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| Traditional Wooden Ship |
Shipwreck on Malta
Acts 27:1-44
Part-one |
Prologue: The voyage begins
Paul an apostle and prisoner for the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been granted a new trial. He is now embarking on a ship which will take him to Italy and a new trial. God's divine providence on this voyage will assure the safe pass-
age of Paul with his companions Dr Luke, a fellow Christian named Aristarchus, and every passenger and crew member on this voyage to Rome.
The right person at the right time, is the theme of Acts ch. 27 and it begins with Julius the Centurion treating Paul with kindness. Biblical scholar's tell us that Dr Luke does not use his proper name in this text, but we can be sure from the narration of this passage that he was on-board ship with Paul because he refers to himself by using, first person, plural pronouns; - "it was decided that we should sail for Italy." "we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus of Thessalonica." "The centurion found an Alexandrian ship and he put us aboard it."Acts27:1,2,6. Paul knew it was God's will that the Gospel should go to Rome. After his testimony before the Sanhedrin Jesus speaks directly to Paul, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” Acts 23:11. When I pray and put my faith and trust in God's will for my life I begin to see that God will always have, the right person at the right time to fulfill His Divine purpose.
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Text: Acts 27:1-5
Text: Acts 27:1-5
1)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. 2And embarking in an Adramyttian 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. 3The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. 5When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.
Text Outline: Acts 27:1-44
I - The first leg of the voyage - verse:1-5 ● Captain's Log: Weigh Anchors'
a) Julius the centurion - verse:1 ● Destination: Isle of Malta
b) Life on board ship - verse:2 ● Admonitions: It is approching the month of Tishrei
c) Paul's Shore Leave - verse:3-5 ● Exhortations: Sailing is not advisable after October
II - The second leg of the voyage ● Location: Mediterranean Sea (A Roman Lake)
III - The third leg of the voyage ● Coordinates: 35 degrees N./14 dergrees E.
IV - The last leg of the voyage ● Vessel Type: Alexandrian cargo ship
● Time: Approximately - 61-AD
I - The first leg of the voyage: Verse 1-5
Mindful that Paul is in chains for the cause of Christ I need say how much I admire his faithful determination to take the Gospel of Jesus to the gentile world. Praise God for Paul and his faithfulness to preach the Word.
a) Julius the centurion: Verse 1 - Julius has guardianship and responsibility to deliver Paul and the other prisoners to Rome for trial." In ancient Rome the centurion meant, "captain of 100 foot soldiers" The centurion was loyal and courageous and they were noticed by the general for their skill and courage in battle, and were made officers. During this time the headquarters of the Roman army in Judea was located at Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast." Quote: "The backbone of the Roman army were the centurions and they were clearly noticed because they wore a special helmet with an ornate harness and they carried a short vinewood staff as a symbol of rank." - The Roman Centurion by, (Bible History Online).
b) Life on-board ship: Verse 2 - "And embarking in an Adramyttian ship.", " we put out to sea." Paul and the other prisoners, it does not say how many, were certainly happy to hear its time to set sail, the long and tedious wait is over. This ship was a medium size merchant vessel 70ft long, 23ft beam, accommodating about 30 passenger/prisoners, 20 crew, plus cargo. Picture a Christopher Columbus ship but much less refined. The ship was very bulky and slow, with one mast and square mainsail, plus a smaller foresail which helped to steer the vessel. The aft (rear) of the ship had 2 long oar like rudders for steering. They were built for coastal cruis
ing not open ocean sailing. At the end of a day's journey they would need a new port to stay the nite or at least the shelter of a calm bay - they sailed port to port. All wooden ships weep and sweat, this means Paul and his companions had to spend most of their time, down inside a damp and musty cargo hold. Were Paul's accommodation on-board of good quality? Probably not.
c) Pauls shore leave: Verse 3-5 - "We landed at Siden." The ship they are on is, "from Adramyttium." (home port) and they began this journey from Caesarea. From Caesarea to Siden is about 70 miles. If they made 70mi per day before landing at Siden, that is fairwinds and very good sailing for one day at sea. "Julius, allowed him to go to his friends." Paul's shore leave was God's divine providence to Paul. Quote: "If Julius had known Paul for a while it is understandable why he took the professional risk in releasing him to visit, remember Paul is an unconvicted prisoner. Undoubtedly his friends are the Christians at Siden and perhaps he needed food or clothing or a haircut." (Commentary by Charles Dailey).
It does not say how long they stayed at Siden just, "From there we put out to sea again." and they, "passed to the lee of Cyprus." Picture its 4th down with 5 seconds remaining in the game, what do you do? The ball is snapped, the quarter back kicks the ball, the home team is screaming and every body watches the ball deflect off of the goal post the horn sounds the home team lost and its "game over" That's exactly what happened to Paul's ship. The windward side of the Island is the back side of the Island. The leeward side is where the wind passes through to the front of the Island. Paul's ship and team mates could see Cyprus (the goal) but the lee-
ward winds just pushed the vessel on out to sea, deflecting off the goal post. The Captain of the ship and its passengers watched on as Cyprus began to fade into background.
And all because, "the winds were against us." Square rigged sailing ships need the wind at their back to go forward. They can maneuver left and right with the help of a small foresail (similar to a spinnaker) and 2 oar like rudders on the sides near the stern of the ship. But if the front of the ship goes to far to port (left) or to far to starboard (right) then the wind will not fill the sails, and therefore you cannot go in the direction you wish to go, hence they said, " the winds were against us." Today's modern sailing vessels are aerodynamic and they can sail up wind. But during Paul's time they were at the mercy of the " trade winds." The result of this was, "we sailed across the open sea." and "we landed at Myra in Lycia." (Verse 5)
A Bible study by: Glenn
Next post - part 2
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