Paul Sails to Rome
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.
As we know Luke wrote the book of Acts. This is the first indication, Luke was once again, with
Paul. Luke may have left Paul during his imprisonments'. The last time we see Luke with Paul is in Acts 21:18.
We will hear more about this centurion
in Acts
27:43, 44
and again in Acts 28:16.
It is believed this cohort was used as guards for prisoners
transported to Rome and perhaps served as honor guards for the governor. Considering this, Julius could have easily been at Paul’s
trials.
2 And
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.
Adramyttium was a sea port located in what was once known as
Asia Minor. This ship anchored at caesarea was bound for Adramyttium.
Aristarchus
was a faithful companion of Paul who accompanied him on his journey from
Ephesus to Jerusalem; (see also Acts 19:29
& Acts
20:4 ). I doubt whether or not both Luke and Aristarchus could have
accompanied Paul as passengers. They may have presented themselves as Paul’s slaves just to
accompany him.
The first segment of the voyage of 70 miles lasted one day
(See verse 4).
3 The
next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and
allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.
They must have had a strong West winds to cover that distance
in just one day.
This centurion showed Paul considerable kindness allowing
him to visit friends ashore to refresh himself. I used the word refreshed because the word “care” was
translated from the Greek word:
epimeleia ep-ee-mel'-i-ah meaning; carefulness, i.e. kind attention
(hospitality):--+ refresh self. see GREEK for 1959 [6]
Why would a commander of a Roman cohort show kindness
towards Paul?
We don’t know why Julius showed such kindness towards Paul;
only that he did. The centurion must have trusted Paul to return to the boat;
the penalty for the centurion would have been death if Paul did not
return.
He was released him on his own recognizance.
4 From
there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the
winds were contrary. 5 When
we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we
landed at Myra in Lycia.
The same westerly winds which gave them great sailing time
from Caesarea to Sidon now worked against them. These conditions were not uncommon in this area, at
this time of the year. The distance covered during this leg of their journey was
about 150 Miles, and took approximately two weeks of difficult sailing.
6
There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us
aboard it.
At this point you may ask why didn’t the centurion use a
Roman ship. For the most part, Roman ships were war ships used for troop
transport and battles at sea. These ships
required the use of many oars manned by soldiers, to produce ram speed. A ship such as this would have accommodated up to 260 souls;
see also verse 37 . Space would have been a premium on such a boat with room
only for soldiers with the soldiers assuming crew responsibilities, and such
water and rations to sustain them on a mission.
7 When
we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off
Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the
shelter of Crete, off Salmone; 8 and
with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near
which was the city of Lasea.
The ships master did not know of the cyclone somewhere to
the West. A cyclone has a counter clockwise rotation.
The distance between Myra and Cindus was about 130 miles. They put into Cnidus because of the strong south westerly
winds and current. They waited at this port for more favorable winds.
They sailed to Crete using the island as a buffer against
the wind. Luke records it was winter about the time of Yom Kippur’, ( verse 9) a
very dangerous time to sail.
Paul made this journey in AD 59 and Yom Kippur’ was October
5th in that year.
9 When
considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the
fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, 10
and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with
damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our
lives.” 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the
pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.
Paul was familiar with sailing conditions in this part of
the world and spoke with authority, having sailed these waters during his missionary journeys. Paul did not fear for himself for he knew the Lord was with
him; but he did fear for the lives of others on the ship.
Fairhaven was not a good anchor port at this time of year;
due to the strong easterly and north easterly winds which blew into the harbor.
Even so Paul urged them to winter in Fairhaven harbor. The next two verses show Paul’s advise not being heeded.
12 Because the harbor was not suitable for
wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if
somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and
northwest, and spend the winter there.
At this point it would seem reasonable to chance the short
trip. We will see in verse 13, they waited until favorable winds
before sailing on to Phoenix. We can only speculate as to the motivation behind the
centurion agreeing with the Pilot and Captain to sail on.
13
When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their
purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.
The Ship Wreck
14 But
before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; 15
and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to
it and let ourselves be driven along.
