Written by: Paul & Sheelagh Easby - Church Army
Acts 27 v 33-38
Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said,
“For the past fourteen days you have been waiting and watching and not eating.
Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will
lose even one hair off your heads.” After he said this, Paul took some bread
and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating.
They all felt better and started eating, too. There were 276 people on the ship.
When they had eaten all they wanted, they began making the ship lighter by throwing
the grain into the sea.
Notes
For those of you fortunate enough to have had holidays in the Mediterranean
area, the idea of a two-week storm might seem ridiculous. But believe it or
not, it sometimes happens in late autumn, winter or early spring, and if you
are crammed onto a fragile sailing boat with 275 other frightened people, it
must be pretty terrifying.
Paul and his mates, and the soldiers guarding them, were aiming for Rome where Paul was to stand trial for crimes which had certainly confused the Roman governors in Israel, and which looked really as if they had been fabricated by Jewish leaders hostile to Christianity (see Acts 21 onwards).
Paul had been relatively quiet during the horrendous journey, just getting on with praying and praising God. But now it was time to speak out, and he did so in his usual practical and forthright way: “Our ordeal is not over yet! We are going to need our strength. The only way to get that is by eating!”
But note two other things he did. He prophesied that no one would be harmed – not even one hair! – and he gave thanks to God for His great provision. Such was Paul’s faith and trust in God that he knew they were all going to be OK. He had been in this sort of position before (see 2 Corinthians 11 v 23-27).
For you or I, shipwreck may be looming - there may be difficulties around the corner. But our God is big enough to cope with these things for us. We need to be aware of some simple practicalities, which God will show us. In this case, it was eating and lightening the ship, AND being willing to put themselves completely in His hands. He is more than able to rescue us.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the faith and trust of the saints who have gone before me.
Please give me the courage to be able to step out in faith and to trust you
in every situation. Thank you that you are more than able to meet all my needs
through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen
Acts 27 v 39-44
When daylight came, the sailors saw land. They did not know what land it was,
but they saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship to the beach if
they could. So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the
sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders.
Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed towards the beach.
But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not
move, but the back of the ship began to break up from the big waves.
The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and
escape. But Julius, the officer, wanted to let Paul live and did not allow the
soldiers to kill the prisoners. Instead he ordered everyone who could swim to
jump into the water first and swim to land. The rest were to follow using wooden
boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people made it safely
to land.
Notes
“When daylight came…” Things are much better in daylight, aren’t they? In the
middle of the night when you are tossing, turning and worrying about the exam
you have to do in the morning, the interview for the new job, the silly words
you said to your boyfriend last night, or 1,001 other concerns, every little
thing seems to take on gigantic proportions.
Certainly for Paul and his companions, things were better - at least a bit better - because at last they could see land. Tomorrow’s reading tells us that it was the island of Malta, and it just so happened that they had been driven by the wind (or was it by God’s Holy Spirit power?) towards one of the few sandy beaches around this tiny rocky island.
Their worries were not over yet, for they had to get ashore. The sailors thought they knew how to do it by cutting ropes, ditching anchors and raising a small sail. Alas, the ship hit a sandbank, began to break up and … panic! The soldiers were scared stiff – for their own lives. Would they survive and get to the shore? And for their prisoners – might they escape? “Let’s kill the prisoners and we will stand more chance!”
This time it wasn’t Paul’s direct words, but his reputation which rescued himself and his fellow prisoners. His quiet demeanour, his caring attitude, and his firm belief had made such an impression on Julius, the Roman officer in charge of the soldiers and prisoners, that he insisted that everyone try to get to shore. Sure enough, on planks and boards, and swimming as best they could, all the people made it safely to land.
How is your life, your example and your reputation affecting those around you? Enough to save your life?
Prayer
Dear Father, I want to be a good witness to Jesus. I’m sorry that I often fail.
Please forgive me and help me to do better. AND thanks for those times when
together we really do succeed. Amen
Acts 28 v 1-6
When we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Malta. The
people who lived there were very good to us. Because it was raining and very
cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us. Paul gathered a pile of sticks
and was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of
the heat and bit him on the hand. The people living on the island saw the snake
hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer!
He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.” But Paul
shook the snake off into the fire and was not hurt. The people thought that
Paul would swell up or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long
time, but nothing bad happened to him. So they changed their minds and said,
“He is a god!”
Notes
There is an interesting word near the beginning of today’s passage: “we”!
It implies that, “I was there too”, and in fact we know that Luke, the writer
of Luke’s gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, travelled frequently with Paul,
and indeed was there on this adventurous journey which had temporarily ended
with shipwreck onto a sandy beach in Malta.
