A Sea Voyage

Why is this here? One reason, of course, is that it happened. As Ajith Fernando comments in his commentary, he had to take a seven-hour boat ride in the Indian Ocean to get to a place in Sri Lanka where he was speaking. The ride home involved fierce winds and was pretty harrowing, to the point that Fernando says it is indelibly imprinted on his memory. Luke was there, and this story stuck out to him so much that he had to share it. More than that, though, he also is tapping into an ancient Biblical theme of promise and fulfillment. Jesus had promised that Paul would reach Rome; that promise is jeopardized time and again by the trip across the Mediterranean in which Paul engaged. Yet though the promise is jeopardized, it wins through, and not only Paul but all 275 others affiliated with him in this trip come safely to land in the end. God keeps His promises. He rules His Kingdom, and He even rules over the chaotic waters of the sea.