Chapter 20 Acts 20
Paul Leaves Ephesus for Macedonia and Achaia (vv.1-6)
After the uproar died down, Paul called together the believers and with words of encouragement said good-bye to them. Then he left and went on to Macedonia. a 2 He went through those regions and encouraged the people with many messages. Then he came to Achaia, b 3 where he stayed three months. He was getting ready to go to Syria when he discovered that the Jews were plotting against him; c so he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 d Sopater e son of Pyrrhus, from Berea, went with him; so did Aristarchus f and Secundus, g from Thessalonica; Gaius, h from Derbe; Tychicus i and Trophimus, j from the province of Asia; and Timothy. k 5 They went ahead and waited for us l in Troas. 6 We sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later we joined them in Troas, m where we spent a week.
Interesting Stuff:
a Luke does not mention how long they stayed in Macedonia. Paul probably visited all the churches he had set up during his second missionary journey, namely Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea.
b This was probably a reference to the stay in Corinth, the capital of Achaia. These would be the winter months when ships did not sail regularly.
c Paul sought to sail for Palestine-Syria, doubtless intending to reach Jerusalem in time for the great pilgrim festival of Passover. But a plot to kill him at sea was uncovered, and he decided to travel overland through Macedonia. During this season there would probably be great numbers of Jews going to Jerusalem for Passover or for Pentecost, the latter being the favourite occasion for pilgrims to visit the city. Presumably it would not be difficult for the Jews to seize the opportunity to attack Paul on board.
d These men seemed to be the delegates appointed to accompany Paul and the money collected for the needy in Judea (2 Co 8:19-24). Three were from Macedonia, two from Galatia and two from Asia. Luke may have joined them at Philippi (see v. 6).
e This could be the same as the Sosipater who was mentioned in Ro 16:21, one of Paul’s relatives.
f See chap 19, note v.
g His name is not mentioned anywhere else. His name means ‘second’.
h A Gauis from Macedonia was with Aristarchus in Ephesus (19:29). However, the groupings of the names here suggests that this Gauis was associated with the Roman province of Galatia and is different from the Macedonian Gauis.
i Tychicus was a constant help to Paul, especially in association with the churches of Asia. He was mentioned in some of Paul’s letters.
j Trophimus was from Ephesus and was probably a Gentile. He was with Paul later in Jerusalem when Paul was arrested (see 21:29).
k Timothy had been sent ahead together with Erastus by Paul before he left for Ephesus (19:22).
l Luke seemed to have joined Paul’s party again. Together this group with Paul stayed on in Philippi and only left to join the rest after the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
m See chap 16, note j. Troas was where Paul had the vision of a man calling him to help them in Macedonia. This was the city for Paul and those who stayed behind to meet with those who had gone on ahead by sea from Neapolis, the seaport of Philippi.
Questions:
What did Paul do after the uproar had died down (v. 1)?
2. Give a brief description of Paul’s journey after he left Ephesus (vv. 2-6).
3. List the names of his travelling companions and where they were from (vv. 4-5).
Summary of Section:
- After the uproar died down, Paul called together the believers, encouraged them and then left for Macedonia.
- He went through the regions there and encouraged the people and then came to Achaia where he stayed for three months.
- He was getting ready to go to Syria when he heard that the Jews were plot- ting against him.
- So he decided to go back through Macedonia, and later arrived at Philippi.
- The following people travelled with him – Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia, and Timothy.
- From Philippi, Paul together with Luke and some others sailed to Troas after the Festival of Unleavened Bread to meet up with those who had gone ahead of them.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke’s account of Paul’s return visit to Macedonia and Achaia is very brief and does not tell us what happened. However, references to his letters of 2 Corinthians and Romans which were written during this time help to fill us with some details.
- Leaving Ephesus, Paul went to Troas. There he hoped to find Titus, whom he had earlier sent to Corinth to deal with and report on the situation in the church there (2 Co 2:12-13). Not finding him and being disturbed about conditions at Corinth, he went on to Macedonia hoping to meet him there sooner. In Macedonia (probably at Philippi) Paul met Titus, who brought him reassuring news about the church at Corinth (2 Co 7:5-16). In response to the triumphs and con- tinuing problems that Titus told him about, Paul sent back to the church the letter known as 2 Corinthians.
- One activity that especially con- cerned Paul at this time was collect- ing money for the relief of the believ- ers at Jerusalem who were poor. He instructed the churches in Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia about this (Ro 15:25-32; 1 Co 16:1-4). Paul saw it as an act of love and a symbol of unity that would help his Gentile converts realise their debt to the mother church in Jerusalem and give Jewish Christians an appreciation of the vitality of faith in the Gentile churches. He was thus taking the money collected to the church in Jerusalem.
- It is believed that it was in Corinth, before his final trip to Jerusalem, that Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome (Ro 15:17-33). The Greek world in the eastern part of the empire had been evangelised and he desired to transfer his ministry to the Latin world, as far west as Spain (Ro 15:24). He anticipated using the Roman church as his base of opera- tions, much as he had previously used the church at Antioch in Syria. But first he needed to go to Jerusalem with the collection from the Gentile Christians. So, instead of going to Rome at this time and in preparation for his future visit – and also to expound the righteousness of God – Paul sent a formal letter to the Christians at Rome (the longest and most systematic of his writings).
