The Tumultuous Journey to Malta
Mike Biolsi
Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Acts 27 is an interesting segment in the ministry of Paul and the writing of Luke.
First, this journey takes place primarily on the sea. While we have read about Paul’s journeys to regions of Asia Minor by boat, the sailing was a quick notation and the real message was about Paul’s missionary work.
Example: ⭐
18 After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 When they reached Ephesus he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, 21 but he said farewell and added, “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22 On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.
In most of Acts, sailing is treated this way -> Paul sailed to such and such and did this and that. Very few details of the voyage.
Acts 27, however, is all about the voyage and no direct mention of the preaching of the gospel. It is the journey and the sailing that take center stage.
Second, Luke uses many specific locations, directions, days and times, as well as very technical and specific sailing terminology.
Most of Luke’s record included events but referenced general times and regions. “A few days” or “the region of ...” Example: ⭐
23 After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
You will notice a lot of very specific time and location references in our chapter today.
Third, this is another one of the “we” passages of Acts. When we read "we”, Luke is giving us an insight that he was part of this journey, often along with others. That means that all of the travel and trials that take place were also experienced by Luke. This is also unusual as most prisoners, such as Paul, would not have been granted such a privilege of having travel companions.
With these in mind, we are going to read through and attempt to follow the journey of Paul towards Rome. The journey began in Caesarea Maritima… ⭐
1 When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment. 2 When we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care.
Because Paul had appealed to Caesar, he was bound to travel to Rome. To begin the journey, they found a ship that was from a town in the east coast of Turkey. They hope was to ride up the shore, out of the weather, and eventually find a different ship that could take them to Rome.
The main cast:
The main cast:
We are introduced to a few main characters in these verses.
Julius. we do not know much about Julius other than he was a centurion And he was in charge of getting Paul to Rome. there would have been a group of soldiers that traveled with him on the ship. Interestingly, the captain and owner of the ship are not named, but the centurion was. Apparently there is a reason Luke wanted to name him.
Soldiers. Julius had soldiers with him to help transport the prisoners. Their presence is implied here with multiple prisoners, and we will be introduced to them later.
Aristarchus. We've read about Aristarchus before. In Acts 19:29 he and Gaius were dragged into the amphitheater by the mob. Chapter 20 Aristarchus traveled with Paul through the regions of Macedonia. He is now traveling with Paul to Rome.
Luke. As mentioned earlier, the “we” indicates that Luke was traveling along with them. This gives the foundation for the details that will be recorded on this journey.
They boarded a ship in Caesarea Philippi and traveled to Sidon.
⭐PHOTO
While in Sidon, Julius allowed Paul to receive assistance from his friends. It is unclear exactly what kind of assistance that was. The word “care” could mean physical care it could mean provisions for the trip. ⭐
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.
⭐[PHOTO] - Myra has some ruins that are well preserved including an amphitheater. The city itself was not on the water, but was a few miles off the coast.
Luke goes into some detail about how troublesome this journey was from the beginning. The “winds were against us” means that the winds would not carry them in the direction they wanted to go, so they had to take an alternate route. There is no sailing without wind, but the wrong wind, going in the wrong direction, can take you were you do not want to be - as we will see soon enough.
They go NORTH of Cyprus and reach Myra.
⭐[MAP]
They now have to find another ship that is going towards Italy. It is not like they could book a trip and have connectors all set up. Each vessel had a destination. Once it arrived at its destination, It would often load up and head back the way that it came. Apparently the ship that took them to Myra was done heading in that direction and was ready to go back to Italy .
The passage says that they found an Alexandrian ship.
⭐[IMAGE] The grain ship could hold hundreds of passengers and tons of grain. It had two large oars at the back of the boat and would tow a dinghy behind it. Cargo ships often carried passengers as a way to make extra money.
They boarded and continued their journey. ⭐
7 Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone. 8 With still more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.
⭐[map]
This stretch of sailing seemed to be quite long. The conditions did not allow them to make port where they wanted to so they kept sailing until they reached the next port .
Sailing slowly would have to do with the winds and trying to navigate around all of the islands.
