Year 1, Day 260: Acts 27

Choosing the Difficult Path

Paul’s journey to Rome is not the easiest of journeys.  But here’s the sad thing.  The reason it is a difficult journey is because the people aboard the ship chose the difficult path.  You see, every sailor knows that just about every body of water has its peaceful moments and its moments of turmoil.  For example, even our own Atlantic ocean has a reputation for spawning hurricanes in late summer and fall.  Every body of water that I am aware of has these kinds of life cycles where it is generally safe and where it is generally unsafe.  The Mediterranean Sea is no different.

Paul knows this, and Paul tries to warn the captain and the centurion.  However, the captain and the centurion are interested more in the bottom line than in safety.  They cut corners to get the job done.  The captain knows that if he holds over in a port then he’ll likely spent a month (or a few months) not earning any money.  Yes, he’d be safe and free to make money all next year.  But for the captain the hope of money now is more important than the assurance of money later.  The centurion is no different.  He knows that if the boat stops in a harbor then he’ll be watching these prisoners for a month or more while he could be doing other things.  Eager to get these captives to Rome, he chooses to risk life instead of being safe.

Is this not present in all of us?  In fact, is this not the general plan of sinful behavior?  We know that to do God’s will leads to safety and prosperity in God.  I’m not talking about worldly prosperity.  Look at Paul.  He’s doing God’s will and he has lost everything, including his freedom!  But he is spiritually prosperous!

However, sometimes we choose sin instead of God’s will.  We choose to risk everything for accomplishing our will and not God’s will.  That is what sin is, and this story of the shipwreck is one huge analogy to the trial of sin within us.  God sends prophets – in this case, Paul – into our life to tell us right from wrong.  We all have the free will to listen or do it our way.  When we go against righteousness and choose sin, we endanger our life – potentially wrecking our spirituality.

For the record, notice just how good this shipwreck serves as an analogy: 

• Sometimes we make our own decisions and realize quickly that we are wrong.  We repent – in this case it’s pretty easy repentance – and we find ourselves back in God’s harbor.  The captain and the centurion could have done this.  They could have easily thought about Paul’s advice and made for the safe harbor at any time before the northeaster set upon them.  They could have, but they didn’t.
• However, there is a tipping point where repentance is no longer easy.  The deeper we go in sin, the more sinful behavior we have to give up to get back to safety.  In the story of the boat, the sailors had to start throwing things over board.  They started with the small stuff.  Then they tossed food.  Then they tossed their tackle!  In the end, they had to make some tough decisions!
• Sometimes, we get so deep into sin that we have to hit rock bottom and give everything up.  We have to start over.  I pray nobody reading this ever has to reach this stage, but sometimes we let sin reign so long in our life that the only way to root it out is to give up all.  The captain and the sailors had to give up their boat.  They had to give up their livelihood and start all over.

Now, please don’t hear me saying that the shipwreck was God’s judgment on the captain and centurion.  It may have been; it may have just been a storm.  I’m not meaning to play God in this discussion.  But I do think that the storm and the shipwreck make a great analogy to the life of a person who heads down the path of sinful behavior.  I pray that all of us realize our mistakes and repent while it is easy to reverse course back to God’s safe harbor!

We

I’d like to spend the last bit of my time on what may seem a trivial point of grammar.  But it will teach us a great lesson.  So we’ll spend the rest of the time talking about a small little pronoun called “we.”

Luke hasn’t said “we” since Acts 21:8.  Let’s do the right thing first and talk about the space between “we” statements.  Luke writes 21:9-26:32 with the focus where it should be: God’s work through His Apostle.  Luke doesn’t need to be a part of the story where he doesn’t play an important role.  It’s not about him!

This is one thing I love about Luke.  When Luke writes both the Gospel of Luke and Acts he never feels a need to play any role whatsoever.  I give praise to God for using Luke to reveal this to us today!

However, we do hear Luke say “we set out for Rome.”  Although Luke doesn’t focus on his role with Paul on their way to Rome, Luke does tell us that he does accompany Paul.  Luke does not abandon Paul.  Paul is arrested and likely headed to his death.  And where is Luke? 

Right beside Paul. 

Right where Timothy would be if Paul had given him the chance. 

Right where Titus would be if Paul had given him the chance. 

Now folks, that’s discipleship.

Jesus was left alone at the trial.  Yet even in His death we know that His female followers wept at the cross.  We know that the “disciple whom Jesus loved” – Whom I believe and teach as Lazarus, but others say it is the Apostle John – stood there with His mother.  God does not make us endure trial for His sake alone if we are active in the discipleship process.  A true disciple will not leave the disciple so long as the disciple-maker is still following God.  Even if God calls the disciple away to start a new mission, the spiritual bond will still be there {Paul and Timothy for example}.  I thank God that Luke – and no doubt a few others – were willing to endure voluntary oppression to minister to Paul as he went to Rome.

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