Paul is on a ship bound for Rome. It is the worst time of year to be on the Mediterranean and there is a vicious storm brewing.
Luke told us yesterday that it is past the Day of Atonement, meaning it is now around the first week of October. They have lost much time due to the contrary winds and travel is becoming more and more dangerous. Paul senses they are in for trouble if they keep trying to sail for Rome. He tries to give a warning but no one takes it to heart. "So Paul warned them, '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.' But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship." (Acts 27:9b-11) We know the centurion likes and respects Paul, since Luke told us that he allowed Paul to visit his friends in Sidon. But Paul is no ship captain, so when the pilot and the owner of the ship state that it is safe to press on, the centurion takes their word for it.
The centurion takes a vote as well, "Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest." (Acts 27:12) If Fair Havens was not a good place to spend the winter, they could have backtracked, but the majority vote to continue forward to the next port.
For the moment, though, the soldiers and the crew think they've made the right decision because the wind suddenly turns favorable. "When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete." (Acts 27:13) I can almost picture the centurion saying to Paul, "See there? I was right to take the advice of experienced sailors. You can relax now; everything is going to be fine."
But a storm is brewing. "Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along." (Acts 27:14-15) This storm and its consequences can be used as a metaphor for life. When we deliberately refuse to heed the warning signs and when we remain on an unsafe course, we end up being pulled places we never intended to go. We end up doing things we never intended to do. We end up losing things we never thought we'd lose. As my pastor often says, sin takes us farther than we ever wanted to go and it costs us more than we ever wanted to pay. The ship and all its cargo will be lost because no one heeded Paul's warning. The same thing can happen to us. When we refuse to heed the warning of the Holy Spirit, we can suffer great loss.
"As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 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 sandbars of Sirtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." (Acts 27:16-20) You've probably heard the expression, "All hands on deck!" All hands are on deck in this passage. Even Dr. Luke becomes a deckhand when the storm threatens to tear the lifeboat away from the ship. We know this because he speaks in the first person when he tells us of the difficulty in keeping the lifeboat with the ship.
In describing the binding of the ship Luke uses a Greek word that means "bandaging". He isn't a sailor and doesn't know the technical term for this practice, which is "frapping". Frapping involves passing cables under and over a ship to hold it together. This practice is sometimes still used in our own day. I don't know whether Luke has ever taken a sea voyage before, but it's a safe bet he's never been in a storm like this and has never seen frapping done. It reminds him of all the times he's wrapped bandages around a wounded arm or leg, so when he sees the sailors using the cables he says they are "bandaging the ship".
The situation grows so desperate that the men resort to throwing overboard everything that isn't absolutely vital. The cargo, which once represented so much monetary gain that the ship's owner and the pilot voted to continue on the journey, has become meaningless. The only thing that matters now is staying alive. I can't help being reminded of a question Jesus once asked, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36) When the going gets rough, and when our lives or our souls are at stake, what use are the things we previously lusted for? What use is money gained unethically or sexual gratification achieved immorally or promotion and popularity gained unrighteously? The men in charge of the ship used to place a great value on its cargo but they are going to lose it and the money it represents. They have come to believe they will lose their lives too, for Luke tells us "we finally gave up all hope of being saved".
When we stubbornly remain on the wrong course, we are going to suffer some type of loss. Our sins may cost us things we hold dear, such as our marriages and families, our friends, our health, our jobs, or our reputations. We may lose so much that we come to feel the only thing we still possess is life, and at that point we might be like the men on the ship who give up hope. But it doesn't have to come to that point. We can turn around at any time. Never mind what people think! Never mind what unwise promises we've made! There's no shame in admitting we are on the wrong course and that we need to turn back. The only shame is in staying on the wrong course when we know it's wrong.
I don't know where you may be in your life right now or whether you are currently on the right course or on the wrong course. If you know in your heart you're going the wrong way, turn back. Loss is ahead if you don't. This is a lesson I've learned the hard way. I've learned it a number of times, because apparently I'm so hard-headed that once wasn't enough. I hope I don't have to learn it again, but human nature being what it is, I might. But our lesson today paints a very clear picture for us of what happens when we keep going the wrong way even when we know it's wrong. We will end up losing cargo that was precious to us. Are we willing to take that chance?
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