Acts 27:1-12--Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12
English Standard Version

Paul Sails for Rome
27 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

​9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

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There is no indication how much time passes between the end of chapter 26 and the beginning of chapter 27, but there is some indication from other passages that the sailors knew the weather patterns fairly well and knew the best time of year to make a trip when the winds, currents and other weather conditions would most likely be in their favor.  Paul was put in the custody of a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.  This doesn't mean much to us today, but at that time, this would be enough information for anyone wanting to confirm the details of this account to find this particular officer.  Luke also mentions that Paul was transported with some other prisoners whose names are not mentioned (likely because they would not be found if they were going to be executed or exiled.  Luke even gives the details of what nation's flag the ship they boarded was flying under and then gives a synopsis of the route they took to get from Caesarea to Rome.  The centurion was even kind enough at least once in the journey to have Paul and his friends some shore leave so that Paul could have his needed tended to.

I won't give all the details of all places that the various ships stopped and passed by (I encourage you to read this section with a good Bible Atlas though so that you can see for yourself that they are battling to make progress).  I would summarize by saying that the trip was long and hard and there were all kinds of opposition against them--the weather was against them, they didn't make it to their destination before winter, they faced shipwreck, and there was even the threat of death from malnutrition and disease because they did not bring enough supplies with them for such a long journey.  Paul knew that he would be delivered safely to Rome, that was for sure, but Paul would pray for the men that were with him--the soldiers and the other prisoners as well as his companions and the crew that were transporting them, that not one of them would be lost to the sea, the weather, or the harsh conditions they would find themselves in, for God was still in control even in these circumstances that would make most normal people wonder if there was a God and if there was a God why He would not intervene and do something to help them.  In these trying times, Paul's faith was a witness to the crew, the captives (we'll see that next time as the ship goes through a storm that should have killed all of them, but they are all delivered safely through the storm though the ship and cargo are lost).