Luke uses the word difficulty twice in this little passage . So far, it appears that nothing of this journey has been easy or gone as planned . Eventually they arrive at Fair Haven .
⭐[IMAGE]
Acts 27:9 (CSB)
9 By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Day of Atonement was already over...
When I read a passage like, “much time had passed”, it seems normal in Luke’s account. But then we read, “the Day of Atonement was already over”.
That is a very specific time frame. According to some scholars, that would fall in the beginning of October in AD 59 .
Acts Explanation of the Text
the Day of Atonement celebrated on the 10th of Tishri, which in AD 59 fell on October 5.
The closer to winter it was, the more dangerous travel would become.
Acts Explanation of the Text
According to Vegetius, navigation on the Mediterranean was safe until September 14, uncertain until November 11, and “closed” from November 11 until March 10. The term mare clausum (“closed sea”) denotes the closure of navigation between November 11 and March 5 because of winter storms, fog, and overcast skies, which made navigation (by the sun and stars) nearly impossible.
If the day of atonement had already passed there would be less than a month to make it the rest of the journey before the Seas were closed. ⭐
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.” 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.
Verse 11 seems to imply that the centurion could have dictated the direction of the ship. However, he chose to listen to the captain and the owner over Paul, which makes sense. Paul was not a captain, but he certainly knew what trouble looked like on a boat! As a matter of fact, Paul declared in his letter to the Corinthians, which would have been written before this trip, that he had been shipwrecked before. Not once or twice but three times!
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.
While Paul was certainly a seasoned traveler on the sea he was not the captain of a ship. Verse 12 makes it seem like they actually had a vote . the majority decided to set sail . Though the words of verse 12 do not leave a lot of room for comfort - they were hoping somehow to reach Phoenix .
Paul's advice to remain is noted here and will become important later on in the travels. ⭐
13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.
⭐[map]
They did not have far to sail . The South Wind is just what they needed to be able to propel them across the southern shore of the island and arrive in Phoenix. On a typical sailing day this would have been very easy to accomplish in one day. ⭐
14 But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island. 15 Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff. 17 After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, 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. Finally all hope was fading that we would be saved.
Barely into this 30 mile trip a fierce wind blew down from the north changing their direction completely . This “northeaster” actually has a name in that region:
gregale noun gre·ga·le grāˈgä (ˌ)lā plural -s : a strong cold northeast wind of the central Mediterranean ~ www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gregale
Their ship was driven South below a small island where they were able to finally hoist up the small boat that they would have towed behind them. Then, they took cables and strapped them around the outside of the boat to help hold the boat together.
They lowered a drift anchor to slow themselves down as they feared running into the Syrtis.
the Syrtis, the quicksands (kjv); treacherous gulfs on N African coast, with shifting sandbars, feared by sailors
A drift anchor was pretty much like a parachute. It was dropped in the water as a way to slow down the boat without stopping the boat like a normal anchor would.
That was all the first day.
The second day they threw the cargo over. Most likely this was wheat or similar grain that was being taken to Rome.
The third day they started getting rid of any tackle, or supplies, that were not essential.
THEN....
MANY DAYS passed. They could not see the sun nor the stars. This was their worst nightmare. They are drifting along in a storm, with no control over where they are going and no idea where they are. The sun and stars were the navigation charts for sailors. They had none. They were sailing blind and out of control.
The result? “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.”
Paul’s message to the crew was not meant to belittle those who made the decision to sail. While it was an “I told you so”, it was not designed to be spiteful, but rather to give credibility to the message Paul was about to share with them. He was right about what did happen, so there is reason to believe he will be right about what will happen.
This is one of those good news, bad news messages. Good news: we are ALL going to survive. Bad news: we have to run aground and the ship will be destroyed.
However, the REAL news that I want to point out is in verse 23.
“The God I belong to.”
If you want to know why you can trust God, it is because you belong to him. If you have placed your faith in him, he has purchased you through the death of Jesus. You belong to God. That does not mean your life will be easy, but it does prove that you can trust him and that he is good.
