Paul’s Mediterranean Cruise

Passage: Acts 27:1-12

Acts 27 recounts in much detail one of the most famous shipwrecks in ancient history, and certainly one of the most spiritually profitable, as it is given to us by the Holy Spirit in Scripture for our spiritual benefit and training in righteousness.

Chapter 27 of Acts is a detailed travel diary of Paul’s all expenses paid Mediterranean cruise from Caesarea, Israel to Rome, Italy, with body guards, security detail and friends, including his personal physician Dr. Luke.  We will spend three weeks at sea with the apostle Paul.  During our voyage with him we will learn several lesson on how to cope with the difficult and unexpected providences of God we encounter all through our lives.

It is most providential that Dr. Luke is on board with Paul, so we have much more detail than we might otherwise.  This is one of the most detailed ship log in ancient literature.

But this leaves us with a question.  What is Luke’s purpose in giving us this detailed travel diary of Paul’s voyage?  What does he want Theophilus and us to know?

First, it reveals the historicity of these events, all these geographical details can be traced on a map and confirmed.

There is a well known story of a British scholar and skeptic of the late 1800’s, Sir William Ramsey, who went to this part of the world to trace Paul’s steps with the intention of proving it was not true.  By the time he finished his research he was a convinced believer and he wrote a well-known book “St. Paul the Traveler.”

But more importantly, Luke wants to show us, as with all his other journeys, how God was with Paul every step.

When the circumstances and storms of life come crashing in we learn from Paul how in the midst of seemingly hopeless situations, our hope is rooted in the trustworthiness of God.