Paul’s ship is now prepared as well as possible for running aground. They have survived the darkness of night and can now see the island toward which they are being driven:
“Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to the land” (Ac 27:39-44).
According to standard Roman brutality, it is better for prisoners to be murdered than to allow them to escape. And if escape occurs, the soldiers pay with their own lives. On top of this, the centurion is under orders to bring Paul, a Roman citizen, safely to Rome to sit before Caesar, which I assume sets him apart from the other prisoners. The centurion, likely driven by the Holy Spirit to think through this morass clearly, overrules the common practice of killing the prisoners to avoid escape. And he is well aware of Paul’s vision that all would survive and get to the island safely.
The fruits of perfect unity with God are not always visible in crisis, but they are continuously basking in the Son and maturing into ripeness, nevertheless.
Claim this today in mutual prayer with brothers and sisters isolated at home!
“After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native people showed us unusual kindness, and they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god” (Ac 28:1-6).
Superstition in the place of the One True God can lead to whiplash. The island people can see that Paul is a high-level prisoner, even if his chains were loosed for the sprint to the island from the ship. When the asp leaps out of the fire and sinks its fangs into Paul’s hand, the people conclude that he is being punished by the gods because he is a murderer. But when he does not die after many days, they flip to the opposite conclusion that he is a god.
This reminds me a bit of how our culture, in disunity from God, sees its heroes. They worship an idol in music or sports or nostalgia. But when their idol falls, poof, like a vapor, they just move on to the next one.
As we will see, Paul takes a different approach in Part 5, the final part in this series.
Hurry back!