Waves. Wind. The churning sea. Imagine waking up for the fourteenth day in a row in the midst of a storm that has been battering a ship. Not a modern cruise liner but a Roman grain vessel. The crew has worked tirelessly this whole time, simply trying to keep it all together (physically and mentally). Any hope of controlling the vessel has long past. They just have to wait and see where the winds take them. Sailors have always had this aura of being tough. You have to be in order to battle such elements. Ancient ships stayed close to land. Venturing our of sight of terra firma could be disastrous. Yet here they are, praying to any god they can think of that they will make it safely to land.
One of the passengers is at the center of our story: the Apostle Paul (or Saint Paul in many circles). What’s he doing here? He’s spent years maneuvering around the Mediterranean by land and sea, spreading the Good News (gospel) about Jesus, primarily in modern day Turkey and Greece. Then while in Jerusalem, he was arrested. He was brought to Caesarea, the capital of the Roman province of Judea. His accusers could not establish a firm case against him. After languishing in prison for 2 years under a governor who was more interested in a bribe from Paul to free him than establishing his innocence. When a new governor came to office, a new trial commenced. When that was at a stalemate, Paul played his trump card: he appealed to Caesar. Any Roman citizen (of which Paul was one) could appeal to the highest court in the empire: the court of Caesar himself.
Before traveling to Jerusalem, Paul desired to visit Rome. While he was at Corinth he wrote the believers in Rome a letter, which has come down to us as the New Testament book of Romans. This book is mostly read for its rich theology, but it has elements of everyday life sprinkled throughout. Take this excerpt:
But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there.
Romans 15:3-25
Did Paul have any idea when he wrote that how he would get to Rome? I guess he didn’t expect to be a prisoner, shackled to a Roman centurion. Voyaging from place to place, they came to Crete. The sailing season was coming to an end. Just miles from the harbor they intended to winter in, the storm came, grabbing the ship like a child playing with a plastic boat in the bathtub. As it was yanked away from land, what went through the sailors’ heads? What would you think if you were a passenger? What did Paul think about all this? He was here because of his service to God. Couldn’t God make this a little easier? Maybe Paul, like many others on board, thought this could be the end. It says, “When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.” (Acts 27:20) Does that “we” include Paul? I think it does because of what happens next.
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.”
Acts 27:21-26
I think everyone, Paul included, needed the encouragement. “Hang in there! You’re headed in the right direction!” Two weeks of insufficient food and sleep takes a toll not just physically but mentally and emotionally. How many of them were on the verge of simply giving up? Stop fighting and let the ship fall apart. Have you ever been there? Are you there? If you currently are, maybe you just need to hear to keep fighting. Yes, it’s tiring. Pray to God for the strength to take another step. When Paul became a follower of Jesus, he wasn’t promised an easy life. Quite the opposite in fact; he was promised that he would suffer for Jesus (Acts 9:16). Nevertheless, God does promise to be with us each step of the way.
The ship would soon reach land…