- One point to note is that Paul hardly ever travelled alone. It is clear from his missionary journeys that he was in favour of team work. The men listed here came from the different regions that Paul had evangelised and they must have been the fruits of his work there.
Paul Raises Eutychus from the Dead in Troas (vv. 7-12)
7 On Saturday evening n we gathered together for the fellowship meal. o Paul spoke to the people and kept on speaking until midnight, since he was going to leave the next day. 8 Many lamps were burning in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 A young man p named Eutychus was sitting in the window, and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus got sleepier and sleepier, until he finally went sound asleep and fell from the third storey to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead. 10 But Paul went down and threw himself on him q and hugged him. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he is still alive!” 11 Then he went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. After talking with them for a long time, even until sunrise, Paul left. 12 They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Interesting Stuff:
n Other versions translate this as ‘the first day of the week’ or Sunday. The mention of their meeting ‘on the first day of the week’ is the earliest unambiguous evidence we have for Christians gathering together for worship and to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on that day. The Christians met in the evening, which was probably the most convenient time because of the necessity of working during the day.
o This refers to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
p Although in this verse, Eutychus is described as a young man, in verse 12, the term used is young lad’, referring to someone from age 8-12.
q In an action similar to that of Elijah with the son of the widow of Zarephath and Elisha with the son of the Shunammite woman, Paul ‘threw himself on him and hugged him’, restoring Eutychus to life. As Peter raised Dorcas (cf. 9:40), so also Paul raised Eutychus.
Questions:
In which city did this gathering take place (v. 7)?
2. Describe what Paul and the believers were doing at this gathering (vv. 7-8).
Describe what happened to Eutychus as Paul continued to speak (v. 9).
3. What did Paul do for him (v. 10)?
Who else also raised someone from the dead (9:40)?
Describe briefly the circumstances in which this miracle was performed (9:36-42).
4. What took place after that (vv. 11-12)?
Summary of Section:
- On Saturday evening, the believers gathered together for the fellowship meal.
- Paul spoke to the people until past midnight because he was leaving the next day.
- A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul kept on talking, he grew sleepier and sleepier until he fell sound sleep and fell from the third storey to the ground.
- When they picked him up, he was dead.
- Paul went down, threw himself on him and hugged him. He told the people not to worry because Eutychus was still alive.
- Paul then went back upstairs, broke bread and ate with the people. He kept talking until sunrise and then left.
- The believers took Eutychus home alive and were greatly comforted.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke himself was present on this occasion so that he was able to supply several eyewitness details, like the time of service, the house and even the lamps burning in the upstairs room.
- Eutychus might have been bored by Paul’s long discussion, though Luke’s reference to the many torch lamps in the room suggests that lack of oxygen and the effect of flickering flames caused Eutychus’ drowsiness. But whatever its cause, his fall brought the meeting to a sudden and shocking halt. They dashed down and found him dead.
- There is no hint that Paul took the incident as a rebuke for long-winded- ness. Nor were the people troubled by the meeting’s length. They were eager to learn and only had Paul with them a short time.
- It was an evening of great significance for the church at Troas: Paul had taught them, they had fellowshipped together in the Lord’s Supper, and they had witnessed a dramatic sign of God’s presence and power. No wonder Luke says that they ‘were greatly comforted’.
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders at Miletus (vv 13-28)
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed off to Assos, r where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had told us to do this, because he was going there by land. 14 When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. s 15 We sailed from there and arrived off Chios t the next day. A day later we came to Samos, u and the following day we reached Miletus. v 16 Paul had decided to sail on by Ephesus, so as not to lose any time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to arrive in Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, w if at all possible.
17 From Miletus Paul sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders x of the church to meet him. 18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You know how I spent the whole time I was with you, from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19 With all humility and many tears I did my work as the Lord’s servant during the hard times that came to me because of the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I did not hold back anything that would be of help to you as I preached and taught in public and in your homes. 21 To the Jews and Gentiles alike I gave solemn warning that they should turn from their sins to God and believe in our Lord Jesus. 22 And now, in obedience to the Holy Spirit y I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit has warned me that prison and troubles wait for me. 24 But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do, which is to declare the Good News about the grace of God.
25 “I have gone about among all of you, preaching the Kingdom of God. And now I know that none of you will ever see me again. 26 So I solemnly declare to you this very day: if any of you should be lost, I am not
responsible. 27 For I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God. 28 So keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be shepherds z of the church of God, which he made his own through the sacrificial death of his Son. 29 I know that after I leave, fierce wolves a’ will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. 30 The time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them. 31 Watch, then, and remember that with many tears, day and night, I taught every one of you for three years.