I believe this storm can be compared to a Cyclone, which can be described
as sever tropical storm with winds of 118 to 156. Winds in a Cyclone would rotate in a counter clockwise
direction, producing a north wind changing rapidly to the NE to E. Even ships of today avoid these storms.
16 Running under the shelter of a small island
called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used
supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run
aground on the shallows of Syrtis,
they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along.
Scripture does not tell us why the urgency in pushing on to
Rome.
It is obvious now the captain and pilot used much
skill; keeping land between the wind and
his ship.
The ships boat (dingie) probably towed behind the ship now
was lashed to the side of the ship much like a large sailing vessels would have
today. Being a much smaller vessel I can see this craft being
tossed about violently.
Why did the sailors fear Syrtis? The shallows were know to be dangerous. The Syrtis Major, a gulf on the African coast,
southwest of Crete, the dread of mariners, owing to its dangerous shoals. [2]
The sea anchor would have slowed the ships movement making
it easier to control. Most sea anchors were made of heavy tone with a hole bored through it, and attached to the ship by a rope.
18 The next day as we were being violently
storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; 19
and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own
hands.
The passengers and crew joined in the efforts to lighten the
ship. Desperation struck the sailors and on the third day they
began throwing the ships equipment overboard. The need to lighten the ship indicates the ship was possibly taking
on water. By reducing the weight of the vessel the ship would have sat
higher on the water hopefully reducing the amount of water being taken on.
20 Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many
days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being
saved was gradually abandoned.
The ship was guided by a sextant using the stars and
the sun along with a nautical map which would guide their ship to port. At this point the ships crew had not seen the stars or sun
for several days. Land was not in sight and the crew thought they were
lost at sea. Even though Paul must have been frightened, he must also
have remembered the promise of the Lord, and taken solace in it.
The Lord has made us promises in which we should take solace. One such promise is life beyond this life with Him in heaven.
21 When they had gone a long time without food,
then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you ought to have followed my
advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss.
No one likes a "I told you so", but Paul was spot on, and now
his knowledge of these waters must have been surly recognized by all. Paul did not say this to rub their noses in their poor
choice. I believe he reminded them, so they would give more credence
in what he would tell them in the verses to follow.
22 “Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage,
for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
Paul knew the Lord promised he would go to Rome to witness,
but why did he make this prophetic statement? The answer to this question is revealed in the following
verses.
Paul identifies himself reverently as a bond servant to his
God who he worships. A bond servant bought and paid for by the shed blood of his
Lord and God Jesus. This is reminiscent of another time and vision as told to us
in Acts
5:19; where Paul was given a promise.
I believe Paul was not sleeping nor toiling with the crew
but rather was in fervent Prayer. I don’t believe he was praying for himself; he already had a
promise made to him, that he would stand before Caesar. Instead Paul was probably praying for the crews safety which
is evident by what we read in verse 24.
24
saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God
has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I
believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 “But we must run aground on a certain
island.” 27
But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the
Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were
approaching some land.
How did the sailors surmise they were near land? It is common practice for ship master to order soundings be taken at
intervals when not certain of their exact location in relation to land. soundings would have been taken from the bow of the ship.
28
They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther
on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
A fathom is 6 feet making the draft (water depth under the
keel) of the ship 102 feet.
29
Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four
anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak.
Normally an anchor is set from the bow of the ship allowing
for free swing of the stern. Ancient ships were built a little different than today’s
vessels; with both the bow and the stern shaped very similar. When the anchors of this boat were dropped to the rear of
the boat they would have considerable slowed forward progress while at the same
time keeping a steady heading and afford greater stability.
The ship must have been taking on sea water quite severely at this time, due to high winds and rough seas. The ships crew were anxiously waiting for the light to guide
their ship to a sandy shore.The ships master had to wait for light in order insure they
were not headed for the dangerous rocks along the shoreline.
30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from
the ship and had let down the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense of
intending to lay out anchors from the bow, 31
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the
ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.”
