Acts 27 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Acts 27:1-12

1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 ‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.’ 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbour was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbour in Crete, facing both south-west and north-west.

A. Find Out:

1. Who travelled with Paul? v.1,2
2. Who allowed Paul to do what, where? v.3
3. Where did they change ships? v.5,6
4. What happened during the second sailing? v.7,8
5. What did Paul warn would happen? v.9,10
6. What happened, why? v.11,12

B. Think:

1. How many places are mentioned in this passage?
2. From what perspective does Luke write in this passage?
3. What knowledge does Paul show? Why do you think that is?

C. Comment:

In these verses we have amazing detail of this journey. As Luke writes he, again and again, uses the personal pronoun “we”, an indication that he was on board with Paul accompanying him on his journey to Rome. He keeps a careful log of the journey, the people who travelled and the places they pass or stopped at.

When they stopped in a little way up the coast, at Sidon, the centurion allows Paul to visit some friends to get some provisions. Already something of Paul appeals to this Roman overseer.

Continuing their journey they pass by Cyprus and then touch mainland Asia Minor where they change ships. Unfortunately by this time of year the wind is against them and they make their way around the south of Crete where they put in at Fair Havens.    Whether it is simply that Paul knew the Mediterranean so well because he had criss-crossed it so many times, or whether he had a premonition, we aren’t told, but at this point he warns them that the voyage is going to end disastrously. The others override him and so they continue. Yet again we have a passage of historical narrative that confirms Luke’s words in Lk 1:3, that he had investigated thoroughly and was thus reporting accurately. We can believe all that Luke writes.

D. Application:

1. Acts is a careful historical narrative. This is factual history.
2. This passage puts a stamp of authenticity on the whole book.

Passage: Acts 27:13-20

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the ‘North-Easter’, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sand-bars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

A. Find Out:    

1. What tempted them to set sail? v.13
2. But what soon occurred? v.14
3. What things did the sailors do to cope with the storm? v.15-17
4. What were they then driven to do? v.18
5. What further were they forced to do? v.19
6. What position did they eventually come to? v.20

B. Think:

1. What direction were they being driven? Why was this bad?
2. List again the things they did to preserve the ship?
3. How long did this storm continue? With what result?

C. Comment:

Again, a passage of simple factual narrative. Yes, this is as equally inspired and profitable for teaching (2 Tim 3:16,17) as any other passage. It may not have the same depth of teaching as say passages in John’s Gospel or in Paul’s letters, but it is still part of the divinely inspired narrative. It shows us the danger of the apostolic life in those days, travelling on a small ship at the wrong time of the year!

Again, Luke gives us great detail: the sailors, in attempts to survive, first allow the ship to be driven before the wind instead of being buffeted by it, then they tie the lifeboat on board to save it, then they start to tie the boat together to keep it in one piece. Following this they throw out the sea anchor to slow their progress, to slow their passage in the wrong direction, and when all else fails and the storm continues to wash over them and threaten to sink them they sought to lighten the ship by throwing overboard, first the cargo and then the tackle. Still the storm persists and there is nothing more to do. Their plight seems hopeless, they appear doomed, nothing can save them.

These are the outward facts of what was happening, apparently hopeless, but that doesn’t take God into account. He is still there and tomorrow we’ll see the truth of the situation.

D. Application:

1. Outward circumstances may appear hopeless but what does God say?
2. Understanding the spiritual dynamics is all-important.

Passage: Acts 27:21-26

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: ‘Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.

22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.’

A. Find Out:

1. What was the state of the men? v.21a
2. How did Paul chide them? v.21b
3. How did he encourage them? v.22
4. How was he able to be this sure? v.23
5. What was he told? v.24
6. What must they do? v.26

B. Think:

1. What was their state at this point?
2. How was the divine revelation consistent with what had come before?
3. Why did it still need faith?

C. Comment:

We read previously that they had come to the end of themselves, it was a hopeless situation. They had done all they could, and the situation looked hopeless. Moreover, they had now been without food for a long time and would be feeling weak and down. It is into this situation that Paul speaks.

