READ | ACTS CHAPTER 20
Through Macedonia and Greece
20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
DEVOTIONAL
People act differently when they know something is coming to an end. Like a teen who knows they only have a few more days of school until graduation. Or a child who only has a few more minutes to play at the arcade. Or even someone who learns they have an illness with only a few months to live. There is a sense of wanting to really experience all they can, to breathe it all in, and not take anything for granted.
We get a sense here in Acts 20 that Paul knows the powerful work of the past twenty years is drawing to a close. This will be his final major missionary journey. It will be the longest and most far-reaching from his home base in Antioch. Of what remained of this journey he would intentionally spend time investing in people, encouraging, equipping, and greatly strengthening the churches which had already been established. He would also take up a collection which would be brought back with him to financially help the church in Jerusalem. When Paul continues this roundabout journey to Jerusalem, he goes knowing that when he gets there he will be arrested and imprisoned. Some would use this as an excuse to not proceed and stay as far away from Jerusalem as possible, but Paul is obedient and forges ahead regardless of what has been foretold. On the way, Paul wanted to make the most of it. It was during this time when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians to correct some major issues that were happening in the church there. Paul is also once again joined by Luke in Phillipi whom he had left there in chapter 16. We also read that Paul, while in Troas for a limited amount of time, spends an entire day (and night) preaching to the church there. Paul preaches so long that Eutychus fell asleep and tumbled from the window he was perched in. Paul, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, brings the boy back to life and continues to preach until daybreak.
Verse 18 through 38 reads like a long heartfelt goodbye. For most of Acts, we see Paul the evangelist and apostle, but here we get a unique picture of the pastoral, shepherding side of Paul. Paul knows he will not see these people again who he had invested so much time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears into. Paul held nothing back from them, and they would also hold nothing back from him, which is why they walked 36 miles to meet with Paul for one last time. Paul was overcome with emotion as he shared with the leaders of the church of Ephesus, a rare sight for someone of Paul’s temperament. Paul warns them that after he has left, there will be those who will come into the church and try to corrupt the truth and distort the words of Jesus. If the enemies of Truth cannot destroy the church from the outside, they will attempt to destroy it from the inside. Paul’s words could not have been truer; within only a few years there would be handfuls of heretical teachings and false Gnostic gospels making their way through the early churches, drawing, enticing, and sifting many away from the truth.
Paul thought of and spoke of himself as a runner who had a race to finish. He mentions this in verse 24 and emphasizes how nothing would keep him from finishing his race with joy. It’s interesting how Paul speaks of my race; he had his race to run, the church leaders he was speaking to had their race, and each of us today has our own. But in each race, God calls us to finish it with joy. Even at this point, Paul had his death in mind. It would still be many years until Paul lost his life, but he considered that what he did with his life now was worth dying for. This idea is a worthy challenge to any Christian; Is the gospel you live out, and share with others, worth dying for? The gospel of moral reform and social justice is not worth dying for. The gospel of saving yourself through good works is not worth dying for. The gospel of self-improvement and behavioral change is not worth dying for. The gospel of religious traditions and duties is not worth dying for. The gospel of mysticism and spirituality void of Christ is not worth dying for. The only gospel worth dying for is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Tens of thousands of Christians would be willingly martyred over the centuries that followed because of this gospel. Jesus was worth it for them. Jesus was worth it for Paul. Is Jesus worth it for you? It’s fascinating to think of how much this segment of Paul’s life mirrored the life of Jesus. Like Jesus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem with a group of his disciples. Like Jesus, Paul was opposed by hostile Jews who plotted against his life. Like Jesus, Paul made or received three successive predictions of his coming sufferings in Jerusalem, including being handed over to the Gentile rulers. Like Jesus, Paul declared his readiness to lay down his life. Like Jesus, he was determined to complete his ministry and not be deflected from it. Like Jesus, Paul expressed his abandonment to the will of God and his desire to finish the race set before him.
