Chapter Twenty

Paul’s journey through Macedonia and Greece and back to Troas (1–6). The resurrection of Eutychus by Paul in Troas (7–12). The further journey to Miletus (13–17). Paul’s farewell address to the elders of Ephesus (18–38)

Acts 20:2. Having passed through those regions and given the believers much encouragement, he came to Greece. “Having passed through those regions” in which Paul had previously founded Christian communities in Macedonia — see Acts 16:12-17:14. “He came to Greece” — that is, to Greece, which the author of Acts referred to above as Achaia (Acts 19:21). “Achaia” is the official Roman provincial name for Greece; “Greece” (Hellas) is the ancient popular name.

Acts 20:3. There he stayed three months. And when a plot was made against him by the Jews, as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. “He stayed three months” — the apostle probably spent a considerable part of this time in Corinth, where he would have first met Apollos. There is no indication that he visited Athens; the painful impression left by that city likely kept him from returning (Acts 17 ff.). The “plot of the Jews” against the apostle was probably also in Corinth, from which the apostle decided to travel to Syria, choosing a route through Macedonia and the communities of Asia Minor.

Acts 20:4. He was accompanied to Asia by Sopater of Pyrrhus from Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus. “Sopater of Pyrrhus” — the son of Pyrrhus, “a Berean,” from Berea — the first city the apostle would have reached on passing from Achaia into Macedonia — is probably the person mentioned by Paul in Rom 16:21. “From the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus.” “Aristarchus” is mentioned earlier — Acts 19:29; “Secundus” is not mentioned anywhere else in the apostolic Scriptures. “Gaius of Derbe” — from Derbe in Lycaonia, who should therefore apparently be distinguished from Gaius “of Macedonia,” mentioned earlier — Acts 19:29. “Timothy” — see Acts 16:1-3. “The Asians Tychicus and Trophimus” — the first is mentioned again in Eph 6:21; Col 4:7; 2 Tim 4:12; Titus 3:12; the second — a native Ephesian (Acts 21:29) — is mentioned in 2 Tim 4:20. All seven companions — three native Macedonians and the rest from Asia Minor — “accompanied” Paul “as far as Asia,” that is, proconsular Asia (cf. note to Acts 16). This does not exclude the possibility that some of those listed accompanied Paul further — to Jerusalem and then to Rome. Thus we see “Trophimus” with Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:29), and “Aristarchus” on the way to Rome with Paul (Acts 27:2). At Philippi in Macedonia (Acts 16:12) the author of Acts, Luke, rejoined Paul’s companions — having presumably stayed there (note to Acts 16:40) — which is why he now begins speaking in the first-person “we” (cf. Acts 16:10 ff.) rather than “they.”

Acts 20:5. They, going on ahead, waited for us in Troas. “They” — that is, the seven companions mentioned above — “waited for us” — that is, for Paul and Luke — in Troas (see note to Acts 16:8). The reason why Paul’s companions were sent on ahead is not stated; probably it was to arrange a more convenient voyage for Paul onward from Troas, and from the account of it one can surmise that Paul had a ship specially prepared for the journey.

Acts 20:6. But we, after the days of Unleavened Bread, sailed from Philippi and in five days came to them in Troas, where we stayed seven days. “After the days of Unleavened Bread” — that is, after the Jewish Passover feast (cf. Luke 22 and parallels), which Paul observed in his own way, in the spirit of Christian freedom and conviction, resting in observance of the commandment (Luke 23:56). “In five days we arrived... in Troas.” On the first occasion — from Troas to Philippi, prompted by a vision — the apostle had made this crossing even more quickly (cf. Acts 16 ff.).

Acts 20:7. On the first day of the week, when the disciples had gathered to break bread, Paul, intending to depart the next day, spoke with them and extended his address until midnight. “On the first day of the week” — that is, the first day after the Sabbath, our Sunday, at the early dawn of which the Lord rose (Matt 28 and parallels). “When the disciples” — that is, the Christians of Troas — “had gathered to break bread.” Although Chrysostom regards the “breaking of bread” mentioned here as a simple meal, others hold that this was a liturgical gathering at which the sacrament of the Eucharist, instituted by the Lord in remembrance of him, was celebrated, after which the so-called love feasts were held (see Acts 2:42). That this liturgical action in the apostolic Church was performed precisely “on the first day of the week” (i.e., Sunday) is evident partly from this passage in Acts, partly from Paul’s epistle 1 Cor 16:2, and above all from the unbroken tradition of the Church (cf. also Rev 1:10). “Extended his address until midnight.” The reason for such a lengthy gathering is attributed to Paul’s urgency — his intention to continue his journey the very next day. This was the conversation of a loving and beloved father and teacher with loving and beloved children and disciples at a final parting (cf. Acts 20:25). Neither teacher nor students, evidently, wished to interrupt this conversation, which stretched past midnight until dawn, after the incident with Eutychus and the celebration of the Eucharist (Acts 20:11).

