Acts 27:1-44

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Acts

Rusty's Notes

• We left off with Paul before King Agrippa, but he had already appealed to Caesar in order to save his life.
• Map from Jerusalem to Caesarea
• Slides of Herod’s Palace

SAILING FOR ROME
ACTS 27 - 60 AD
1 When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy,

• Luke had not included himself since Acts 21:18
• Paul was facing his Jewish counterparts in Jerusalem
• Luke was Paul’s personal physician

they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment.

• Unlike “other prisoners”, Paul was not being sent to Rome to die but to go to trial.
• Imagine Paul sharing Jesus with these prisoners before they were to die.

2 When we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium (audra-me-tium), we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. (Paul’s personal attendant) (Colossians 4:10 – fellow prisoner) 3 The next day we put in at Sidon (see-done) (80 miles in one day), and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care. 4 When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

• Julius abandoned the slower coastal ship and put Paul and the others on board this large grain ship from Egypt that carried 276 passengers (Acts 27:37–38).
• Rome depended on Egypt for much of its grain supply, and the Roman government gave special consideration to those who ran these ships.[1]

7 Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus (ny-dus) (130 miles). Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone (sal mo-nee). 8 With still more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

• Map from Caesarea to Fair Havens

 
PAUL’S ADVICE IGNORED
9 By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Day of Atonement, was already over, Paul gave his advice 10 and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward disaster and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.”

• The Day of Atonement, which fell in September/October; and every sailor knew that sailing was difficult from mid-September to mid-November, and impossible from mid-November to February.[2]
• God had given wisdom and direction to Paul.
• 2 Corinthians 11:25 – Paul had already experienced 3 shipwrecks.
• But he was viewed as a back-seat driver.
• So naturally they chose to go against God’s will.

11 But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.

• What were the factors that governed Julius’ decision?
• To begin with, Fair Havens was not a comfortable place to settle down because it was too open to the winter storms.
• Phoenix had a more sheltered harbor.
• Julius also listened to the “expert advice” of the pilot and captain (“master and owner”) of the ship.
• They advised that the ship head for Phoenix as fast as possible.
• Surely they could cover forty miles safely, and already they had lost too much time.
• When Julius added up the votes, it was three to one that the ship set sail.
• After all, the majority cannot be wrong, especially when it includes the experts![3]

 
STORM-TOSSED SHIP
13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose.

• Julius and the captain probably smiled at Paul.

They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island.

• The actual Greek word translates to “typhoon”.

15 Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

• Drifted, because they couldn’t steer, 23 miles to the south.

16 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff (the little boat was towed behind the bigger ship).

• Map of Fair Havens to Malta

17 After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship.

• Literally, wrapped the ship in chains and ropes to keep it from falling apart.

Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis,

• Body of water that was full of sand bars.

they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along. 18 Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging.

• They would typically sail based upon the sun, moon and stars.
• They had no direction.

Finally, all hope was fading that we would be saved.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me 24 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me. 26 But we have to run aground on some island.”

• A crisis does not make a person.
• A crisis shows what a person is made of, and it tends to bring true leadership to the fore.
• Paul gently rebuked the centurion, pilot, and captain for ignoring his warning.
• Soon they would discover that God had spared all of them only because of Paul.[4]
• V. 22-26 – Paul shared God’s Word with them

27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land.

• During the two weeks they had been at sea, the ship had been driven over 500 miles off course and was now adrift in the Adrian Sea.
• (It is now called the Ionian Sea and must not be confused with the Adriatic Sea.) As[5]

28 They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet deep. 29 Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.

• V. 27-32 – Paul warned them

33 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat. 36 They all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

• V33-38 – Paul set a good example for them.
• Caring for one’s health is an important part of the Christian life, and even an apostle must not abuse his body.
• There are times when one dedicated believer can change the whole atmosphere of a situation simply by trusting God and making that faith visible.[6]

 
SHIPWRECK
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 40 After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves.
42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore. [7]

• V. 39-44 – Paul rescued them
• First of all, storms often come when we disobey the will of God. (Jonah is a good example of this truth.)
• However, it was not Paul who was at fault, but the centurion in charge of the ship.
• We sometimes suffer because of the unbelief of others.
• Second, storms have a way of revealing character.
• Some of the sailors selfishly tried to escape, others could only hope for the best; but Paul trusted God and obeyed His will.
• Third, even the worst storms cannot hide the face of God or hinder the purposes of God.
• Paul received the word of assurance that they needed, and God overruled so that His servant arrived safely in Rome.
• Finally, storms can give us opportunities to serve others and bear witness to Jesus Christ.
• Paul was the most valuable man on that ship!

He knew how to pray, he had faith in God, and he was in touch with the Almighty.[8]

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 508). Victor Books.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 508). Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 508). Victor Books.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 509). Victor Books.
[5] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 509). Victor Books.
[6] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 509). Victor Books.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Ac 27:1–44). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 510). Victor Books.