Acts 27

Acts 27:1

I. Paul’s Voyage to Rome and Shipwreck (27:1-28:16) This chapter presents the thrilling saga of the apostle’s voyage from Caesarea to Malta, en route to Rome. If Paul had not been a passenger, we would never have heard of the trip, or of the shipwreck. The passage is full of nautical terms, and is therefore not always easy to follow. 27:1 The journey began at Caesarea. Paul was placed in the custody of an officer named Julius. This centurion was attached to the Augustan Regiment, a distinguished legion of the Roman army. Like all the other centurions mentioned in the NT, he was a man of superior character in kindness, justice, and consideration for others. 27:2 There were other prisoners on board, who, like Paul, were being taken to Rome for trial. Also on the passenger list were the names of Aristarchus and Luke, both traveling companions of the apostle on earlier journeys. The ship on which they embarked was from Adramyttium, a city of Mysia in the northwest corner of Asia Minor. It was scheduled to sail north and west, making stops at ports along the coasts of proconsular Asia, the western province of Asia Minor. 27:3 The ship sailed north along the coast of Palestine, putting in at Sidon, seventy miles from Caesarea. Julius, the centurion, kindly permitted Paul to go ashore and visit his friends and receive care.27:4, 5 From Sidon, the route cut across the northeast corner of the Mediterranean, passing Cyprus on the left, and thus taking advantage of the side of the island sheltered from the wind. In spite of the winds being contrary, the ship crossed over to the southern coast of Asia Minor, then sailed westward past Cilicia and Pamphylia till it arrived at Myra, a port city of Lycia. 27:6 There the centurion transferred his prisoners to another ship, since the first one would not take them any closer to Italy; it would rather sail up the western coast of Asia Minor to its home port. The second ship was from Alexandria, on the northern coast of Africa. It carried 276 people, both crew and passengers, and a cargo of wheat. From Alexandria it had sailed due north across the Mediterranean to Myra, and was now heading west for Italy. 27:7, 8 For many days travel was slow, due to adverse winds. It was with difficulty that the crew brought the ship over against the harbor of Cnidus (pronounced nigh’-dus), a port on the extreme southwest corner of Asia Minor. Since the wind was against them, they headed south and sailed along the sheltered east side of the island of Crete. Rounding Cape Salmone, they turned westward and bucked heavy winds until they came to Fair Havens, a harbor near the city of Lasea, on the south central coast of Crete.27:9, 10 By now considerable time had been lost due to unfavorable sailing conditions. The approach of winter weather made further travel dangerous. It must have been late September or early October, since the Fast (the Day of Atonement) was already over. Paul warned the crew that navigation was unsafe and that if this voyage were continued, there would be the danger of losing the cargo and ship, and even the lives of some on board. 27:11, 12 However, the helmsman and the owner of the ship wanted to proceed. The centurion accepted their judgment, and most of the others agreed with them too. It was felt that the harbor was not as suitable as Phoenix would be as a place to spend the winter. Phoenix was located forty miles west of Fair Havens, at the southwest tip of Crete. Its harbor opened toward the southwest and northwest. 27:13-17 When the south wind blew softly, the mariners thought they could make the extra distance to Phoenix. They weighed anchor, and sailed westward, hugging the shore. Then a violent northeaster beat down upon them from the cliffs along the coast. Unable to steer the desired course, the crew was forced to let the ship be driven by the gale. They were driven southwest to a small island called Clauda, twenty to thirty miles from Crete. When they reached the protected side of the island, they had difficulty securing the skiff which they had been towing.

But finally they were able to hoist it on board. Then they tied cables around the hull of the ship to keep it from being torn apart by the heavy seas. They greatly feared they would be driven south to Syrtis, a gulf on the coast of Africa noted for its dangerous shoals. To prevent this, they struck sail and so were driven.27:18, 19 After a day of drifting at the mercy of the storm, they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. Doubtless the ship had been taking a lot of water, and it was therefore necessary to lighten its load to prevent it from sinking. 27:20 For many days they were tossed about helplessly without sight of sun or stars, and thus without the ability to take bearings and find out where they were. Hope of survival was finally given up. 27:21-26 Despair was accentuated by hunger. The men had not eaten for many days. Doubtless they spent their time working for the preservation of the ship and bailing out water. Perhaps there were no facilities for cooking. Sickness, fear, and discouragement probably robbed them of appetite. There was no shortage of food, but neither was there an inclination to eat. Then Paul stood in the midst of them with a message of hope. First he gently reminded them that they should … not have sailed from Crete. Then he assured them that though the ship would be lost, there would no loss of life. How did he know? An angel of the Lord had appeared to him that night, assuring him that he would yet stand before Caesar in Rome. God had granted the apostle all those who sailed with him, in the sense that they, too, would be preserved. Therefore they should cheer up. Paul believed that all would be well, even though they would be shipwrecked on a certain island. A. W. Tozer writes insightfully: When the south wind blew softly, the ship that carried Paul sailed smoothly enough and no one on board knew who Paul was or how much strength of character lay hidden behind that rather plain exterior. But when the mighty tempest, Euroclydon, burst upon them, Paul’s greatness was soon the talk of everyone on the ship. The apostle, though himself a prisoner, quite literally took command of the vessel, made decisions and issued orders that meant life or death to the people. And I think the crisis brought to a head something in Paul that had not been clear even to him. Beautiful theory was quickly crystallized into hard fact when the tempest struck. 27:27-29 Fourteen days had elapsed since they left Fair Havens. They were now drifting helplessly in a part of the Mediterranean known as the Adriatic, the sea between Greece, Italy, and Africa. About midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land; perhaps they could hear the breakers dashing against the shore. When they first measured the depth, they found it was twenty fathoms (120 feet), then a little later it was fifteen fathoms. To prevent running the ship aground, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for daylight. 27:30-32 Fearing for their lives, some of the sailors plotted to get ashore in the small boat. They were in the process of lowering the skiff from the bow of the shippretending they were putting out more anchorswhen Paul reported their plot to the centurion. Paul warned that unless the sailors remained on board, the rest would not be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes attached to the skiff and let it fall off. The sailors were thus compelled to try to save their own lives on board the ship, as well as the lives of the others. 27:33, 34 Phillips titles verses 33-37 Paul’s sturdy common sense. To appreciate the drama of the moment, we should really know something of the terror of a violent storm at sea. Then too, we should remember that Paul was not the captain of the ship but only a captive passenger. Shortly before daybreak Paul implored the people to eat, reminding them that they had gone two weeks without food. The time had come to eat; their well-being depended on it. The apostle assured them that not a hair of anyone’s head would be lost. 27:35 Then he set the example for them by taking bread, giving thanks to God publicly for it, and eating. How often we shrink from praying in front of others! Yet how often such prayer speaks louder than our preaching. 27:36, 37 Thus encouraged, they took food themselves. There were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 27:38-41 After eating, they lightened the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea. Land was nearby, but they could not recognize it. The decision was made to beach the ship, as far on shore as possible. They let go the anchors, leaving them in the sea. Then they untied the rudders that had previously been raised, and lowered them into position. Hoisting the mainsail, they made for shore and drove the ship aground at a place where two seas metprobably in a channel between two islands. The bow stuck fast in the sand, but the stern soon began to break apart by the violence of the waves. 27:42-44 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to prevent escape, but the centurion, wanting to save Paul, overruled. He ordered all who could swim to make for shore. The rest were told to float in on boards or other parts of the ship. In this way, every one of the crew and passengers escaped safely to land.