Acts 27:1-44

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Have you ever been in a situation when a family member, colleague, or company you worked for was at a potentially dangerous crossroads, and you had the foresight to know the right course of action, but your advice was not heeded and disaster struck? It’s even more painful when the consequences impact you and your loved ones and you can’t do a thing about it. That’s where Paul finds himself as he begins his voyage from Caesarea to Rome and ends up shipwrecked. Like Paul experienced, poor choices of others can plunge us into dark depths beyond our control, making us feel like prisoners of complex social entanglements that put our calling and our lives at risk.

You’ll recall last week that, though the Roman governor Felix knew there was no evidence against Paul, he was unwilling to release him because he was hoping for a bribe, which was not forthcoming. Paul refused to play Felix’s game and remained in Roman custody without another public hearing for two years until Felix was recalled to Rome and replaced by Festus, who was more inclined to follow Roman protocol of justice. “Wishing to do the Jews a favor,” Festus asked Paul if he wished to go to Jerusalem to be tried (25:9). Paul, knowing he would not receive a fair trial in Jerusalem, responded, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried…I appeal to Caesar” (25:10–11). Shortly after Festus’ appointment, two members of the Judean royal family, Agrippa and his sister Berenice, came to Caesarea to pay him their respects. Their visit was opportune for Festus, who was in a difficult position after Paul appealed to Caesar. Festus solicited the Jewish king’s advice as to what he should write. After hearing Paul’s defense, it became obvious to all that Paul had done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment and Agrippa concluded by saying, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:32). Finally after what must have seemed like endless waiting, Paul is on his way to Rome. In his introduction to the voyage F. F. Bruce writes,

Luke’s narrative of the voyage and shipwreck of Paul is a small classic in its own right, as graphic a piece of descriptive writing as anything in the Bible…Luke, who accompanied Paul on the voyage, viewed the sea through Greek eyes, and tells us what he saw in unforgettable word-pictures.1

Because of the length of our text, rather than reading it, I will provide a summary of Luke’s travelogue, followed by reflections on surviving shipwrecks.

I. The Voyage from Caesarea to Sidon (27:1–3)

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. 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. 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. (27:1–3)

Once Festus decided that Paul’s case must be heard in Rome, Paul was placed in the custody of a centurion named Julius, who was part of the elite imperial cohort “detailed for communication-service between the emperor and his provincial armies.”2 He will prove to be a key player in our story. They embarked on a vessel that hugged the coastline, stopping at various ports along the way. Accompanying Paul on the voyage were Dr. Luke and Aristarchus, a loyal disciple from Thessalonica. When they arrived in Sidon, Julius gave Paul freedom to leave the ship to visit the believers in the city, who sent Paul off with their love, prayers and supplies for his journey.

Thus, the voyage to Rome begins on a very positive note, as Paul is sent off with loyal companions, the love and support of the church in Sidon, and the goodwill of the centurion, who seems to respect and trust Paul enough t