And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[a] was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
We are traveling with friends. They have been very kind to us. We’re trying to be kind to them as well. When we’ve traveled with these and other friends we’ve experienced kindness and and sought to be kind as well. Today we met a couple from the area who gave us some good tips: places to see, hikes to take, and things to keep in mind. To receive and give kindness among friends is to be expected. To receive it from total strangers is a double blessing.
Paul receives kindness from his traveling companions – including Luke (cf. “we” in verse 1). This is to be expected. But I was struck by the kindness of a centurion of the Augustan Cohort. This is significant enough for Luke to mention his name and note his kindness. Aristarchus was with Paul when he delivered the offering for the poor in Jerusalem. He also was with Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. Julius is named only here in chapter 27. But his kindness is remarkable. Luke will mention him here as one who treated Paul kindly.
Jesus teaches, “The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward” (Matthew 10:41). Hebrews says we should not neglect to show hospitality because some have received angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). Julius’ kindness allowed for others to offer Paul loving care, attending to his needs. Julius furthered the cause of the gospel without even knowing it – as far as we know.
We may have the opportunity to show hospitality and kindness – which we should do just for kindness’ sake. But God’s agenda includes both the kindness received and the blessings that come with it. Those blessings flow down from person to person so that more and more people can hear of Jesus and believe in him.
I doubt that Julius realized how he was furthering the message of the gospel by showing kindness to Paul. The same may be true of us as well: we may not realize how our acts of kindness cause ripples of grace to extend from the epicenter of the act far beyond anything we would ever imagine.
David Bahn - Reflections 
Leave a comment