Acts 27:1-12
Luke is back to his “we” and “us” writings. It’s intriguing to have this first-hand account of Paul’s ministry. As we begin the trip to Rome in today’s reading, I recall my first time reading through Acts and feeling like I was on board ship with Paul and Luke. Sweet…!
And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. (v. 3b) Because Luke is on this journey with Paul, we are able to see this more intimate relationship between Paul and his centurion keeper. Luke even calls him by name, Julius, in verses 1 and 3, and mentions him as “the centurion” in verses 6 and 11. What’s interesting in verse 3b is the trust that Julius has for Paul. Presumably there’s no reason for Paul to escape – since he appealed to Caesar and he had already wanted to go to Rome he’s getting a free ride! But still, Julius letting him go off on his own is nice.
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… (v. 12a) The distance from Fair Haven to Phoenix was only about 40 miles. Earlier Paul’s ship had traveled from Caesarea to Sidon in one day, a distance of 70 miles. So with good weather the ship could have made it to Phoenix and harbored there for the winter. However, in tomorrow’s reading…!! Stay tuned!
Slava Bohu!