September 22, 2023 | Be On Mission
Paul's Warning at Sea
Scripture: Acts 27:1-12(NIV)
1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
Devotional
After two years imprisonment in Caesarea Paul was sent to Rome, a trip that would cover over two thousand miles of open sea and desperate stops. On board with Paul was Luke, the author of the book of Acts, as well as some other prisoners.
He was also accompanied by a man named Aristarchus, who was from Thessalonica in Macedonia (modern Greece). This man became part of Paul’s ministry team. He traveled with him to Ephesus (in modern Turkey), where he was seized during a riot there and dragged into an open-air, 20,000 seat amphitheater (see Acts 19:29).
Aristarchus stuck with Paul at least another decade, through thick and thin. When Paul wrote to the Colossians from his Roman house arrest, he said, “My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings” (Colossians 4:10). He is mentioned a grand total of five times in the entire New Testament. Yet Paul considered him indispensable, calling him one of his “fellow workers” (Philemon 1:24).
Perhaps it was the way Paul treated his traveling companions, his fellow prisoners, and even his captors that made the centurion Julius show kindness to him. Even in the worst of times, it is good to show respect to others.
But things weren’t looking good for the shipload of sailors, prisoners, and cargo. They had already made it with difficulty along the western coast of modern Israel and Syria, then along the southern coast of modern Turkey, a good seven hundred miles in total.
By then, it was October (after the Day of Atonement). Open sea travel was difficult, if not impossible, by November. When they reached Fair Havens on the southern tip of the island nation of Crete, Paul warned them to stop. But his good favor with the centurion would not trump the risky advice of the weathered captain. They would forge ahead into the rough seas.
Sometimes people show you kindness, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they listen, help, and show favor. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes others pay attention to what you are saying. Other times your words fall on deaf ears. In what ways is God calling you to be faithful, regardless of the reception you are receiving from others?
Poem
Sailing, Sailing
“Sailing, sailing over the bounding main”
For many a stormy wind shall blow
‘Til saints are home again
Sailing, sailing ever the storms do roll
The waves they are steep
The vessels--they creak
‘Til saints are home again