Acts 20:8. There were many lamps in the upper room where we had gathered. “There were many lamps” — to lend special solemnity to the gathering, not merely to provide ordinary lighting for the meeting place.

Acts 20:9. During Paul’s lengthy address, a young man named Eutychus, who was sitting on a window sill, sank into a deep sleep and, losing his balance, fell from the third story and was picked up dead. The liturgical gathering was taking place in an upper room of the “third” story, “for,” as Chrysostom observes, “there was as yet no church building.” “The young man... Eutychus... sank into a deep sleep” — as Chrysostom notes, “not from laziness, but from natural necessity,” which attention to so unusually long a discourse could not overcome. “Was picked up dead” — that is, the examination of the fallen man led to the conclusion that he was dead.

Acts 20:10. Paul went down, fell upon him, and embracing him said: do not be troubled, for his soul is in him. “Fell upon him and embraced him.” In a similar manner the son of the widow of Zarephath was once raised by the prophet Elijah (1 Sam 17:21), and the son of the Shunammite woman by the prophet Elisha (2 Sam 4:34). “His soul is in him” — this expression does not mean that the young man’s soul was still in him and that he therefore had not died, but that his soul was again in him, that he was alive again, raised by the power of God through the apostle, who in his humility does not express this so directly, avoiding praise for the greatest miracle he had performed (cf. Chrysostom).

Acts 20:11. Then he went up and broke bread and ate, and talked with them for a long time, even until daybreak, and then he left. “Then he went up and broke bread.” This means that the breaking and eating of bread, as a liturgical action, had not yet been performed because of the length of the address Paul had offered, and only now, at the resumption of the discourse interrupted by the incident with Eutychus, does the apostle perform the breaking and eating of bread — which the other believers also partook of, though only Paul is mentioned, because the narrative is specifically about him. “And then he left” — more precisely in the Slavonic: «и тако изыде» — “and so he went,” that is, without allowing himself any rest.

Acts 20:12. Meanwhile the young man was brought back alive, and they were greatly comforted. Acts 20:13. We went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for so he had directed us, intending himself to go by land. “We” — that is, Paul’s companions — “went ahead” by ship to Assos, while Paul went there on foot. Although the historian offers no explanation for either the aim or the reason behind this decision by Paul, one may reasonably suppose that Paul felt the need to be alone for a day or two, to prepare his soul before God in private for the great events that awaited him soon. “Assos” — a harbor on the Troadic sea, 8 miles from Troas, to the south.

Acts 20:14. When he met up with us at Assos, we took him on board and arrived at Mitylene. “At Assos,” having joined his companions, they all set sail together and arrived at “Mitylene” (now Castro), the main city on the island of Lesbos, on its eastern shore.

Acts 20:15. And sailing from there, the next day we arrived opposite Chios, and the day after we put in at Samos and, having touched at Trogyllium, the following day we arrived at Miletus, “Chios,” “Samos” — islands visible from the coast of Asia Minor. “Trogyllium” — a coastal town to the south of Ephesus. “Miletus” — a maritime city (now Palatia), some 9 miles to the south of Ephesus.

Acts 20:16. for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so as not to lose time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. Paul’s fear of being delayed in Ephesus was well-founded, for with this chief Christian community in Asia Minor the apostle stood in especially close relations, and here too he had many opponents (1 Cor 16:9), all of which would inevitably have kept him there longer than he could afford. So he bypasses Ephesus, summoning to a meeting (in Miletus) only the presiding elders of Ephesus, with whom he holds so touching a farewell address.

Acts 20:17. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. “He called for the elders of the church” — according to the testimony of Irenaeus (Against Heresies III, 14, 2), not only the Ephesian elders but also those of other neighboring churches, which is not improbable, given that the apostle was in these regions for the last time (Acts 20:25).

Acts 20:18. When they came to him, he said to them: you know how, from the first day when I came to Asia, I was with you all the time, The apostle begins his address by bearing witness to his apostolic labors, which were his chief and almost sole concern, and with which all his adventures, privations, toils, and hardships were closely linked. The purpose of this candid declaration is not to overwhelm his listeners with a display of his spiritual greatness, but to preach Christ and to kindle in others the same zeal and the same love for Christ and his cause. “You know” — “It is remarkable,” says Chrysostom, “how he, when compelled to say something great about himself, tries to maintain humility... God does the same: He does not speak of Himself without reason, but when people do not believe Him, He recounts His acts of kindness (Ezek 16:6). See what Paul also does here: first, he appeals to their testimony, so that you will not think he is praising himself, and names the listeners as witnesses of what he says, to assure them that he is not lying to them. Here is the true virtue of a teacher — when he can present his disciples as witnesses of his good deeds!”

