"Storms" Acts 27:13-44

This passage details Paul's experience of being on a ship that has to deal with a nasty storm and ends up shipwrecked on shore.

Not sure where to go with the sermon.

1.  Willimon (Acts  from the commentary series Interpretation:  A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching by William Willimon) draws an interesting parallel between Paul's experience on the ship and Jonah's experience.

       The storm in Jonah's case reveals God's anger; Paul's survival of the storm might be Luke way of showing God's approval of Paul's work.

        Jonah gets tossed into the sea to appease God and save the ship; Paul is the one who seems to hold it together on the ship and help get the crew through the storm (to give further credence to God's approval of Paul, Paul soon will be bitten by a viper in Malta and survive)

I find that an interesting parallel.

2.  Witherington (the Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary by Ben Witherington, III) focuses on how this story compares with other sea/storm stories in antiquity.

       There are lots of similarities.

       One very interesting difference:  in storms stories there is usually a speech from someone like Paul in the midst of crisis, but it usually is a speech describing the danger and preparing them for their impending doom; Paul, however, exhorts the sailors with hope in the midst of their despair (Witherington, 767)

3.  Paul notes that an angel of the Lord had appeared to him to give him hope.  This is unusual since previously Paul is met by the Risen Lord himself.  Witherington suggests this means that Paul knows that those with him are all pagans (766).  I'm not sure what to make of it.

4.  The soldiers' plan to kill all the prisoners to keep them from escaping, but because the centurion wishes to save Paul, all the prisoners end up being saved.  Hanging out with Paul worked out well for them.

What do you find worthy of a sermon in this story?