Shipwrecked
Part I of II
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 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. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 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. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
33 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. 34 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." 35 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. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 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. 41 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.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 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. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other (Acts 27:27- 44, NIV)
The Adriatic Sea' 500 miles length and 120 miles wide circumference could swallow the hopes of any sailor in the night. The nights on the sea grew anyone's uncertainty into full-blown anxiety. Sailors felt confident taking on the waves to fish, swim, and sail. The nights on the sea were hidden dangers of sudden storms called "bora" These storms could smash boats and send sailors to their watery graves. Sailing in the night ramped up the percentages that death would happen. It was only the matter of when.
The first few nights on the sea were excruciating for Paul and his fellow travelers. The darkness can play tricks on the mind. The movement of sea can upset the body. The soul filled with anxiety that the gods or God always made surprise visits in the night. They had no idea what to expect in the night. It was also the time evil and calamity could come upon them. Maybe prayers went up often on the ship. That was all they could do in the thick darkness called night.
On the fourteen night, the winds of changes blew the ships towards sightings of beach.
Luke does not tell us the moon was bright or the stars guided the men' way. They relied on their experiences as sailors navigate the midnight travel to find land quickly.
They took measurements to check how depths of the waters.
Shallows waters meant land was close. Knowing shallow water could push the ship into the rocks along the shore, the crew dropped anchors to prevent a shipwreck. Luke inserted "they prayed for daylight" as a plea hoping daylight would grant them safety they yearn to grasp.
The lifeboat was the crew's plan B. Letting the lifeboat down instead of the anchors indicated the crew wanted a sure thing.
They expected to lose the main ship, but keeping the lifeboat would give them another means of escape in case things got crazy with those prisoners like Paul. They had to take their future in their hands because no one else would do it. Why should they listen to a chained prisoner like Paul for advice?
Paul told it was not about the lifeboat, but the ship that mattered. Let go of the plan B or safety is out of the question was Paul's advice. It was surprising these experienced men chose to follow his advice.
As the lifeboat drifted out of sight, the men had put their faith into a man simply out of faith in his God.
As the night gave way to dawn, the men needed to gain strength for the journey. The prisoner Paul became their pastor and leader. Maybe most of the expressions on the faces of the men wrinkled with dejection. Paul saw their hope fading with each passing minute. Fourteen days without food and water strangled any positive sign for survival.
To continue next week.
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