Acts 27:39-44 39Now when day had come, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with some type of beach, on which they decided, if possible, to run the ship ashore. 40So casting off the anchors and leaving them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they set course for the beach. 41But striking a reef, they ran the boat aground, and the bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the violent surf. 42The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any, in swimming away, might escape. 43But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan, and he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the land, 44and the rest on planks or any things of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to the land.
With spirits and bodies strengthened, the crew’s hope was further encouraged when they spotted land. They did not recognize the land, which turned out to be part of the island of Malta. The location today is called St. Paul’s Bay, which has a beach near two creeks. It looked to the sailors like a good place to beach the ship. They took several steps to make this possible. First, they cut off the anchors they had let down in verse 29. This would free the ship to move freely towards the land without friction or getting caught on rocks on the seabed. Second, they untied the rudders, which likely had been brought out of the water to keep them from getting damaged by the hard waves and so the crew could guide the ship to the beach. Third, they hoisted the small sail at the front of the ship so they could catch the wind and make for land.
With all these crucial steps completed, the scenario looked great for beaching the ship and saving everyone. Another problem arose when the ship hit a reef and got stuck. Evidently, the wind and waves were still severe and began to pound the back of the ship to pieces. There was no more hope of beaching the ship, so the call was to abandon ship. The Roman soldiers on board did not want any of the prisoners to escape and so planned to kill them all. Their decision to do that was likely out of fear for their own lives. Roman law was that if a prisoner escaped, the soldier was punished or even faced execution.
The centurion Julias had gotten to know Paul on this trip and developed a degree of trust in him. God was evidently working in Julius’ life. He wanted to save Paul and had compassion for the rest of the prisoners. Luke does not record this, but we can imagine some form of intercession by Paul, even if indirectly through his prior positive influence. The best plan was to swim for the shore. Those who could swim did so, and the rest followed on pieces of the broken ship or anything or anyone they could find to help.
The miracle was that Paul’s words came true, and everyone was saved. God was working through Paul, who was destined in God’s plan to appear before Caesar, and through Paul’s words that pointed to the power of his God. Paul’s faith is evident through the whole journey. Ever since his arrest in Jerusalem, his life had been one trial and after in increasing intensity and danger. Yet through it all, he kept his hope in God. His life is a powerful testimony of trust in trial.