Lineage Pentecost to Patmos
Paul: Shipwrecked on Malta Episode 12
After Paul appealed to be heard by Caesar,
they needed to make the long journey by boat across the Mediterranean Sea
from Caesarea in Israel across to Rome.
A centurion named Julius was put in charge of him
but he did not travel this passage alone.
Two of his friends, Luke and Aristarchus, willingly went with him
to provide him with support and companionship.
Paul's journeys as a free man were now over,
and he would never see his home again.
They traveled and stopped in Sidon for a while
then they traveled by Cyprus and went to a city called Myra
where they boarded a larger Alexandrian ship and headed on their journey
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They then sailed by Crete for some protection
but the seas were rough and it was slow going.
They docked for a while in a port called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea
and Paul advised them to stay there,
otherwise the voyage would be a disaster
for them, their cargo, and the ship.
The centurion, though, listened to a majority of them
who wanted to leave for a more favorable port,
but as they left, the winds blew them southward.
They were now at the mercy of the large waves and the strong winds,
and they were unable to get their bearings for over a week
as the sun and the stars were not visible for them to fix their positions.
In the midst of this storm, though, Paul assured them
that they would all arrive in Rome safely,
and after 14 days of relentlessly fighting the elements
he encouraged them to eat some food for their nourishment.
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The next day, they saw land and headed towards it, but the ship ran aground.
Roman law stated that if a ship ran aground the prisoners could be killed,
for if a prisoner escaped on his way to shore,
the person who was assigned to look after them would pay with their life.
The centurion, however, wanted to save Paul,
and for the second time in Paul's life as a prisoner
his influence ensured that the other prisoners did not escape
even though they had opportunity to do so.
Those who could swim jumped overboard and swam to shore
while those who couldn't grabbed pieces of wood
and finally everyone made it safely to shore here in Malta.
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It is believed that this small island with a statue of Paul just behind me,
located about 80 metres from the coast of the main island,
is where they first set foot when they landed.
The natives of the island made a fire to warm the wet men
and Paul gathered some branches to add to the fire,
and as he did so, a viper fastened onto his arm.
Everyone was expecting him to die,
but he shook it off as if nothing had happened,
further impressing in the minds of those watching
that this was no ordinary man.
God was watching over him.
God had a special work for him to do in Rome,
and it wasn't his destiny to die on this small island.
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Paul and the rest of those on the ship spent three months here on Malta.
According to tradition,
Paul spent his time in a cave today known as Saint Paul's Grotto,
now the site of a church here in Rabat.
Wherever Paul was, he was a true missionary,
and he made a difference in the lives of the people that he met.
One of the leading citizens of the island was a man named Publius,
and he had a father who was sick with a fever
and Paul prayed for and healed this man.
The cathedral of Medina is built on the spot
where it's believed the house of Publius stood.
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The miraculous journey of Paul and the safe passage of everyone on the ship,
not just here to Malta but onward to Rome, shows the power of God,
but the part about the story I like the most
is how the love of God was manifested through the lives of Paul's companions.
Luke and Aristarchus endured a miserable time at sea, hunger, and shipwreck,
just so they could be close to Paul during this trying time in his life.
May we support our friends, family, and colleagues
when they go through tough times,
especially when that means sacrificing some comforts ourselves.