MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
27 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
Acts 27:1-4
This passage’s context is Paul’s arrest in Cesarea who is literally being “shipped” to Rome on a ship named Adramyttium. You may have noticed these verses and the majority of chapter 27 are filled with contextual details about the ship they were on the name of fellow passengers and prisoners, and the weather patterns. You may be asking why is this scripture in the Bible.
Great question, because we believe that every word in the Bible in true and entirely authoritative. That there is not one word that does not affect our lives one way or another. That every word of all 66 books of our Bible is essential for Christian life and practice. So why is this chapter filled with seemingly insignificant details?
Scholars have varying views but here is the one that seems to make the most sense: All these details paint the historic picture of Paul’s story. In the same way, that our current-day stories are filled with character development, setting, and details that help paint the picture of the story. In the same way, these details paint the picture of Paul’s story from Cesarea to Rome!
Futher, this story contains what we would consider “mundane” details, it’s not always impressive and large. In the same way, our lives are sometimes mundane, filled with what would appear to be inconsequential but God is always on the move!
Reflection
Does your life feel mundane? How might God be working in those details?
Prayer
Our Father,
Thank you for your Word. We pray that by your Spirit, Acts 27:1-4 would change us into the likeness of Christ. We praise you as the God of all things, the big things and the small things. May we trust that you are always working as you tell your redemptive story to the world! We trust you, Lord! We pray all these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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