27:1,2
So Paul is finally on his way to Rome. Getting to this point has followed a very tortuous route and taken a long time, numbered in years. Along the way Paul has witnessed to various rulers. The next stage of the journey will be no less eventful. Paul, and a number of other prisoners are put in the charge of a centurion named Julius. The “we” indicates that Luke went along with Paul. Aristarchus was also with Paul, he was previously mentioned in Acts 19:29, coming from Ephesus. The journey would be completed in several stages.
27:3-5
Julius, the centurion, was mentioned by name because he showed kindness to Paul. When they landed at Sidon, Paul was allowed to go and see his friends. The friends would provide food and other things for Paul’s journey. Sidon was about seventy miles north of Caesarea. After setting sail again they passed the lee of Cyprus, this provided protection against the winds. Once again we receive a lot of detailed information about the journey, much of which we might think we could do without. However, all these details add to the authenticity of the account. The gospels and Acts were not made up stories, but things which actually happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment