Acts 27:27-44 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Acts 27:27-44. As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
Acts 27:27-32 (NIV)
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 fall away.
On verses 27-32: Knowing that the ship was soon going to crash into land, some sailors try to secretly let a lifeboat down into the sea to save themselves. But for the sake of everyone’s safety including the sailors trying to escape, Paul warns the centurion and soldiers that everyone needs to stay with the ship if they want any hope of being saved.
It is remarkable that even though Paul was only a prisoner, he emerged as the most important leader on a boat with experienced sailors, a Roman centurion and soldiers. This speaks to the credibility Paul had earned with the people on the boat as well as his God-given gift for leadership.
From Paul’s example here I learn this: In a crisis, the best leaders look not just to save themselves but to save as many people as possible. The best leaders have not a “small boat” mentality, but a “big boat” mentality. That’s what made Paul a great leader.
That’s also what made Jesus a great leader. When our ship was destined for shipwreck because of our sin, Jesus did everything He could to save as many of us as possible, even if it meant sacrificing himself. In fact, when Paul says in verse 31, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved”, it reminds me that unless the God-man Jesus stays in our boat, we cannot be saved.
Acts 27:33-38 (NIV)
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.
On verses 33-38: Paul notices that his shipmates have been so stressed that they have not eaten for 14 days (v33). So Paul tells everyone to eat, telling them with Jesus-like words, “not one of you will lose a single hair from his head” (v34; see also Luke 21:18). Then Paul takes bread, gives thanks, breaks the bread, and starts to eat (v35). This encourages the 275 other passengers on the boat to eat too (v36). When Paul does this, it recalls how Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000+ people in John 6.
Notice how Paul encouraged the people: with his words and with his example. Being an encourager – one who puts courage in others – is often a function of what you say and how you live.
What was the source of Paul’s courage? The Word of God (see Acts 27:21-26). From Paul’s example we learn that when your faith and confidence are in God’s Word, God not only gives you hope and courage; He also uses you to bring hope and courage to those around you too.
Acts 27:39-44 (NIV)
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy 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 pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
On verses 39-44: To me, Paul’s ship is a powerful picture of the way Jesus saves us. Earlier some sailors tried to leave the ship and take a small lifeboat, thinking they could save themselves. But Paul warns them against doing this, telling them that they would only be saved if they stayed with the ship. Similarly, we can’t save ourselves just by taking our own boat and doing our own thing. Just as the men’s only hope for salvation was to stay with the ship, our only hope for salvation is to stay on the ship that God has provided: it’s His Son Jesus.
Notice also how the ship completely breaks apart and is destroyed, but the people whom the ship carried are able to reach land safely. Likewise, Jesus Christ is the ship who carries safely to heaven. Like the ship in Acts 27, Jesus’ body would be broken apart and destroyed, but it is because of Him carrying us that we could reach the shore without being harmed. Praise God for His incredible love, how He sacrificed His Son so that we could be saved.
Thank You Jesus for being the One who carries me to safety, even at the cost of your own brokenness and demise. Thank You for being the greatest leader who encourages us with His words and with His example. I pray I would be someone who encourages others with my words and example too. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
