Acts from Scratch by Donald L. Griggs & Paul W. Walaskay

Author:Donald L. Griggs & Paul W. Walaskay
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611645309
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Chapter Seven

Paul’s Odyssey

A Study of Acts 27:1–28:31

Rome (27:1–28:10)

Luke began his first volume with a first-person introduction: “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, … I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account” (Luke 1:1–3). In this closing section Luke returned to a first-person perspective with his use of “we.” Luke may be relying on his own travel diary, or he may be incorporating the diary of another companion of Paul.1 There is a third possibility. Luke may have used “we” as a storyteller’s device to bring us, his readers, into the action. “We” are accompanying Paul to Rome.

This portion of Luke’s narrative invites us to reflect on his theological agenda. Luke was not just a historian, but a theological historian with a comprehensive understanding of how God is at work in this world. For Luke, God is certainly involved with humankind through its communities of faith. Luke especially embraced the Scriptures, traditions, and institutions that culminated in first-century Judaism in all its complexity. But Luke also acknowledged that God is at work through all the institutions that people have devised to manage day-to-day life. Every aspect of Greek culture, as well as Roman law, government, and military served a higher purpose. The sovereignty and providence of God pervade every aspect of life. This perspective put Luke squarely within the ranks of the best political philosophers of his day, particularly Plutarch (46–120 CE). For Luke, the Roman Empire was God’s agent that would bring Paul and the Gospel to the very heart of the empire, to the eternal city: Rome.

Acts 27 is a fine first-century travel narrative, richly detailed with nautical terms and practices, ports of call, ancient meteorology, and information about Rome’s merchant marines. It is also much more than that. Luke has written a classic odyssey in which the hero of his story must undergo a series of tests. If he survives these tests Paul will have proven his righteousness beyond the verdict of any Roman court.

Prophecy (27:1–12)

The initial leg of Paul’s final journey began calmly. Use the map in your Bible to follow his route. Julius booked passage for his soldiers and prisoners on a merchant vessel that sailed around the eastern Mediterranean from Caesarea to Myra at the southwest tip of Asia Minor. From here they boarded a second ship that was sailing to Italy.

They moved from the smooth sailing of late summer into the rough waters of autumn. Luke notes that “the Fast,” the Day of Atonement, had passed.2 After September 15 sailing the Mediterranean Sea was increasingly precarious, and shipping ceased altogether after November 15. Luke records Paul’s prophetic words: “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives” (27:10). Ignoring Paul’s prophecy, the centurion and the ship’s owner wanted to press on to a better harbor: Phoenix on the island of Crete.

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