 |  |
27: 6 - 41
extended.
B | a1 |
6-8. Myra to Fair Havens.
b1
| 9, 10. Paul. Warning. Damage to ship and life.
a2 |
11-20. Fair Havens to Clauda.
b2
| 21-26. Paul. Exhortation. No loss of life, but of ship.
a3 |
27-29. Clauda to strange land.
b3
| 30, 31. Paul. Warning. Abide ship. Saved.
a4 |
32. The boat cut adrift.
b4
| 33-38. Paul. Good cheer. Not an hair fall.
a4 |
39-41. The ship broken up.
The above outline impresses the mind with the fact that, full as this narrative may be
of nautical terms and geographical references, there is a spiritual theme running through
it, the links of which are the four statements made by Paul. The prominent place which is
given to the shipwreck seems to justify the view that it has a spiritual and typical object
lesson. Between Paul, Jerusalem, and his past ministry, rolled the wide sea. The ship in
which he traveled was broken to pieces, yet the outstanding testimony is that Paul was
divinely assured that he must be brought before Caesar, and, apparently as a
consequence, that all in the ship were to be given him.
Returning to the narrative at the opening of Acts 28:, we find that upon reaching
land the shipwrecked passengers found that it was the island of Melita or, as it is now
called, Malta. The idea that the Adriatic island of Meleda is intended is founded upon a
series of mistakes, first as to the true locality of "Adria", then as to the Roman usage of
the word "barbarian", and lastly a misunderstanding as to the presence of "vipers" in the
island. The contention has now been abandoned by most commentators. While the
inhabitants of Malta were "barbarians" in the N.T. sense of the word, in the modern sense
they were far from bring "barbaric". That is to say, they were of Phoenician origin, with
a mingling of Greek settlers, but because they could speak neither Latin nor Greek, they
were called Barbarians. Luke gratefully records the "no little kindness" which these
islanders showed the suffering, shipwrecked company, "for they kindled a fire, and
received us, every one, because of the present rain and because of the cold".
As here instanced, there are no mock heroics in Luke's story of Paul's life and
ministry. Paul is evidently included with the rest of the voyagers in feeling the numbing
cold and the fatigue of their experiences. But if there be no mock heroics, the fact stands
out in the narrative, that in times of emergency the man of faith is often the most
practical. Perhaps Paul had learned the secret which is beautifully expressed in these
lines of a modern hymn,
"A heart at leisure from itself,
To soothe and sympathise."
At any rate we read that it was Paul who gathered a bundle of sticks to help on the fire
kindled by the hospitable islanders. Incidentally the word phruganon, "sticks", is defined
by Theophrastus as "furze roots", which disposes of an objection which has been raised
that "timber" would not have been available at St. Paul's Bay. This kindly activity