No matter how uncertain your circumstances, take comfort in knowing that you belong to God. ⭐
27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. 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.
2 weeks had passed on the sea with no clue where they were. However, they were approaching land. What land? They had no clue. But it was night and too dark to know what was ahead so they dropped 4 anchors to hold the boat in place.
Some of the sailors tried to escape. They made it look like they were putting down the anchors, but they were letting down the skiff in an effort to row off to land. Paul told Julius that everyone had to stay on the ship to survive, so they soldiers cut the ropes and let the boat go.
THIS must have been a very tense moment. The soldiers would be upset. People would be wondering why the skiff was not saved to get them to shore. I could imagine everyone was watching their backs. ⭐
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.
Paul demonstrates his care for the passengers by encouraging them to eat. He leads by example, and in typical Jewish fashion, gave thanks for the bread, broke it and ate some. The all ate - 276 of them! Then they starting pitching grain overboard to lighten the ship. ⭐
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.
They did three things, apparently at the same time, in order to gain speed and try to make it to the beach:
cut loose the anchors - all 4 of them
loosened the ropes that held the 2 rudders - so they could row/steer the boat better
hoisted the foresail - I believe that is the small sail in the front of the boat
However, the front of the boat got stuck in a sandbar. The sand was mixed with clay in these parts, and a ship would stick hard and fast when running into it. With the boat unmovable, the waves pounded the back of the boat and was starting to break the boat apart.
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.
The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners. I guess they were concerned that the prisoners would make a run for it once free? But… it was an island. They would not get too far! Perhaps that is what Julius said to keep them from killing them all? Julius has the swimmers go first to protect them from the projectiles of floating debris from the others. All of them get to shore alive, just as Paul said, as the angel told him.
But WHERE were they? ⭐
1 Once safely ashore, we then learned that the island was called Malta.
Let’s go back to our map:
⭐ [MAP] - Phoenix - 30 miles and one day’s journey at the most.
⭐ [MAP] - Malta. 14 days later!
Malta was a very small island. It was not even CLOSE to Phoenix! We will leave the 267 passengers on the shore of the island for now and pick up next week.
CONCLUSION:
CONCLUSION:
The challenge with a passage like this is that we want to find a way to apply it to our lives today. However, It is doubtful that many of us have spent months on a sailing ship. It's doubtful that any of us have been involved in a shipwreck. I'm not sure any of us have been imprisoned and kept under guard for years, and I know I personally have not been visited by an angel telling me exactly what the Lord is going to do (though I do wish that would happen sometimes).
One of the themes I found for this passage was that God is our anchor in our times of trouble. I have a problem with that from this passage. While the anchors did keep them from crashing in the night, their survival was dependent upon them cutting loose from their anchors. I'm pretty sure the purpose of this passage is not to teach us to cut God off so that we can survive.
Another application I read was that God protects us. Even in our most dire circumstance we can trust God to watch over us and to guide us through even the most challenging times. While there is some comfort and reassurance in God's oversight, I don't believe Stephen felt the same protection when he was stoned by the Jews in Jerusalem. There is no guarantee in the scripture that you and I will be protected from all harm. Eventually, Paul will be executed, so this protection is specific and limited.
Actually, God promised Paul that he WOULD suffer. Paul was spared, but only from death. He went 14 days without food. He was shipwrecked 4 times. His life was threatened. The troubles in Paul’s life were not a sign that he was disobeying God, but rather that he was obeying God.
God promised Paul he would suffer, and he has
God promised Paul all the passengers would survive, and they did
God promised Paul would preach in Rome… and he will.
While it may sound obvious, we would do well to remember that ultimately the Scriptures are to point us to God and his work. If there is a takeaway for us, it should always be to learn more about who God is and why he can be trusted. The focus was not on Paul trusting God, but God being faithful to his word. The chapter showcases God's sovereignty, as every peril becomes a platform for divine revelation and purpose amidst uncertainty.
This passage encourages you and me to recognize God's faithfulness even when our paths are fraught with difficulties. Regardless of the adversities we face, God has a plan that transcends our immediate circumstances.
God is trustworthy.
