Paul Survives a Shipwreck

November 11, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 27 Lesson Passage: Acts 27:1, 2, 33 – 44 Suffering hurts! It hurts even more when you know it could have been avoided if only others had listened when you tried to warn them. Nevertheless, no matter how right you were, when pain appears, you have to endure it anyway. Such was the case with Paul in our lesson today. Paul had warned them that it was not wise to set sail even though it appeared at the time that they would have smooth sailing. Paul, however, was not the captain of the ship but rather a prisoner traveling as a passenger on board. Which brings me to another point: it hurts even more when you feel that you were not listened to because you lacked position or title although you were the only one with the information. There would be no satisfaction in saying “I told you so” because you would bear as much grief as the others on board. Paul did receive some emotional relief in the midst of the storm when the Lord assured him that all on board the ship would survive if they stayed with the ship. So when the storm began to rage, the prisoner became the counselor. In the midst of the storm, the ship’s captain might have been in command of the ship, but Paul, the prisoner, became the captain of their souls. The ship would be a total loss but their lives would all be spared. Let’s take a look at how the crew and passengers on board the ship got into this situation. Paul was being transported as a prisoner to Rome to stand trial. Although no formal charges were ever brought against him, nevertheless, he had been imprisoned for over two years and his only recourse to escape the bad intentions of the Jewish religious leaders was to commit himself to the protection of the Romans as a citizen prisoner. Things had gone relatively well until it was time to travel the Mediterranean Sea during the winter season. They set sail on a day when conditions appeared favorable to them. The storm blew in quickly and the crew could no longer control the ship so they let the wind drive the ship in whatever direction it blew. The crew worked hard to steer the ship only when it seemed the ship would be stranded in the quicksands or destroyed on the rocky shore. As they survived from day to day, they began to throw all of the extra weight off the ship—including some of the tackling. Day and night the storm persisted and they did not see the sun or moon or stars for many days. Luke indicated in his notes that they gave up hope that their lives would be spared. There were a total of two hundred and seventy six persons on board the ship including the crew. Some of the crew attempted to escape secretly but were warned that it would cost them their lives to do so. Therefore, they remained on board with the rest. In spite of their effort, fear, and their determination, the ship did break apart and was a total loss. As the ship broke apart, some on board swam to shore while others floated to shore by holding onto pieces that had broken off the ship. All on board survived even as Paul had told them they would because the Lord had given Paul assurance. This entire episode had lasted for over two weeks but God was with them even in the midst of the storm. Robert C. Hudson October 29, 2012