The “Maltesers” were very tasty … no, very welcoming! Soon Paul and the rest of them were collecting firewood and beginning to get warm, but for Paul himself, danger still threatened. He didn’t see that a snake was wrapped around one piece of wood and it bit him on the hand. Everyone expected him to die, and the superstitious local people decided he must be an evil man who was to be punished, by God, despite coming through the storm.
But God was not finished with Paul yet. There were still things he had to do in Rome and further afield; the good news of Jesus Christ was to be proclaimed to many in Italy, and possibly even in Spain, before Paul would eventually die in Rome. He shook the snake off into the fire, and was unhurt. Immediately, the locals changed their minds: “He is a god!”
God has got things for you and I to do for Him and His people. Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians: “In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing” (Ephesians 2 v 10).
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the privilege that we have of serving You and being
part of Your plans. Please help us to listen to You, to obey You, and to accept
the equipping of Your Holy Spirit for everything You want us to do. Amen
Acts 28 v 7-15
There were some fields around there owned by Publius, an important man on the
island. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us for three days.
Publius’ father was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed
and put his hands on the man and healed him. After this, all the other sick
people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too. The people on the
island gave us many honours. When we were ready to leave, three months later,
they gave us the things we needed.
We got on a ship from Alexandria that had stayed on the island during the winter.
On the front of the ship was the sign of the twin gods. We stopped at Syracuse
for three days. From there we sailed to Rhegium. The next day a wind began to
blow from the south, and a day later we came to Puteoli. We found some believers
there who asked us to stay with them for a week. Finally, we came to Rome. The
believers in Rome heard that we were there and came out as far as the Market
of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged
and thanked God.
Notes
Paul was always the man of God in action. He had just been through the worst
journey of his life, survived death by drowning and by snakebite, yet always
he was ready to speak and act as God’s ambassador, as Jesus Christ in action.
Here on Malta, one of the local dignitaries was in need - his father was ill. In fact, he was very ill, because in those days, for the very young and the elderly, fever and dysentery often ended in death. Paul was having none of that. He brought the healing touch of Jesus into that home, prayed and laid his hands upon the man, and Publius’ father was immediately healed. This, of course, opened the floodgates, and for the next three months Paul continued to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of the name of Jesus, and healed many.
Sometimes in our lives, we feel it’s not the right time to let on that we are Christians, or we don’t feel God can use us in a particular situation. That may indeed be so, but the decision needs to be God’s and not ours. He often has different ideas to us, and we need to be open to His prompting every moment of every day. AND we need to know that His Holy Spirit is more than able to equip us to do the things He wants us to do, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
For Paul and his friends, the time of their stay on Malta was finished. They were shipped on another boat and eventually made their way to Rome. Again Paul’s reputation had preceeded him and Christians came to meet and greet him. Paul was “encouraged and thanked God”.
Prayer
Lord, may we be encouraged – by the exciting things You are doing in Your world;
by Your calling upon our lives; by the friends You give us and who encourage
us; and by the best friendship we have – with Jesus our Lord. Amen
Acts 28 v 16-22
When we arrived at Rome, Paul was allowed to live alone, with the soldier who
guarded him.
Three days later Paul sent for the Jewish leaders there. When they came together,
he said, “Brothers, I have done nothing against our people or the customs of
our ancestors. But I was arrested in Jerusalem and given to the Romans. After
they asked me many questions, they could find no reason why I should be killed.
They wanted to let me go free, but the Jewish people there argued against that.
So I had to ask to come to Rome to have my trial before Caesar. But I have no
charge to bring against my own people. That is why I wanted to see you and talk
with you. I am bound with this chain because I believe in the hope of Israel.”
They answered Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea about you. None
of our Jewish brothers who have come from there brought news or told us anything
bad about you. But we want to hear your ideas, because we know that people everywhere
are speaking against this religious group.”
Notes
Isn’t it interesting how Paul was still in charge of his own destiny – or at
least he was actively trusting God for it. He was under arrest, yet he was allowed
to live by himself with just one Roman guard. He was the one who was supposedly
in trouble with the Jews, yet he sent for their leaders to come and see him.
And when they came, after he had been there only three days, he straight away
declared his commonality with them: “I believe in the hope of Israel”. The leaders
didn’t seem to know anything specifically about him, but they were very eager
to know more about his belief and the “religious group” he was part of.
