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Please choose a passage in Acts 27
Acts 27:1-8 records the start of Paul’s perilous voyage to Rome. Paul is escorted by a centurion named Julius, soldiers, other prisoners, and two friends: Luke and Aristarchus. They sail from Caesarea to Sidon, Phoenicia, where Julius permits Paul to go ashore and visit friends there. The winds on the Mediterranean are difficult; it is late in the year to be venturing such a voyage. They sail from Sidon to Cyprus, moving along its shoreline to minimize the wind’s impact. They then venture up to Asia Minor’s coast, landing at Myra. In Myra, they switch to a ship bound for Rome. Their progress is slow due to the intense winds. They sail south to Crete, hoping for shelter from the strengthening hostile weather.
Acts 27:9-12 records how, while briefly harboring off the coast of Crete, Paul advises the centurion and the ship captain to pause the voyage and spend the approaching winter where they are. Paul perceives that if they keep going, there will be extreme damages to the ship and loss of cargo and human lives. But the captain wants to sail a bit further along the coast of Crete to the city of Phoenix, where there will be better shelter for his ship than their current location in Fair Havens.
Acts 27:13-20 describes how a friendly wind arrives and begins to carry the ship toward Phoenix, Crete, where the captain wants to spend the winter. But a far stronger, dangerous wind trumps the first wind, coming from the east, blowing the ship far off course. The crew does all it can to rig the ship to weather the storm. They drop an anchor to try to slow the ship so that they do not drift toward Africa and run aground in treacherous shallows. Day by day, they throw cargo and machinery overboard. The storm is devastatingly violent and large. The men aboard do not see the sun or stars for many days. Many of the passengers fear they will die in the storm sooner or later.
Acts 27:21-26 shows that Paul has received a visit from an angel. Paul reveals the angel’s message to the ship’s crew and the soldiers. God told Paul to not fear, because God’s will was that Paul would reach Rome to speak to Caesar. Since Paul’s life would be saved, God would save the lives of all those sailing on the ship with Paul, though the ship itself will not survive. The angel informs Paul that the ship will eventually reach the safety of an island. In that knowledge, Paul urges his fellow passengers to be courageous, because he believes God’s promise of survival for them all.
Acts 27:27-32 details how the ship has been driven off course for two weeks by this violent storm. At midnight, the sailors sight land in the distance. They measure the depth of the water and find that it is becoming shallower the closer they come to land. The sailors release four anchors to slow the ship, fearing that it might get stuck on an unseen rock. They can do nothing else until the sun rises, when they will be able to see better what kind of geography they are approaching. But some of the sailors try to escape on the spare boat aboard. Paul tells the centurion that if the sailors escape, then the lives of the soldiers will not be spared by God. Everyone needs to stay on the ship. The soldiers cut loose the spare boat so that no one can abandon ship.
Acts 27:33-38 describes how, just before dawn, Paul initiates a meal. He tells the sailors to eat up, because they have been eating small rations to preserve their food stores. But they are about to reach the island which Paul told them they would arrive to and be saved, so there’s no need to hoard the food. The ship will be lost, as Paul forewarned them. He blesses the food with a prayer to God and begins to eat. Everyone follows his example and eats until they are full. There are 276 people on board. After this breakfast, the sailors throw the wheat cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
Acts 27:39-44 records that the sun rises and the sailors are able to see the land they approach. They do not know what island it is. There is a bay with a beach where they can safely land, so they decide to try to sail the ship all the way to the beach. They lighten the ship even more by cutting loose the anchors. They put the rudders into the water to steer the ship as best they can, and raise the foresail to catch the wind and be driven forward. But the ship hits a reef at the edge of the bay. The ship is stuck and the stormy waves begin to break it apart. Some of the Roman soldiers decide it will be better to kill the prisoners than have them potentially escape; but their captain, Julius, forbids them, because he is dedicated to bringing Paul unharmed to Rome. Instead, the soldiers who can swim go ahead to shore, while the rest of the passengers build makeshift floats out of the wreckage and follow them. The ship is abandoned and every passenger safely reaches the beach.