First of all he confronts them with their own foolishness. If they had stayed at Crete, they wouldn’t be in this situation. Sometimes we need to first acknowledge our own responsibility for the mess we’re in. It is then that, so often, the word of God comes that brings relief. The night before the Lord had spoken to Paul through an angel. Why not directly?

Well, it seems the Lord sends an angel when He knows we are going to find it particularly hard to believe (check out other angel visitations). Paul is still a human being and facing death; he needs some real encouragement from God. The word that comes confirms what he has been told before (23:11). Thus he is able to speak with confidence to the sailors, yet it still requires faith in all to believe this word and respond accordingly.

D. Application:

1. When circumstances are impossible, that’s when God turns up.
2. In the face of the impossible, the word of God comes, but it still requires faith in us to respond to that word.

Passage: Acts 27:27-38

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[c] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was forty metres deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was thirty metres deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.’ 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. ‘For the last fourteen days,’ he said, ‘you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food – you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.’ 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

A. Find Out:

1. How long had they been driven by the storm? v.27a
2. How did they know they were nearing land? v.27b,28
3. What did some of the sailors try to do? v.29,30
4. How did Paul stop this? v.31,32
5. What did Paul then say and do? v.33-35
6. What effect did that have? v.36

B. Think:

1. Why did Paul stop the sailors leaving?
2. How was his example an encouragement?
3. Why do you think he was this confident?

C. Comment:

The storm is still dragging on but the sailors sense, in the middle of the night, that they were approaching land. Perhaps it was sailors sixth sense, perhaps they heard a change in the sound of the waves. They decide to abandon ship and leave everyone to their own fate. Paul realises that without them they have no means of controlling the ship, and so the soldiers, at his instigation, cut the lifeboat adrift to stop the sailors escaping.

Some hours later (had he been praying perhaps?) Paul decides it is time to take action. There is obviously some food left on board, although nobody had been eating it (feeling too ill?). He knows they are all feeling weak and if physical energy is going to have to be exerted as they approach land, they need to build themselves up with food.

He leads the way by example, and eats some bread after having given thanks to God for it. This action conveys hope to the men. Something about him, something about his praying, conveys to these men that what he says is true, so they follow his example. They fully ate and then threw the rest of the grain overboard to lighten the ship so it would not sit so deeply in the water and could come closer in to the land. They are not there yet, but they’re in a better state to do it.

D. Application:

1. Spiritual leaders set examples as well as speak words.
2. Hope is catching when it is conveyed in faith.

Passage: Acts 27:39-44

39 When daylight came, they did not recognise the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sand-bar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

A. Find Out:

1. What did they see, when? v.39a
2. So what did they decide to do? v.39b
3. So what did they do and what happened? v.40,41
4. What did the soldiers want to do, and why? v.42
5. But who stopped them and why? v.43a
6. So what happened? v.43b,44

B. Think:

1. Why did they have to abandon ship?
2. How did Paul’s presence mean others were saved?
3. What bad and good elements of Rome were shown?

C. Comment:

     The ship is being held on sea anchors, and when daylight comes they see that they are not far from a sandy bay. The obvious thing to do is to take the boat in and ground it, so this they do. Unfortunately, before they reach the beach they are grounded on a sand bar and the breakers start pounding the boat, starting to break it up. They have obviously got to swim for it, but it is at this point that the harshness of Roman thinking came into play. The soldiers had been entrusted with the prisoners and if any of them escaped and lived to tell the tale, the lives of the soldiers would be forfeited.

    So they decide to simply kill all the prisoners. The only trouble with that is that one of them is Paul, a Roman citizen, under the protection of Rome. If one lives, the others will have to live otherwise he will tell what they had done. Thus both Paul’s life, and the lives of the rest of the prisoners, were spared. Everyone will have to try to make it to the beach on their own. Their ordeal is soon to be at an end and Paul has yet another tale to add to the list of things that have happened to him as an apostle (see 2 Cor 11:25-27)

D. Application:

1. An apostle was “a sent one” and being sent away to share the Gospel often means living in dangerous circumstances.
2. It is still so today. Many going out for the Gospel, still face dangers and threats to their lives. Pray for them