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Commentaries
English
Acts
  
38So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.39When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible.40And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.41But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.42And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.43But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,44and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.


When daylight came, they joyfully recognized that God had not directed them to a rocky place on the shore with breaking, powerful deadly waves, but toward a small quiet bay with a sandy, gentle shore. They took courage from the Almighty, who had brought their storm-swept ship through the midst of nature´s violent eruption to the island of Malta, without letting them shipwreck while at sea. The wind at last began to direct them to the shallow shore. Suddenly there was a great collision. The ship hit a sandbank and went aground; the prow of the ship became stuck badly in the sand, while the stern was being broken to pieces by the violence of the collision and the rough waves. Water rushed into the ship like a river, and the soldiers immediately pulled out their swords to kill the prisoners. Had they let them swim ashore and escape, they themselves would be thrown to the lions instead. As such, the devil wanted, even at the last moment, to frustrate Paul’ salvation, and prevent the Gospel from reaching Rome.
But Christ used Julius, the humane centurion, who had watched Paul throughout the course of his past hardships and terrible troubles. He trusted the apostle’s prophecy, that the land before them was an island, and, therefore, not one of the prisoners could escape from it. So he forbade the soldiers from killing the prisoners, and gave all the passengers strict orders to leave the vessel. Some swam to the shore, while the rest reached it holding onto planks and other parts of the ship. Not one drowned. They amounted to 276 people in all who got safely ashore. They stood wet on the rocks, trembling with cold, and magnified God for their salvation.
Christ fulfilled his promise to Paul, and gave, for his sake, life to the officer, the master, the owner of the ship, and to all the passengers and prisoners. With the rescue of Paul and his traveling companions, Luke and Aristarchus, the texts and manuscripts of Luke’s Gospel and Acts, which were sewn in a waterproof leather folder, were also saved. Christ willed, and carried out his will - that the apostle and the gospel should reach Rome. No one can ever prevent Him from carrying out his redemptive will.

Prayer
O mighty Lord, we thank You, because you saved Paul and the whole ship from sinking in the sea. We believe that You also keep us from drowning in the last judgment, and in the present disorder. Help us to bear Your Gospel in our hearts and on our tongues in the midst of the wavy sea of nations, so that many may be saved.
Question
What were three events in which Christ saved the apostle and his company?