What does Acts 27:22 mean?
Several days before, the ship Paul is on left Myra on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey. It headed west toward Rome. By the island Cnidus, however, it was caught in a strong wind from the north that pushed it south to the eastern coast of Crete. The men on board sailed halfway along the southern coast to Fair Havens. In Fair Havens, Paul warned the ship's owner and pilot. Winter is coming; if they leave, they will lose their ship, their cargo, and the lives onboard. The owner and pilot knew Fair Havens wasn't a good place to spend the winter; they decided to go farther west to Phoenix which has two well-sheltered harbors. But as soon as they left the protection of the mountain ranges, the same wind sent them toward the Libyan sandbars and a typhoon-grade storm (Acts 27:6–17).The text doesn't say exactly why Paul thought everyone would die. This was probably because of his experience as a traveler, including three shipwrecks (2 Corinthians 11:25). Since they left Fair Havens, he has apparently been praying for the lives of the 276 crew members and passengers, and God has answered his prayer. An angel arrived and reiterated the promise that Paul would testify to Jesus' offer of salvation in Rome (Acts 23:11). In addition, God promised all lives onboard would be spared (Acts 27:23–24).
God fulfills His promise. A wind comes from the southeast and blows them to the island of Malta, just south of Sicily. They throw all the cargo overboard and the ship hits a reef and breaks apart. But everyone lives (Acts 27:39–44).
Acts 27:21–26 again shifts attention to Paul. He, Luke, and Aristarchus are on a grain ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. They're supposed to be on their way to Rome. Winter winds blew them off course and a fierce storm threatened to push them to a dangerous series of underwater reefs near Africa. At first, Paul thought they all might die. But he has prayed for the lives of the sailors, soldiers, and passengers onboard, and God has promised that although the ship and cargo will be lost, everyone will survive.
Acts 27 is an account of a famous sea voyage. Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus travel from Caesarea Maritima on their way to Rome. False charges and two years of imprisonment in Caesarea led Paul to appeal his case to a higher Roman court, and he is now on his way to that court. The chapter can be divided into seven paragraphs, alternating between descriptions of the sea voyage and Paul trying to keep everyone alive during a horrific storm. Eventually, they shipwreck on Malta. The ship and cargo are a complete loss, but no one dies.