The crew were attempting to climb down to the dingie and
were using the plausible pretext of dropping an additional anchor in the bow of
the boat.
It is believed that Luke had considerable knowledge of boat
operations and may have alerted Paul to the unorthodox actions of officers and
crew.
Paul then immediately relayed this information to the
centurion. Paul was saying if these men were permitted to leave the
ship it would be the last the centurion would see them.
32
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away. 33
Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some
food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly
watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. 34
“Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your
preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.”
Paul knew these men must be weakened from lack of food, and
would need to eat to gain sufficient energy to swim ashore. I don’t believe these men eat a full meal because conditions
did not permit cooking. I believe their meal most likely consisted of unleven bread, possible
dehydrated meat or fish and water. The bread would have been high in carbohydrates providing
them the energy they would need.
35 Having said this, he took bread and gave
thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.
Notice Paul did not forsake praying; asking for Gods
blessing on the food they were to eat.
Paul was not performing a ceremonial observance of the last
supper; but rather he was giving thanks as Jesus did in Matthew
14:19
. Paul was giving recognition to God (JEHOVAH-JIREH; The Lord
will provide); for the food from His bounty. I am sure there were many of the 276 (V36) souls on who did not know,
nor did they understand what Paul was doing. They had, however by this time, gained respect for Paul.
Wow what a testimony; Paul was walking the talk.
36
All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37
All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons.
The crew and passengers made up most of the weight the ship
carried. Lets say the average weight of a passenger or crew member was
150 pounds the total gross weight would have been 4,050 pounds or over 2 tons. Considering this and knowing the boat may have still taking
on water; we can readily understand actions of verse 38.
38 When they had eaten enough, they began to
lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea.
They still had a ways to go before they could go ashore, and
did not need any unnecessary on board weight causing the ship to prematurely
run aground.
39 When day came, they could not recognize the
land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the
ship onto it if they could.
When daylight broke the scene of this island would have been
obscured slightly by the pouring rain and perhaps fog which ensued the storm,
and from a distance they could not identify any land marks identifying the
island.
This quote is very appropriate here: “This has been
thought surprising in sailors accustomed to that sea. But the scene of the
wreck is remote from the great harbor, and possesses no marked features by
which it could be recognized, even by a native if he came unexpectedly upon it”
[SMITH]
When they safely navigated the harbor they soon discovered
the name of the island as Malta (see Acts 28:1
).
Acts 28:2
speaks of the kindness the natives showed the beached survivors of this ill
fated journey.
40
And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time
they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the
wind, they were heading for the beach.
These ancient ships were steered by using two long oars at
the aft end of the ship. These rudder oars would have been pulled up out of the water
and lashed down o the deck. Considering the conditions the foresail would have been the
most practical way to safely move the ship into the harbor.
Were their intentions at this point to beach the ship? What happens next makes this question irrelevant.
41 But striking a reef where two seas met, they
ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the
stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves.
“SMITH thinks this refers to the channel, not more than one
hundred yards broad, which separates the small island of Salmone from Malta,
forming a communication between the sea inside the bay and that outside.” [2]
Malta’s bay’s bottom consisted of a mixture of fine sand and
clay. The violent storm mixed this
sediment into a mud which was soft and nearly impossible to escape, much like
quick sand.
42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners,
so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43
but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their
intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first
and get to land, 44
and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from
the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.
We know from our past studies the penalty for Roman soldiers
who suffered the loss of prisoner in their care (Acts 16:27). The soldier was expected to fall on his own sword rather
than face the humiliation of a dishonorable execution.
Here we see Paul’s prophesy being fulfilled by way of the
actions of the centurion. This compassion and good judgement was uncommon among
centurions. I feel the Holy Spirit moved the centurion to save everyone
on board from death at the hands of the soldiers and the angry sea.
CITATIONS AND CREDITS
[1] –scripture verses from Cross wire Study Bible
[3] – Commentaries By Marion Adams
[4] – Wikipedia.org
[5] – Jewish
encyclopedia