32 “And now I commend you to the care of God and to the message of his grace, b’ which is able to build you up and give you the blessings God has for all his people. 33 I have not wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that I have worked with these hands of mine to provide everything that my companions and I have needed. 35 I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, c’ ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.’ ”
36 When Paul finished, he knelt down with them and prayed. 37 They were all crying as they hugged him and kissed him good-bye. 38 They were especially sad because he had said that they would never see him again. And so they went with him to the ship.
Interesting Stuff:
r Assos was on the opposite side of the peninsula from Troas, about 32 km (20 miles) away by land. Paul chose to go by land. The sea journey was longer and could be stormy.
s Mitylene was the chief town with a splendid port on the island of Lesbos, the largest of the islands around this region.
t Chios was a larger island which lay along the west coast of Asia Minor.
u Samos was one of the most important islands south of Ephesus.
v Miletus was 48 km (30 miles) south of Ephesus, the destination of the ship Paul was on. He would have had to change ships if he wanted to go to Ephesus, and this would have lost him time.
w 16 days had already gone by, leaving only about two-thirds of the time for the remainder of the trip.
x The importance of having elders to take care of churches has been evident throughout Paul’s ministry. It appeared that as far as possible Paul appointed elders in every church that started under his ministry (see 14:23).
y Paul did not go to Jerusalem against the direction of the Spirit, as some have suggested, but because of the guidance of the Spirit. People pleaded with him not to go (21:4, 12), not because the Spirit prohibited his going but because the Spirit revealed the capture that awaited him there (21:11-12).
z The term which Paul uses here is ‘guardians’ or ‘pastors’. It conveys the idea of spiritual oversight and pastoral care. Their task is to pastor or care for the church over which God had appointed them as guardians.
a’ This would probably refer to those teachers teaching false doctrine or heresy. They would come in from the outside and lead people astray, especially after Paul was no longer there to counteract them. This certainly happened in Corinth (see 2 Co 10-13) where there were people teaching ‘another gospel’.
b’ The word ‘grace’ is a particularly Pauline word, used by him to express the free undeserved love of God poured out to save sinners.
c’ The phrase ‘remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said’ was a saying regularly used in the early church to introduce a quotation from Jesus. This is a rare instance of a saying of Jesus that is not found in the Gospels.
Questions:
Describe briefly Paul’s journey until his arrival in Miletus (vv. 13-15).
2. Why didn’t Paul want to go to Ephesus (v. 16)?
What did he do in order to meet up with the elders from the church in Ephesus (v. 17)?
3. Describe briefly Paul’s farewell message to the elders (vv. 18-35).
4. How did the elders respond to Paul after he finished speaking to them (vv. 36-38)?
Summary of Section:
- Paul left for Assos by land while Luke and the others went by ship. They met in Assos where they took Paul on board.
- They then sailed to Mitylene, Chios, Samos and finally reached Miletus. Paul did not want to waste time in Asia by going to Ephesus because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.
- So he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him in Miletus.
- When they arrived, he spoke to them. He reminded them firstly of his life and ministry to them in Ephesus. He spoke of his humility, suffering and testing at the hands of the Jews. He also reminded them of his faithful preaching and teaching ministry to both Jews and Gentiles.
- He then told them of his future sufferings. He felt compelled to go to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what would await him there. He only knew that in every city he would face prison and trouble. But his concern was not his life but to finish the task of declaring God’s Good News which Jesus had given to him. He told them that his conscience was clear and he was not responsible if anyone of them was lost.
- He then exhorted the elders to be watchful and to guard and care for themselves and for God’s flock which He had entrusted to their care. They were to watch out for those wolves from within and from outside who would come and teach false doctrine that would lead God’s people astray. He then commended them to God and His word of grace which would be able to build them up and give them His blessings.
- He ended by reminding them that he had never coveted anything of theirs but had worked hard to support himself and his companions. They were to follow his example of hard work in order to help the weak. He reminded them that Jesus had said that it was more blessed to give than to receive.
- Then he knelt down with them and prayed. They were all crying as they hugged and kissed him goodbye. They were all sad because he had told them that they would never see him again.
- They then followed him to the ship.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Luke gives us a very breathless account of Paul’s journey from Troas to Miletus because he mentioned that Paul was in a hurry. The ship evidently sailed each day and anchored at night because the winds over the Aegean Sea during the summer blew from the north early in the morning and in late afternoon there would be no more wind.
- Although Ephesus was only 48 km (30 miles) from Miletus, the road over- land was longer. It must have taken the messenger about three days to travel to Ephesus and bring the elders back to Miletus.
- Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem was directed by the Holy Spirit and he went in obedience even though he knew that he would face imprison- ment and suffering as foretold him by the Spirit. Nothing, however, would also keep him from completing his ministry of testifying to the grace of God throughout the eastern part of the empire by taking to the Jerusalem believers the money sent by Gentile believers in Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia.
- Paul calls the elders to first keep watch over themselves and then over the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them responsible. They could not care adequately for others if they neglected the care of their own souls. The second need for watchful- ness was the wolves, that is, the false teachers. Paul knew that these, arising from both inside and outside the church, would after his departure, come in and lead the sheep astray with their distortion of the truth. This was what happened if we read his letters to Timothy and in the letter to Ephesus in Rev 2:1ff.
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