Acts 27

What history and Biblical imagery! It is clear that this trip with Paul was probably the most powerful experience of Luke’s life. His eyewitness depiction of the events is breathtaking, particularly for ancient history. Yet, even as he tells the details of the story, it is hard to not see Biblical imagery through the events.

Only those who would remain on the ship would survive—kind of like Noah and the ark. The angel appears to Paul and promises safety to the entire ship on account of Paul’s presence with them—kind of like those who bless Abraham would be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. Paul the prisoner, miraculously becomes the leader who through providence and dreams delivers the entire ship to safety—kind of like Joseph the dreamer, who through providence became the leader and deliver for Egypt and Israel. Paul, on the night before impending doom gives thanks, breaks bread and encourages the hearts of all on board—kind of like Jesus in the upper room before his impending doom.

The sailors were charged to stay with the ship and not to trust their own plans by getting in the life boat. They would be saved only if they trusted the words that Paul had given them by which they would be saved. Salvation in Christ comes to all who will trust his way and will not pursue their own ends for justification, peace or hope.

Yet Jesus salvation is fundamentally different from that of the ship. If we would use Paul and Luke’s experience on the ship as an analogy, the only way we can understand Jesus in it is to see Him as the ship itself. Jesus is the ship that is destroyed while bringing them to safety. All those who stayed with the ship had encouragement in the storm and were brought to safety at the expense of the ship. Jesus’ story is still better because he is not just a ship that is crushed to bring us to safety, but He is a ship that rises again to lead us to a new life.

Salvation expresses itself in every aspect of our life. Trust is a day by day, hour by hour reality. A lack of trust in Paul’s words got the ship in danger once it left Crete. However, trust is ultimately what saved the day.