Jokingly I would say that I don’t like being out on the deep sea because should the ship get a puncture, one can’t walk back to shore. I have a holy fear of the sea. When working in the Fishing Industry, because my role was being in charge of maintaining the trawlers mechanically, should we work on one, it was my task to take the trawler for a “test” trip to make certain it was seaworthy, because once out in the deep sea and something went wrong, lives were at stake, apart from the cost of the ship and perhaps a full load of fish.
I went out into the deep sea a few times, not piloting the trawler although I had a license. That was far too scary for me! Did I get sea sick each time? I found the best place to be was at the lowest point in the center of the trawler where the least rocking took place. Some captains told me that going around the Cape Point and Cape Agulhas when the weather was bad was horrific. They said the waves and swells were more than ten meters high.
Again, I wonder what went through the sailors and captains’ mind when they encountered bad seas on the Mediterranean Sea, sailing ships without engines that could turn the propeller ahead and astern … and proper rudders, all hydraulically operated. On top of this there were no modern echo sounders, radars, automatic pilots, etc. I would suggest it must have been scary, even for seasoned sailors. Please read:
Ac 27:3 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. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 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. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 “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.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 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.
1) The journey towards Crete. From Caesarea they sailed north to Sidon along the Syrian Coast, then going west, passing between Cyprus and Cilicia (more towards Cyprus for safety purposes). Then onto Myra in Lycia (Turkey), going on to Cnidus (Turkey), then south west to the Island of Crete. It’s always a good idea to use the section at the back of your Bible where the Maps are to trace the various journeys mentioned. Should your Bible not have such a section, use Google.
2) The kindness of the centurion. We might read this section and miss this important matter … Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. At Sidon Julius permitted Paul to disembark ship and visits fellow believers who supplied the needs he would have for his journey. Naturally a soldier would have been seconded to prevent him escaping or Jews attacking him.
3) The change of ship. At Myra, the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. The journey might seem surprising because the ship going between Cyprus and Africa and Crete and Africa would have been a far shorter route. It is possible that the centurion knew the difficulty of seasonal winds and storms and chose the longer route. This is most likely the reason for:
Ac 27:2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia
followed by
Ac 27:6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
4) The difficulty of sail. Taking note of the centurion’s choice of journey, we find the ship’s journey was extremely slow as they battled with the winds, so much so that they could not land at Cnidus and needed to sail pass the lee of Crete at Fair Havens towards Phoenix, which was on the opposite side of the Island. Taking the “Fast” into consideration, which was the Jewish Day of Atonement, it was likely 59 AD around mid-October. It was dangerous to sail from mid-September and by mid-November all sea travels were cancelled until after the winter which could have been at the end of January.
5) The revelation from Paul. Naturally the Lord had informed him of what he was to say:
Ac 27:10 “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.”
Due to the weather and sea conditions it was right that Paul share with the pilot and owners of the ship the revelation he received from God. Luke tells us that Paul warned them. The word “warn” means to “exhort” or to “admonish”. Where the meaning includes encourage, advise, caution, warn and urge … the better meaning in the context would be reprimand (admonish). Paul had been out at sea on numerous occasions and taking this knowledge together with the Lord revealing to him what would happen, was like water off a ducks back to the pilot and owners.
6) The wisdom of the pilot and owners.
Ac 27:11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
After all, they were experienced sailors. It was their ship. They had the final say … and … who was Paul? A prisoner of Rome! So they decided that:
Ac 27:12 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.
The decision made, they sailed on towards the port at Phoenix, on the western part of Crete, facing North Africa. Roughly this port was opposite the middle of present Libya and Egypt. In the passage that follows we shall see this was a bad decision as they never reached Phoenix. There are three things to take away for today …
(i) Kindness towards all people. We might take a leaf from the centurion’s kindness towards Paul. To him, Paul was another prisoner, though he would have been told of his innocence before king Agrippa … yet he showed kindness to a stranger who was a prisoner. There are many people who could easily do with some kindness from us. We might know them, yet they could be strangers. Read Matthew 24:34-40.
(ii) Life is filled with difficulties. The Lord Jesus never promised a bed of roses for His people. Think of Paul and Barnabas’ words:
Ac 14:22 “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Know this and be prepared for it.
(iii) Biblical guidance. The revelation Paul received from God, which he gave to the pilot and ship owners seemed foolish to them. Many today feel that way about the Bible, yet we who follow Jesus know that our guidance for all of life comes from God’s holy, inerrant, infallible and inspire Word. Friend, it’s no good having the Bible if you do not read, study and meditate upon it. It is the breath of life for your soul.
O God our Father, help us to be a people who are careful to follow Your Word as we navigate the problems of life and help us to show kindness to all people. Amen.