Acts 27:27–38 (ESV)
When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.
As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
There’s a modern word for that boat they cut loose—lifeboat. That’s right; they threw away the ship’s lifeboat because Paul said, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” He wasn’t even speaking in the imperative! How on earth could Paul have reached that kind of status? He’s just a prisoner being transported under guard, yet they obey him reflexively. Let’s review how we got here.
Paul had earlier said, “I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But he wasn’t the only pessimistic one; they had to vote on whether to sail or not. Later, Paul contradicted his earlier prediction by announcing that an angel told him, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.”
It must have been that last pronouncement that did it. They went from ignoring his advice to being virtually obsequious when he announced that he’d seen an angel. But why?
Two factors are at play here. First, when you’re exhausted from fighting for your life, you’re more open-minded and less self-sure than usual. Second, Paul has been Paul all along; his religion is the worst kept secret in history. All these events are seen by the crew through the lens of Paul’s constant evangelizing.
Like the persistent widow in Luke 18, Paul finally broke through their shields.
That’s one of the great things about evangelism. The number one trick is, don’t keep your faith a secret. That gives God a thousand ways to set your friends up to have their eyes opened.
But we often do keep our faith a secret. We only talk about Christ when it’s “safe.”
Christians are commanded to be brave. At least we should be brave enough to talk about our faith.