The voyage for Rome begins. Paul is escorted by a centurion, Julius, his soldiers, other prisoners, and two friends: Luke and Aristarchus. They sail from Caesarea to Sidon, Phoenicia, where Julius permits Paul to go ashore and visit friends there. The winds on the Mediterranean are difficult; it is late in the year to be venturing such a voyage. They sail from Sidon to Cyprus, moving along the shore, using it as a windbreak. They then venture up to Asia Minor’s coast, landing at Myra. In Myra, they switch to a ship bound for Rome. Their progress is slow due to the intense winds. They sail south to Crete, hoping for shelter from the strengthening hostile weather.
While briefly harboring off the coast of Crete, Paul advises the centurion and the ship captain to pause the voyage and spend the approaching winter where they are. Paul perceives that if they keep going, there will be extreme damages to the ship and loss of cargo and human lives. But the captain wants to sail a bit further along the coast of Crete to the city of Phoenix, where there will be better shelter for his ship than their current exposed location at Fair Havens.
A friendly wind arrives and begins to carry the ship toward Phoenix, Crete, where the captain wants to spend the winter. But a far stronger, dangerous wind trumps the first wind, coming from the east, blowing the ship far off course. The crew does all it can to rig the ship to weather the storm. They drop an anchor to try to slow the ship so that they do not drift toward Africa and run aground in treacherous shallows. One day, they throw some of the cargo overboard, and the next day, they throw overboard the instruments which help in loading and unloading freight. The storm is devastatingly violent and large. They cannot see the sun or stars for many days. Many of the passengers fear they will eventually die in the storm.
Paul reveals to the ship’s crew and the soldiers that he has received a visit from an angel. The angel of God told Paul to not fear, because God’s will was that Paul reach Rome to speak to Caesar. Since Paul’s life would be saved, God would save the lives of all those sailing on the ship with Paul, though the ship itself will not survive. The angel informs Paul that the ship will eventually reach the safety of an island. In that knowledge, Paul urges his fellow passengers to be courageous, because he believes God’s promise of survival for them all.
The ship has been driven off course for two weeks by this violent storm. At midnight, the sailors sight land in the distance. They measure the depth of the water and find that it is becoming shallower the closer they come to land. The sailors release four anchors to slow the ship, fearing that it might wreck against an unseen rock. They can do nothing else until the sun rises when they can see better what kind of geography the ship is approaching. But some of the sailors try to escape on the spare boat aboard. Paul tells the centurion that if the sailors escape, then the lives of the soldiers will not be spared by God. Everyone needs to stay on the ship. The soldiers cut loose the spare boat so that no one can abandon ship.
Just before dawn, Paul initiates a meal. He tells the sailors to eat up, because they have been eating small rations to preserve their food stores. But they are about to reach the island which Paul told them about, where they will be saved, so there’s no need to reserve the food. The ship will be lost, as Paul forewarned them. He blesses the food with a prayer to God and begins to eat. Everyone follows his example and eats until they are full. There are 276 people on board. After this breakfast, the sailors throw the wheat cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
The sun rises and the sailors are able to see the land they approach. They do not know what island it is. There is a bay with a beach where they can safely land, so they decide to try to sail the ship all the way to the beach. They lighten the ship even more by cutting loose the anchors. They put the rudders into the water to steer the ship as best they can and raise the foresail to catch the wind and be driven forward. But the ship hits a reef at the edge of the bay. The ship is stuck and the stormy waves begin to break it apart. Some of the Roman soldiers decide it will be better to kill the prisoners than have them potentially escape, but their captain, Julius, forbids them, because he is dedicated to bringing Paul unharmed to Rome. Instead, the soldiers who can swim go ahead to shore, while the rest of the passengers build makeshift floats out of the wreckage and follow them. The ship is abandoned and every passenger safely reaches the beach.
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