Day 351 – Paul – Journey #4 (Shipwreck, Malta, Rome)

• I doubt there are two other chapters in the bible that have so much human action and suspense than the two that bring the book of Acts to its conclusion. It reads like the plot to a disaster movie, doesn’t it!
• You may have noticed that the word “we” is now used in the story. This probably means that Luke joined Paul on the journey to Rome.
• Paul, of course, was still under arrest. His journey to Rome stopped off at several places. As with the previous journeys, I encourage you to take a look at a map of the journey that he likely travelled.
• In Acts 27:9 Paul warned them about the dangers of setting sail from Lasea. The reference to the Fast shows us it was late September or early October. Sailing at this time was increasingly dangerous. Sailing after the 11th November, based on the weather conditions and the location, was considered suicidal! It seems, however, that the captain of the boat was in no mood to hang around in Lasea all winter due to the poor quality of the harbour, so he decided to sail along the short of Crete to find a better spot.
• What happened whilst they sailed, in Acts 27:13-20? How did Paul comfort his fellow passengers in Acts 27:21-26? Who is in control? Why do you think Luke, who likely wrote these words, recounted this dangerous journey with so much detail, such as the attempt made by some of the crew to escape from the ship?
• The inevitable shipwreck led to them running aground at Malta. How did God keep Paul’s life – and the lives of everyone else on board – safe?
• God continued to protect Paul when he was bitten by the snake. Isn’t it interesting how God allowed Paul to go through the difficult time on the boat, and with the snake, and yet looked after him through the ordeals? How has God looked after you through a difficult time (when you might have been wondering why God allowed the difficulty to happen in the first place!).
• What was Paul’s reception in Rome? How did the Roman church know about Paul? Under what conditions was Paul kept prisoner? The might seem quite relaxed to you, but remember that Paul wasn’t a violent man or a rebel, nor a political prisoner. The Romans probably knew he wasn’t going to cause trouble by being under house arrest.
• The book of the Acts of the Apostles comes to its conclusion with the Roman church struggling to decide whether Jesus was the promised Messiah. What did Paul say to encourage them?

Acts then, rather abruptly, stops. We know Paul stayed in Rome for two years (verse 30) but we don’t read about any more specific events in Paul’s ministry. Christian tradition has it that Paul was released at this time, and went on to Spain, and then back to revisit places such as Crete, Colosse and Ephesus, before returning back again to Rome. He certainly wrote a large number of his letters at this time, wherever he was. On next day of readings, we’ll think a little more about Paul’s incredible life and legacy.

We’ve come to the end of the book of Acts, which I find an absolutely fascinating picture of the struggles, successes and unrelenting desire of the early church as they shared the exciting news of the events they had just witnessed about Jesus. I hope that if you didn’t know too much about it before you’ll have found it equally interesting to consider in so much depth!