Acts 27:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.

NIV: They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

NASB: All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

CSB: They all were encouraged and took food themselves.

NLT: Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat —

KJV: Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

NKJV: Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.

A few weeks before, Paul faced the new Governor Festus in a court in Caesarea Maritima. There, the Sanhedrin presented charges so blatantly false that even Festus, who knew nothing about Judaism or Jews, could see how unfounded they were. Not wishing to irritate the Jewish leaders, Festus tried to satisfy both sides. When Paul realized Festus would not release him, he appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:6–12). Festus placed him, Aristarchus, and other prisoners under the custody of the centurion Julius and his soldiers; Luke is accompanying them (Acts 27:1).

The sea voyage has not been easy. After spending two weeks holding on for dear life to a ship in the clutches of a Mediterranean winter storm, the crew and passengers are exhausted. The ship has finally reached an island; the sun is slowly rising. They can't yet see what lies between the ship and the shore, but the anchors are set and at last they have some calm.

God has promised Paul that everyone will live, but until now it seems the crew and passengers weren't convinced (Acts 27:22–25). Paul knows the ship and cargo will be lost. It's a large ship that can't just ride up onto the beach; they will run aground at some point, and the people will have to swim or paddle to shore. They need energy.

As if remembering how to eat, the passengers and crew follow Paul's example and take some bread. This gives them the strength they need to jettison the remainder of the cargo and lighten the ship as much as they can. When the sun rises, they find a bay with a beach. Hoping to run the ship onto the land, the crew draws up the anchors, raises the sails for the first time since the storm started, and unlashes the rudder. The ship approaches the shore but hits an underground reef and sticks fast. As the surf smashes against the already-battered hull, the passengers and crew jump ship. The soldiers realize how difficult it will be to keep track of all the prisoners and plan to kill them onboard, but the centurion stops them. It's because of Paul they're even alive. The centurion can trust Paul not to escape (Acts 27:39–44).

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.