Introduction

Have you ever been tempted to ask yourself the question ‘Why me?’ It’s easy to understand why bad things happen to bad people, but sometimes, bad things happen to good people. When it does, it feel unjust. We could see this with parents who adopt children out of horrific situation, and the kids grow up to reject them; the person who heroically tries to save someone in mortal danger and is killed in the effort; the person who tries to make peace between two sides in conflict and ends up hated and accused by both sides. We might expect smooth sailing when we do good to others, but it doesn’t take long before we experience the truth: While sometimes God saves us from the storm, sometimes he sustains us through the storm.

Paul knew all about the difficulties people can experience while trying to do the right thing. From the beginning of his Christian ministry, he suffers for his faithfulness to Jesus. Paul understood that following Jesus didn’t guarantee things would go well. Because he understood this, he was able to find peace and hope in the midst of the metaphorical and literal storm. And that peace and hope were contagious to the people around him.

Paul’s Misadventure in the Sea

Last week, we saw that Paul was arrested after his presence in the temple sparked a riot. While they had no evidence against him, his persecutors plotted to murder Paul if he came back to Jerusalem to stand trial. The Holy Spirit had told Paul that he must proclaim the gospel in Rome, so Paul used his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case directly to the Emperor. After a couple of years waiting in jail, he is sent as a prisoner to Rome. We pick up the story as Paul gets underway:

A. Scripture

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. 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. 

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. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 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. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 

Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement [September 26th 59 CE]. So Paul warned them, “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.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 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.

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis [off the coast of Libya], they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. [which would lighten it so it rode higher in the water] On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” 

On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. 

Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Altogether there were 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. 

The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. (Acts 27, NIV)

B. What’s Going on Here?

With our limited understanding of local geography and sailing terminology, this can be a bit hard to understand so let’s recap with some maps. Paul begins his journey from his prison at Caesarea Maritima, the Administrative capital of Judea. He needs to journey of close to 3,000 km across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome.

The first leg of the journey takes them a day’s sailing north to the city of Sidon. Paul gets off to visit some friends. It seems the Centurion in charge of his guard detail really is very fond of Paul and trusts him. Paul’s friends in Sidon supply his needs for the journey ahead.

They move along the southern coast Anatolia (that’s Modern Turkey) until the come to the port of Myra. It’s important to note that the unfavourable winds have slowed their progress much more than they had anticipated. At Myra, Paul and his fellow prisoners are transferred onto a ship taking grain from Egypt to Rome.

As the ship sets out from Myra, the winds really start to slow them down even more, forcing them to divert to the south side of Crete. They limp into part at a place called Fair Havens

The delay has moved their journey into the less safe sailing season. Luke notes by this time it was already after the day of Atonement (September 26th that year) Sailing in the Mediterranean was considered safe from late May to mid September, but during the rest of the year, storms, fog and limited visibility made sailing unpredictable and often dangerous.

Fair Havens is exposed to the Mediterranean. If they stay there all winter, there is a high probability that the constant bombardment of the waves will get the grain they are carrying wet, ruining their cargo. The ship’s owner wants to push on about 80 km to the north and west to dock at Phoenix, a more sheltered port, so they can wait out the winter there.

Paul, with wisdom from the Holy Spirit, warns this is a bad idea, but he’s over ruled by the professionals. The plan is to round the corner and follow the coast until they get to Phoenix, but soon after they put out to sea, gale-force winds blow them in the opposite direction from where they are trying to go.

Map 6: Fair Havens to Malta

They are in danger of being blown over to the Libyan coast, which is extremely dangerous. They lose sight of the sun and stars (the things they need to see to navigate in days before GPS) and so they completely lose track of where they are. Unbeknownst to them, the storm has actually been pushing them in, generally, the right direction.

God promises Paul that he’s going to make it to Rome to stand trial before Caesar, and God promises to save Paul’s traveling companions. While everyone else is despairing, Paul holds on to hope and encourages the people. When they see they’re nearing the land and its a sandy beach (not jagged, lethal rocks) they attempt to run the ship onto the beach, but a sandbar stops them and the ship starts to break up.

Roman soldiers would be executed if their prisoners escape, so the soldiers intend to kill all the prisoners (including Paul). But the centurion intervenes to stop them, and everyone gets to shore safely.

Following God Through the Storm

What does Paul’s experience here tell us about the life of a Jesus follower?

A. Paul Speaks the Truth, but Doesn’t Fight

First, Paul speaks the truth, but he doesn’t fight back when he doesn’t get his way. Paul’s advice about not moving on from the Fair Havens comes from God. No doubt, when he offers that advice and it is ignored, it would be hard. Paul could easily become vindictive: “Fine if you do that, I hope you pay the price.” Paul could despair: I can see the truth, but others don’t see it. We’re all going to die because you don’t see that I’m right”. Paul, as a prisoner, must go along for the ride when the people in authority over him make bad decisions.

Chances are, we can relate to this (Not the part about being a prisoner on a boat, but the part about being affected by other people’s bad decisions). We may see our government doing things contrary to Jesus’ command. They could be pursuing a policy of war instead of peace, or implementing policies that benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. We might encounter this at work if the boss has decides on a new policy that you feel treats your customers dishonestly. When we speak up for the truth, when we say, “This isn’t what we should be doing,” and are overruled, how do we respond?

