Acts 27:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.

NIV: After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.

NASB: Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat.

CSB: After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat.

NLT: Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.

KJV: And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

NKJV: And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.

For the first time in two weeks, the ship charged to bring wheat from Alexandria to Rome is still enough that those onboard can make bread. They have survived fierce winter winds and waves that drove them from Crete, southwest to the dangerous waters around Libya, and back northwest to an island they can barely see in the light of the rising sun (Acts 27:14–17; 28:1). Finally, the waters are calm enough that they can eat something, and Paul encourages them to do so.

The way Paul presents the bread evokes the Lord's Supper. Luke and Aristarchus are with them, and it's possible there are other Christians onboard. Some scholars think Paul is officiating communion and the rest of the passengers and crew just take their example to eat something. The text, however, suggests Paul is encouraging everyone to eat. They have reached an island, but they still have work to do. The crew dumps the grain to raise the hull as far as possible above the sea bottom. Even doing so, between the ship and the beach is a hidden reef that will soon ground the ship (Acts 27:41), and everyone will have to either swim to shore or ride bits and pieces of the ship that can still float. They need energy to make the last few yards.

Acts 27:33–38 places Paul at the center of the action once again. His ship has been storm-tossed and lost for two weeks. The 276 total passengers have finally reached land, but don't know what rocks or reefs are between them and safety. The centurion has prevented the crew's escape attempt (Acts 27:27–32). Now, Paul brings everyone together to do something they haven't been able to in fourteen days: eat. They share bread and jettison the remaining cargo. Once dawn breaks, the crew sails the ship closer to land, but the ship gets hung up on a reef. Eventually, however, everyone makes it to shore (Acts 27:39–44).

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.

Twice the Sanhedrin brought unfounded charges against Paul. In both cases, the ruling governor knew Paul was innocent but refused to let him go. Finally, Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 24:22–27; 25:1–12). He, Luke, Aristarchus, and 273 others sail for Rome. But they shipwreck on a reef off the island of Malta. When they finally reach Rome, Paul will meet with Jewish leaders and tell them how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Some will believe and some won't. This leads Paul to resolve, once again, to focus his efforts on the Gentiles (Acts 28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.