Tenth Saturday after Pentecost

Lectionary Texts;

Saturday: 

2 Samuel 15

Sunday:

OT: 2 Samuel 11:26-12;13a

Psalter: Psalm 51:1-12 (UMH 785)

Epistle: Ephesians 4:1-16

Gospel: John 6:24-35

Our Acts Bible Study continues. Please read Acts 27:13-44.

There is a fair amount of technical sailing terminology is this section. Ben Witherington's commentary gave me a good amount of information beyond this text, but I don't know that he has anymore sailing experience than I do. There are some Paul movies that highlight this dramatic scene. I might do well to see one of them. 

Before you read the text and while your reading it, you may want to flip over to the Paul's journeys map in the back of your Bible. The storm began shortly after they left Crete. The Nor'easter was so furious that they completely lost control of the ship. The closest I have been to such a situation is losing control of a car in an ice storm. It was complete helplessness but only for a few seconds. These sailors were helpless for two weeks. Apparently the ship had taken on water and was riding low. The sailors jettison cargo to lighten the ship. The days and nights are cloudy, so that have no means by position of stars to know where they were. Driven by the fierce winds, they drifted about 400 miles during the two weeks. They were in despair. Paul, after saying in effect, "I told you so," reassured them that an angel had told them that they would be safe.

The storm had subsided as they neared land. They took soundings--dropping lines that were lead weighted on the end so they could measure the depth of the water. As it became shallower, some fearing they would run aground, tried to escape in the lifeboat, buy others, on Paul's instructions through the centurion, cut the lifeboat and set it adrift before the would be escapees could get to it. 

The ship did run aground and began to break up. The centurion kept his men from killing the prisoners before they swam to shore. Those who could swim made it to shore, which apparently was not far. Non-swimmers grabbed planks from the breakage and held on them to float. The story reminds me of the Odyssey on one hand, and the movie Titanic on the other. Poor Leonardo di Caprio should have found a plank to keep him afloat.

Unlike the Odyssey and Titanic, everyone of the 276 people on board survived. They soon found out that they were on the island of Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean. The number 276 is supported by the manuscript evidence, although quite a few early manuscripts give a different number. Codex Vaticanus, our earliest whole Bible manuscript says 76. Codex Alexandrinus, about 75 years later, says 275. Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, about the same time as Alexandrinus says 270. Codex Sinaiticus, almost as early as Vaticanus says 276, along with the majority of the rest of the manuscripts. In any case, it was a lot of people. 

 

There will be adventures on Malta. 

Lord of Sea and Land,

We give you thanks for both. Help us to save and conserve both. Praise you for saving Paul and Luke and the others from that terrible storm. In the name of the one who stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

 

Faithfully,

Christian