When Paul’s prophetic advice is ignored, he has no way of getting off the boat (he’s a prisoner). He’s going to suffer the consequences of someone else’s foolishness. And while Paul does have an I-told-you-so moment, he isn’t embittered towards those whose shortsightedness have brought on the ordeal that he experiences along with them. So we should follow Paul’s example.

When people want to go in a way that Jesus shows us is foolish, we must speak the truth (in love rather than arrogance, of course). But if they ignore us, we shouldn’t throw a pity party, or give up on the wellbeing of those around us. Instead, we should endure patiently and work for the good, even of the people who are to blame.

We must remember that Jesus suffers and dies for our sin. He doesn’t resent us because our selfishness and foolishness costs him. Instead, his love for us means that even when it costs him, he still works for our good and celebrates our deliverance. So let’s remember to keep on working for the good of those whose mistakes cause us to suffer.

B. Paul Maintains Hope In Desperate Times

A second lesson we learn from Paul is in how he maintains hope in what appears to be a hopeless situation. Just how desperate is this situation? To put it in terms that might be more meaningful to us: Imagine you have a strange looking rash that develops on the weekend, so you decide to go to the emergency room to get it looked at. Changes are, the doctor looks at it, says, “Oh, that’s nothing to be worried about. I’ll prescribe some ointment. Apply it three times a day and keep the area clean and dry and you’ll be as good as new in no time.” But instead, the doctor stares at the rash wide eyed as the colour drains for her face and she yells, “Everyone in Personal Protective Equipment! Stat!” When the pros are freaking out, it really feels like it’s time to freak out too.

This storm is not just an unpleasant time for a bunch of weak-kneed land-lubbers who just need to get their sea legs. This is a life-and-death struggle that drags on for weeks. Eventually the professional sailors try to abandon the ship, leaving the passengers to die. That’s how serious this is.

When everyone around him despairs of life, Paul is able to stay confident because he believes that God is bigger than the storm he faces. Paul stands on the promise that God has given him, that he will stand before Caesar.

Paul isn’t just worried about his own safety, of course. As an empathetic and caring person, he undoubtedly fears for the safety of his travelling companions—Luke and Aristarchus, for Julius the Centurion who has treated him so humanely and for the other people on board who are minding their own business. Paul’s assurance that God has promised to save them gives peace to people in a difficult time.

We live in times when it’s easy to be captivated by fear. We may worry about the general retreat of democracy in the world and where that is leading us. We might worry about the increasing tensions between the world’s biggest military powers and the potential for large-scale conflict. We might worry about the trend of increasing secularization, and what it might mean for our kids when so many are abandoning their faith. But to follow Paul’s example means that we fix our attention not on the storms we face, but on the God who goes with us through the storm.

No doubt Paul experiences the same horrible sea-sickness as everyone else Like all the rest, he’s cold, wet and hungry. But he can endure very differently because he knows he’s going to stand before Caesar. We can also stand confidently in God’s faithfulness.

This confidence doesn’t insulate us from the challenges we’re going to face. Christians aren’t spared from terrible things that might not be their fault: things like illnesses, unemployment, abandonment by a spouse, But while these things may hurt terribly, we experience them differently if we know that in the midst of these storms, God is with us. Some things will end in death, but even death doesn’t have the final word because God promises resurrection. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can have hope in seemingly hopeless situations.

It is often that hope that surpasses all understanding that opens people up to discover who Jesus is. Peter tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pt. 3:15). Paul’s hope leads the people to trust that God can deliver them, so they are encouraged. God sometimes allows us to experience the kinds of situations that make people hopeless because as we hope in him, our hope becomes a beacon that shows God at work in our lives

C. Paul’s Presence Protects Fellow Travellers

While Paul’s attitude encourages his shipmates, his presence also saves them. God is saving his servant Paul, and, while he’s at it, he’s saving the rest because they are with Paul. This reminds us that God’s blessing on us may preserve our community for our sake. A faithful church doesn’t mean the community where it is located will go God’s way, but God may save that community from some catastrophe because of the presence of the church within it. We saw the same idea when we looked at the Sodom and Gomorrah stories (back in August)

When Jesus says the church is the salt of the earth, one of the meanings of that is that we are a preserving presence. Just as salt present in meat kept it from perishing, so the presence of salty people (in the way Jesus means) can save the people around us from perishing. So when God allows communities or nations to go through difficult times, we can remember that our presence—as God’s people—among them can be a preserving and saving presence if we are faithful.

Conclusion

While we desire smooth sailing, we often encounter rough seas. We can pray that God would still the storm, and sometimes he does. But even if God doesn’t remove the storm, we can have confidence that he goes with us through the storm. Our job is to speak for him to a world that might not recognize his authority or wisdom, working for the good of those who fail to heed our words; To encourage others by holding on to hope in God in situations that otherwise seem hopeless; And to be a preserving presence in our communities. Our hope in God’s faithfulness means that we can respond differently to all of life’s storms. The differences in our response can mean salvation for others. So let’s weather the storm with the conviction that God goes through it by our side.