John Calvin Commentary Acts 28:8

"And it was so, that the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laying his hands on him healed him." — Acts 28:8 (ASV)

And had laid his hands upon him—Paul declares by prayer that he himself is not the author of the miracle, but only the minister, so that God is not deprived of His glory. He confirms this same thing by the external sign. For, as we saw before in other places, the laying on of hands was nothing other than a solemn rite of offering and presenting.

Therefore, in that Paul offers the man to God with his own hands, he professed that he humbly requested his life from Him. By this example, not only are those who have been given excellent gifts of the Spirit admonished to be careful lest, by exalting themselves, they darken God’s glory, but we are all also taught in general that we must thank the ministers of God’s grace in such a way that the glory remains to Him alone.

It is said, indeed, that Paul healed the man who had the bloody flux; but it is plainly expressed by the added circumstances that it was God who bestowed this benefit, making Paul the minister of it.

When Luke says afterwards that others who were sick on the island were cured, he does not extend this to everyone; his meaning is that the power of God, which appeared clearly enough, was proven by many testimonies, so that Paul’s apostleship might thereby be confirmed.

We also need not doubt that Paul sought to cure their souls as well as their bodies. Yet Luke does not declare what good he did, except that the native people gave him and his companions food and necessary things when they left the harbor.

Meanwhile, we must note that although Paul could have withdrawn and escaped in many ways, the will of God was like voluntary chains to him. This was because he was often commanded by heavenly revelation to appear before Nero’s judgment seat to bear witness to Christ. Furthermore, he knew that if he were to run away, he could no longer have preached the gospel but would have remained hidden in some corner for his whole life.