In the world in which we live today, reputations and ideas often go before us. In addition, there are often mistaken ideas around about Christianity, Jesus Himself and the church. The challenge to you and I is to take hold of the situation and allow God to use us to change things to how He would prefer. Jesus spoke to His disciples about being salt and light (see Matthew 5 v 13-16). Salt brings flavour and purifies. Light dispels darkness, spotlights things which are wrong and highlights those which are good.
Are there ways in which we can speak out about wrongs and injustice? Are there ways we can point to “the things that are good and worthy of praise … the things that are true and honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected” as Paul encouraged the church at Philippi (Philippians 4 v 8-9). Maybe the six o’clock news would make better viewing if more of us were able to do that, but we can start exactly where we are, today! How about it?
Prayer
Lord, with You I can make a difference in this world. Please help me today to
think and listen and see and speak as You do, Jesus. Amen
Acts 28 v 23-27
Paul and the Jewish people chose a day for a meeting and on that day many more
of the Jews met with Paul at the place he was staying. He spoke to them all
day long. Using the law of Moses and the prophets’ writings, he explained the
kingdom of God, and he tried to persuade them to believe these things about
Jesus. Some believed what Paul said, but others did not. So they argued and
began leaving after Paul said one more thing to them: “The Holy Spirit spoke
the truth to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
‘Go and tell this people:
You will listen and listen, but you will not understand.
You will look and look, but you will not learn.
Make the minds of these people dumb. Shut their ears. Cover their eyes.
Otherwise, they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear
with their ears.
They might really understand in their minds and come back to me and be healed.’”
Notes
Paul fixed a day for the Jews in Rome to meet with him so that he could explain
from the scriptures about the kingdom of God and that Jesus was the Messiah.
He spoke to them “all day long”. He had the people there, so he used every second
to share with them the love of Jesus.
Perhaps this is a lesson to us about time. A few weeks ago I was at home getting frustrated because I needed the car, and my husband, Paul was out in it and hadn’t come back when he said he would. Fortunately, when he did return he spoke first. He had been talking with two people about Jesus and they had many questions. Talking to people about Jesus is talking about their eternity.
Well some people believed Paul and some did not - nothing unusual about that. He quoted some scripture to them to challenge their thinking. Might it also challenge our thinking today? Do we close our ears when people talk to us about God? Or do we hear, but don’t give time to think about what they have said, or try to understand it? Do we open our ears to listen to what God is saying to us, through the Bible, through others, or directly into our hearts by the Holy Spirit?
Do we open our eyes to really see Jesus in the Bible, in each
other and in the world around us? May we not be the stubborn people Isaiah wrote
about, but people who are open to God, willing to be changed and to grow as
Christians. If we are, the promise is that as we turn to Jesus, we will “be
healed”.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may I not be not like those who listen and do not understand because
they have stubborn hearts. Please help me to listen and understand, come back
to You and be healed. Thank You, Lord. Amen
Acts 28 v 28-31
“I want you to know that God has also sent his salvation to those who are not
Jewish, and they will listen!”
Paul stayed two full years in his own rented house and welcomed all people who
came to visit him. He boldly preached about the kingdom of God and taught about
the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one tried to stop him.
Notes
Paul continued to speak to the Jewish leaders in Rome, telling them something
they must have begun to hear from other sources before he arrived: that the
good news of salvation through Jesus Christ is available for everyone, no matter
what colour or nationality.
For many Jews this must have been revolutionary and difficult to accept since for the last 2,000 years they had been brought up to believe that they were God’s chosen people and no one else really mattered. Note that this wasn’t really what God said - but this was what they had been led to believe.
Maybe you, like me, have sometimes been guilty of thinking that God could not possibly love this particular person, or that group of people. True, God often doesn’t like the things that people do, but His AGAPE love given through His Son Jesus Christ extends to every individual who has ever lived and whoever will live on this earth. That is mind-boggling, isn’t it, and it shows us that it isn’t up to us to pass judgement on people.
There was a criminal hanging on a cross who thought he was lost – his life of crime and selfishness had led to him being condemned to death. But the person hanging next to him had other ideas. Jesus pronounced to him: “…today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23 v 43).
Forgiveness, full and free, and life in all its fullness is available
through Jesus. Paul continued to proclaim this throughout his enforced stay
in Rome. Hundreds, even thousands, must have visited and heard the wonderful
life-giving news he proclaimed … AND “no one tried to stop him”. May this be
our example, our inspiration and our experience, as we share God’s love with
those we meet each day.
Prayer
Lord God, thank you that the gospel is good news for everyone. Please give to
me the same heart which was in Paul to share the message wherever he went. Please
give me the love of Jesus for everyone I meet. Please assure me of your Holy
Spirit at work in me, so that I can give glory to you in everything I do. Through
Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes