Several years ago, Peggy and I had the joy of actually being on a Mediterranean Cruise, and it was indeed relaxing. But not so with Paul and the rest of those on his ship. Today, we will take a look at this particular Mediterranean cruise in AD 60 recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts.
We saw last week that during Paul’s meeting before Felix (the Roman Governor) and Agrippa (the Jewish King), Paul was able to give the testimony of his conversion and ministry to Jews and Gentiles alike. After sharing with them about the resurrection, the coming judgment, and the need for repentance, Agrippa replied to Paul,
“In such a short time do you think that you will persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28)?
Agrippa was almost persuaded to become a Christian. And then, Agrippa stood up along with Festus and Bernice, and said,
“This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:31-32).
And so, let’s pick up the dialogue in the next chapter of Acts. Notice the number of times Luke uses the plural pronoun “we”:
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. And embarking in an Adramyttium ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica (Acts 27:1-2).
And so, Paul had two traveling companions, Luke and Aristarchus. One of the questions you may be asking is: “Did Luke and Aristarchus get a free “cruise” ticket to Rome, or did they have to pay? Just maybe Rome was being extra gracious to Paul to allow him some traveling companions “on the house,” so to speak. Also, in case you didn’t know, Adramyttium is a seaport town along the east coast of Turkey. Truth be told, I had to look it up! And then, Luke records this special note:
The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care (Acts 27:3).
I love this – Because of Paul’s respect and kindness toward the Roman Centurion, God prepared the heart of Julius to provide special treatment for Paul, which was certainly not afforded to the other prisoners. From there, they sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, and then along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, finally landing in Lycia. From there, they boarded an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy. Because of contrary winds, they finally ported at Fair Havens, and at this point, Paul began to admonish them, saying,
“Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our own lives” (Acts 27:10).
However, the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by Paul, and the decision was made to put out to sea, hoping to reach Phoenix, a safe harbor of Crete, and spend the winter there. But shortly after leaving, a violent wind came up and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the anchor to try and steady the ship. The next day, they began to jettison the cargo, and the next day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. And then Luke adds this piece of information:
Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was battering us, from then on all hope of being saved was gradually abandoned (Acts 27:20).
And then, certainly in a non-condemning way, Paul told all of those on board that they should have followed his advice and not set sail from Crete. But then added,
Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must first run aground on a certain island” (Acts 27:22-26).
Once again, Paul was assured by an angel that he was going to stand before Caesar and he passed on this encouragement to the rest of those on the ship.
Luke then adds that on the fourteenth night, the sailors thought that they were approaching land and fearing that they might run aground on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. Paul encouraged those on board to take some food to preserve their lives, as not a “hair of your head” will perish. And then before they ate, Paul gave thanks in the presence of all. Luke made a point of telling us that there were 276 people on board the ship, and 276 people got to hear Paul give thanks to the God of heaven, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. And when they had eaten, they began to lighten the load by throwing out the wheat from Alexandria into the sea. The next day, they observed a bay with a beach, but unfortunately, they struck a sand bar and the ship ran aground. And then Luke records that although…
…the bow stuck fast and remained immovable; the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship (Acts 27:41-43).
I believe that we can all see how providential it was that God placed Paul aboard this ship, as the soldiers were planning to kill the prisoners who might try to escape, but Julius wanted to make sure that Paul arrived in Rome safely. If the soldiers were going to kill all the prisoners, Paul would have to be included in their plan. I love the last verse in this chapter:
And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land (Acts 27:41-44).
Rather than all of the prisoners being killed, because of Paul’s presence among them, all were brought safely to land. Please note that sometimes, having you present among a group of people can make all the difference. It should actually be that way!
And so, the anticipated relaxing Mediterranean Cruise turned out to be a dangerous and stressful journey across the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach Italy, and it was all done in the winter when the dangers of encountering violent storms were heightened. In the end, the ship upon which cargo and people were being carried was eventually dashed against the rocks when the ship ran aground. Interestingly, all the cargo was lost, but all of those aboard were saved. God used the encouraging words of Paul to reassure the hearts and minds of the people on board, including the Roman officers.
I am also reminded of the passage in Paul’s first letter to Timothy, where he exhorts Timothy to fight the battle,
“…holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” (1 Timothy 1:19).
I’m pretty certain that all of us have friends and family who have “suffered shipwreck” with regard to the faith that they once professed. Not only has their faith been “shipwrecked,” but in most cases, their lives have also been metaphorically “dashed against the rocks.” But let’s never assume that having a shipwrecked faith and life is the end of the story. There is hope of recovery, just as Paul was shipwrecked in today’s passage, and although the cargo was lost, not one of those aboard was lost.
And so, let’s be encouraged to know that a shipwreck is not always the last chapter to be written, as God is in the business of restoring that which has been “shipwrecked.” Let’s continue to pray for those whom we love who are experiencing the fallout of a shipwrecked soul. God can change hearts and lives, and this is part of our Christian faith, which is always accompanied by hope.
Blessings to all of you. See you next week as we wrap up the Book of Acts.
