1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When it was decided that Paul would set sail for Italy, he was sent with a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julias. Luke was present on this voyage along with Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica who accompanied Paul as his helper. Aristarchus remained with Paul during his incarceration in Rome (Col 4:10; Phile 24). Luke describes their voyage with geographical and nautical precision and recounts the challenges they encountered along the way. When they harbored at Sidon, Julius, the centurion, showed Paul kindness and allowed him to be cared for by his friends. Then they made their way across the open sea and when they came to Myra, the centurion found them a ship bound for Italy. They made slow progress against the wind towards the island of Crete. The voyage had become more dangerous because the Fast was over. This refers to the Day of Atonement which occurred from September to early October. At this time of year, weather patterns made sailing dangerous, and sea traffic tended to cease by early November. Paul suggested that it would be dangerous to continue and they were likely to suffer injury and loss if they proceeded. Paul was not speaking prophetically but with wisdom from his travel experience. But they were faced with another problem, the harbour they were in was not suitable for remaining through winter so the centurion listened to the pilot and the ship’s owner and they decided to continue up the Creten coast, hoping to make it to Phoenix and spend the winter there.
They initially thought their plan was working but a north-easterly wind blew them back until they eventually had to give way to the wind and were blown south and then west under the island of Cauda. The storm was so severe that they had to bind the ship with supports and throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. The storm continued for many days and they lost all hope of being saved. They had not eaten for some time so Paul stood up. He first reminded them of the advice he’d given them in Crete but now encouraged them because he had seen a vision from God. Through an angel, God told Paul that he would certainly stand before Caesar as promised and that everyone’s lives would be spared along with his. Paul expressed faith that things would happen exactly as God told him but first they would need to run aground on some island.
Who’s advice do you give more weight? Are you more inclined to seek out advice from godly people who show evidence of wisdom? Or are you more likely to listen to the advice of the world, which may be sound but lacks biblical insight?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Final Exhortations: Hebrews 13