Acts 20:19. serving the Lord with all humility and with many tears, amid the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews; “With all humility.” Not simply “with humility,” but “with all” of it, for “there are many forms of humility: humility is manifested in word and in deed, in relation to superiors and in relation to subordinates” (Chrysostom). “And with many tears” (cf. Acts 20:31), “amid trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews.” According to Chrysostom’s interpretation, “here he (Paul) seems to express compassion; for he suffered for those who were perishing, for the very perpetrators of the afflictions, while rejoicing over what befell him; he belonged to those who rejoiced that they were ‘counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus’” (Acts 5:41).

Acts 20:20. how I did not hold back anything profitable from you that I did not proclaim to you and teach you, both publicly and from house to house, Acts 20:21. declaring to both Jews and Greeks repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. “Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord” — the essence of apostolic preaching in its practical application (cf. Acts 20:2:37-38).

Acts 20:22. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there; The apostle foretells the fate that awaits him, “to teach them to be ready for dangers, both visible and hidden, and to be obedient in all things to the Spirit” (Chrysostom). “Bound in the Spirit... not knowing what will happen to me there.” The ignorance concerns specifically the particulars of what is to befall the apostle; in general, however, by the revelation of the Spirit, he knows that “bonds and afflictions await him there.” “I know that trials await me, but what kind — I do not know” (Chrysostom, cf. Theophylact).

Acts 20:23. only the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. “The Holy Spirit testifies in every city” — probably through prophets like Agabus, who in the last city before Jerusalem, Caesarea, foretold bonds to the apostle (Acts 21:10-11).

Acts 20:24. But I do not count my life of any value or precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:25. And now, behold, I know that none of you all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face again. “I know that you all will see my face no more” — not only those present here, but also those whom you represent. This certainty was based on the testimonies of the Spirit in city after city, and perhaps also on his own inner presentiments, which accompanied the irresistible compulsion of the Spirit drawing him to Jerusalem.

Acts 20:26. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, “I am innocent of the blood of all” — guilty of no one’s perdition (Acts 18:6), since to prevent it he omitted nothing of his duties as a teacher. “While seemingly justifying himself, he nonetheless causes them to be on guard. I am innocent, he says, of the blood of all; but if you are weighed down by sleep and perish at the hands of a murderer of souls, it is because I have fulfilled the duty of a teacher” (Theophylact, cf. Chrysostom).

Acts 20:27. for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:28. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which he obtained for himself with his own blood. “Pay careful attention to yourselves” — not because saving oneself takes precedence over saving the flock, but because “when we pay attention to ourselves, the flock also benefits” (Theophylact). “The Holy Spirit has appointed you” — you were not appointed by men but by the Holy Spirit through election and ordination (Acts 16:23), and this is a special incentive to pay attention to yourselves and to the whole flock. “Overseers” — ἐπισκόπους — bishops. The speech is addressed to elders, but they are called bishops because of the identity of certain of their duties — essential duties better expressed by the word bishop than by the word elder. This does not mean that bishops and elders were not distinguished in their significance, duties, and rights in the Church at that time, although it is certain that they were sometimes not distinguished by name (cf. Theophylact). The same apostle draws a clear distinction between them when he assigns only to the bishop the authority and right to ordain and judge an elder (Titus 1:5; 1 Tim 5:22). The figurative expression “to shepherd the church” — the flock of God (John 10 ff.; John 21:15-17) — signifies the duties of elders as teachers of the faith and morals of the particular Christian community entrusted to them (1 Tim 5:17; Eph 4:11; 1 Pet 5:2), and in general as overseers and guardians of the flock against wolves and all that is harmful to it. “Which he obtained with his own blood.” Cf. Eph 1:14; Titus 1:14; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Cor 6:20. “There is great persuasion in these words, which show the preciousness of the object; and we face no small danger if the Lord, for the sake of the Church, did not spare his own blood, while we have no care for the salvation of the brethren” (Chrysostom).

Acts 20:29. For I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; Acts 20:30. and from among your own selves men will arise speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. “After my departure.” It is implied that the apostle’s presence among the Asian Christians was a hindrance to the wolves entering the flock, that they dared not attack while Paul was there. Now the apostle foretells “a twofold calamity: he will not be there, and others will attack...” (Chrysostom). “He did not simply say ‘wolves,’ but added ‘savage,’ wishing to express their power and ferocity; and what is most grievous is that these wolves, he says, ‘will arise from among your own selves’ — this is especially hard, when civil strife breaks out...” (Chrysostom). By “savage wolves” are meant here false teachers, whose false teaching, worse than any external persecution, will ravage the flock of God, corrupting and destroying not bodies, but the very souls of believers. There is no doubt that the God-inspired gaze of the apostle could penetrate the future without any indications or signs of it in the present. But it is also possible that the present itself already bore signs of a troubled future — signs that remained hidden from others less perceptive but not from Paul. He may already have noticed at this time seeds, imperceptible to others, from which dangerous fruit was eventually to grow. Ephesus was one of the central points of Asia Minor where the most significant religious and philosophical systems of East and West came into contact. The appearance of false teachers was therefore most naturally to be expected here, especially bearing in mind that barely three years after this the apostle found himself having to write against wolves that had appeared in Colossae, and subsequently in Ephesus (the Epistles to Timothy). Traces of false teachers appearing in Ephesus near this same time are also confirmed by the apocalyptic letters of John the Theologian, the Epistle of Jude, and the First Epistle of John the Theologian. Evidently, the prophecy of the Apostle Paul was fulfilled to the letter.

Acts 20:31. Therefore be vigilant, remembering that for three years, night and day without ceasing, with tears I instructed each one of you. “Be vigilant” — the same as “pay attention” (Acts 20:28). As the best encouragement for this, the apostle again points to his own unceasing intensified labors and hardships in building up the Christian communities. “Three years” — a round general number in place of a precise one: specifically, “three months” in the synagogue (Acts 19:8) and “two years” in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:10). “With tears...” (Acts 20:19). “I have done enough from my side: I stayed here three years; they have been sufficiently instructed, sufficiently confirmed” (Chrysostom).

Acts 20:32. And now I commend you, brothers, to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up further and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. “I commend you to God” (cf. Acts 14:23) “and to the word of his grace” — contained in the Holy Gospel, which, though it has the self-sufficient power to save you, nevertheless requires your own vigilance and effort. “Among all who are sanctified” — that is, those sanctified by the grace of the Lord and destined for eternal glory in the heavenly Kingdom (Matt 13:43).

Acts 20:33. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing: Acts 20:34. you yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my needs and the needs of those who were with me. Acts 20:35. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive. In conclusion to his heartfelt address the apostle, again calling those present as witnesses, points to his complete disinterestedness, which contributed to the success of his preaching, and exhorts others to the same. The fullness of the apostle’s disinterestedness extended so far that he not only took nothing even of the most basic necessities from others but did not wish to take them, and not only supported himself but also his companions by the labor of his own hands (Acts 18:3), so as to be a burden to no one and to give no occasion for reproach of self-interest (1 Cor 9 ff.; 2 Cor 11 ff.; 2 Cor 12 ff.; 2 Thess 3 ff.). “To help the weak” — specifically “the infirm” — ἀσθενούντων — by which in this case are meant those who are spiritually weak, who might have been scandalized had they seen the apostle living at the expense of those he taught, and might have suspected not only the sincerity of the teacher but also the worth of his teaching. Paul set a lofty example in this, even though the Lord and the apostle himself did not consider it unjust for the laborer to receive wages and sustenance from his labors (Matt 10 and parallel), and for the preacher of the Gospel to live from the proclamation of the Gospel (1 Cor 9:7-11 and parallel). “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” These words, attributed to the Lord, are not found in the Gospels. They are probably drawn from oral tradition and express the thought that Christian charity, by making a person better in a moral sense and placing him in better, law-appointed relations to his neighbors and to God, serves as the most reliable means of attracting the goodwill of God and of attaining earthly happiness and heavenly blessedness. “When a hungry person is given food, or a shivering person warm clothing — does he not feel himself happy at that moment? But the Lord assures us that at the same moment the one who gives is still more blessed. Where can this blessedness be found? In a God-loving and people-loving heart. In what does this blessedness consist? In the sense of the good being done and already done, in the witness of conscience, in the fulfillment of God’s will in us, in the joy over the neighbor whom we have made glad. Man, preserving within himself, though not in perfection, the image of the all-good God in whose likeness he was created, rejoices over all that is good, even when he merely hears of it: therefore it is natural for him to experience blessedness when he actually does it” (Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow). “There is one degree of blessedness — to renounce everything; another — to provide oneself with necessities; a third — to provide not only for oneself but for others as well; a fourth — not to take even when one is preaching and has the ability to take. It is not said, however, that to receive is a bad thing, but that it is better not to receive.” (Theophylact, cf. Chrysostom). Applied to the present case — apostolic preaching — the general saying of the Lord under examination has the following particular meaning: it is more blessed to give spiritual gifts than to receive temporal goods in return for them; it is more blessed to have complete disinterestedness in the work of preaching than to make use, though not unjustly, of recompense from those being taught.

Acts 20:36. When he had said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. Acts 20:37. Then there was much weeping among all of them, and they fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, Acts 20:38. grieving especially over the word he had spoken, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. A moving description of the beloved teacher’s farewell to his disciples.