If you’re interested in knowing what happened to the church in Ephesus after this tear-filled goodbye, you need only to read Revelations chapter two, which was written to this very church 40 years later.
We get a sense here in Acts 20 that Paul knows the powerful work of the past twenty years is drawing to a close. This will be his final major missionary journey. It will be the longest and most far-reaching from his home base in Antioch. Of what remained of this journey he would intentionally spend time investing in people, encouraging, equipping, and greatly strengthening the churches which had already been established. He would also take up a collection which would be brought back with him to financially help the church in Jerusalem. When Paul continues this roundabout journey to Jerusalem, he goes knowing that when he gets there he will be arrested and imprisoned. Some would use this as an excuse to not proceed and stay as far away from Jerusalem as possible, but Paul is obedient and forges ahead regardless of what has been foretold. On the way, Paul wanted to make the most of it. It was during this time when Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians to correct some major issues that were happening in the church there. Paul is also once again joined by Luke in Phillipi whom he had left there in chapter 16. We also read that Paul, while in Troas for a limited amount of time, spends an entire day (and night) preaching to the church there. Paul preaches so long that Eutychus fell asleep and tumbled from the window he was perched in. Paul, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, brings the boy back to life and continues to preach until daybreak.
Verse 18 through 38 reads like a long heartfelt goodbye. For most of Acts, we see Paul the evangelist and apostle, but here we get a unique picture of the pastoral, shepherding side of Paul. Paul knows he will not see these people again who he had invested so much time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears into. Paul held nothing back from them, and they would also hold nothing back from him, which is why they walked 36 miles to meet with Paul for one last time. Paul was overcome with emotion as he shared with the leaders of the church of Ephesus, a rare sight for someone of Paul’s temperament. Paul warns them that after he has left, there will be those who will come into the church and try to corrupt the truth and distort the words of Jesus. If the enemies of Truth cannot destroy the church from the outside, they will attempt to destroy it from the inside. Paul’s words could not have been truer; within only a few years there would be handfuls of heretical teachings and false Gnostic gospels making their way through the early churches, drawing, enticing, and sifting many away from the truth.
Paul thought of and spoke of himself as a runner who had a race to finish. He mentions this in verse 24 and emphasizes how nothing would keep him from finishing his race with joy. It’s interesting how Paul speaks of my race; he had his race to run, the church leaders he was speaking to had their race, and each of us today has our own. But in each race, God calls us to finish it with joy. Even at this point, Paul had his death in mind. It would still be many years until Paul lost his life, but he considered that what he did with his life now was worth dying for. This idea is a worthy challenge to any Christian; Is the gospel you live out, and share with others, worth dying for? The gospel of moral reform and social justice is not worth dying for. The gospel of saving yourself through good works is not worth dying for. The gospel of self-improvement and behavioral change is not worth dying for. The gospel of religious traditions and duties is not worth dying for. The gospel of mysticism and spirituality void of Christ is not worth dying for. The only gospel worth dying for is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Tens of thousands of Christians would be willingly martyred over the centuries that followed because of this gospel. Jesus was worth it for them. Jesus was worth it for Paul. Is Jesus worth it for you? It’s fascinating to think of how much this segment of Paul’s life mirrored the life of Jesus. Like Jesus, Paul traveled to Jerusalem with a group of his disciples. Like Jesus, Paul was opposed by hostile Jews who plotted against his life. Like Jesus, Paul made or received three successive predictions of his coming sufferings in Jerusalem, including being handed over to the Gentile rulers. Like Jesus, Paul declared his readiness to lay down his life. Like Jesus, he was determined to complete his ministry and not be deflected from it. Like Jesus, Paul expressed his abandonment to the will of God and his desire to finish the race set before him.
If you’re interested in knowing what happened to the church in Ephesus after this tear-filled goodbye, you need only to read Revelations chapter two, which was written to this very church 40 years later.
