforter (27:22-25). Now on the land in peace, the Lord made him further not only a magical attraction in the eyes of the superstitious people (vv. 3-6), but also a healer and joy to the native people (vv. 8-9). All during his long and unfortunate imprisonment-voyage, the Lord kept the apostle in His ascendancy and enabled him to live a life far beyond the realm of anxiety, but fully dignified with the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one that He Himself had lived on earth years before. This was Jesus living again on the earth in His divinely enriched humanity! This was the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man, who lived in the Gospels, continuing to live in Acts through one of His many members! This was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God - exalted Christ. Paul in his voyage lived and magnified Christ. No wonder the people honored him and his companions with many honors (v. 10), that is, with the best respect and highest regard!