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THE SEA & THE SERPENT (9)

by Patrick Edwards

Scripture: Acts 27:1-44, Acts 28:1-10


Title: The Sea & The Serpent (9)
Series: On a Mission-The Life of Paul
Author: Patrick Edwards
Text: Acts 27:1-28:10

Introduction

[Happy St. Paddy's Day intro]

I love St. Patrick's Day. My family is of Welsh and Irish descent which is exactly where I got my name. St. Patrick's story is fascinating, [briefly summarize]. Of course, there is considerable legend and embellishment that has come to be associated with the patron saint of Ireland, one of which the story of St. Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland.

Now, scientists across the disciplines have essentially proven that there have never been snakes in Ireland, but the story is more symbolic than to be taken literally. You see, in the Christian faith snakes, or serpents, are generally a symbol of evil, going all the way back to the Garden of Eden and humanity's tempter coming in the form of a serpent. The Book of Revelation picks up on this symbol picturing Satan himself as a serpent or dragon, seeking to devour the people of God. And so, the legend of St. Patrick and the snakes is a metaphor for Patrick's work to drive paganism out of the Emerald Isle and bring the truth of Christianity to its people.

Symbolism is important. Just because a symbol is something that can't be taken literally doesn't make it untrue or insignificant. We use symbols to represent something big, maybe something that can't be seen or fully grasped, which is why the Bible is filled with various symbols, including evil itself, two of the most prominent being the serpent and the sea. We've already touched on the serpent a bit, but in the Hebrew mind, especially, the sea was seen as a chaotic force and a danger to life. Whether we're reading the very first verses [In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. GENESIS 1:1-2] of the Bible where God' ...

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