Acts 27:23-25
“This very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.”
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Paul is on the sea as a prisoner, headed to Rome to appeal his case before Caesar, caught in a very bad storm with 275 other people.
I was thinking how bold of a statement it is to say that not a single person will lose their lives. In the middle of a storm, with no idea where they are, any number of people could have passed out and fallen off board, or decided to kill themselves rather than endure, yet Paul says to a few hundred people that God has spoken and made sure that no one will lose their lives.
The primary reason for this is that Paul must appear before Caesar as a witness to the kingdom of God. God wanted people along the way to know that Paul was a man sent by him. He wanted sailors, soldiers, prisoners, and native islanders (on Malta) to know that God is real and that he speaks and acts through men.
Paul also proclaims to have faith in God that he will stand before Caesar, and nothing will hinder this mission. What he doesn’t know (although I’m sure he is not unaware of) is that it will eventually be a Roman Caesar (Nero) who will falsely accuse Christians and Paul for a fire in Rome and put him to death.
Even though Paul is sent to Caesar, it doesn’t mean that Caesar will accept the gospel or turn to God (although, that does happen later with Constantine). Too often, we say God has a good plan for each of our lives, but we wouldn’t consider false accusation and death a “good plan.” Yet, that was God’s will for Paul, and nearly all of the apostles. In Acts 1:8, the thematic statement for the entire book of Acts, Jesus says that his disciples will be “witnesses” in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. The literal word for “witness” is the Greek word “martures” where we get the word “martyr.”
The book of Acts begins with the kingdom of God exploding with power in Jerusalem, then the book tells how it expands to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria, and even further. The book closes with Paul taking the message of the kingdom to Rome, to the very ends of the earth and the heart of the Roman empire. Just as Jesus had said that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that begins small but grows into the largest of garden plants, it went from the small city of Jerusalem and invaded the entire Roman kingdom. And that didn’t happen without men and women sacrificing and losing their lives. They didn’t live comfortably or happily-ever-after; they gave their lives fully for Jesus and his kingdom.
And that’s what we’re called to do as well. We’re called to be witnesses, martyrs even, for Jesus Christ. We can’t just be people who believe in God and try to make this life the most convenient and comfortable for ourselves as we possibly can. When Paul and the other 275 people run ashore on the island of Malta, the native islanders greet them and start a fire for them. Paul helps out and gathers firewood, and it says this:
“When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” (Acts 28:3-6)
These people knew nothing about Paul or his God. To them, he was a despised person because they believed him to have done something that deserved divine justice. After the snake bite had no effect on him, it says that the people “changed their minds.” That’s what our lives should look like too. Not that we should expect people to think that we’re gods, but for people to have this drastic change in their thinking.
After this event, Paul heals many people of sickness and disease. No doubt he makes it clear that the healing comes from God and lets them know that the kingdom of God has come near to them. So even though they thought he was a god, Paul most definitely made it clear that he was no god, but served the One true God.
Father, just as you spoke to me yesterday to not shy away from talking about the resurrection, it’s clear today that part of your good will for my life may include my persecution and unjust death. Give me a heart to not expect anything greater; to not live with a sense that I am somehow exempt and entitled to a different life. Create in me a clean and bold heart, that I may be found faithful in your sight.
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