Bible Commentaries
Acts 20

Verse 1

1 Act 20:1. The uproar refers to the disturbances recorded in the preceding chapter. After some parting words, Paul left for Macedonia which was his previous purpose according to chapter 19:21.

Verse 2

2 Act 20:2. Paul spent some time with the churches in Macedonia, such as Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Greece was the province immediately south of Macedonia.

Verse 3

3 Act 20:3. Syria was a part of Asia, and it contained such important places as Troas and Ephesus. After spending some time in Greece, Paul intended crossing by water over to Asia. Hearing of a plot of some kind being formed by the Jews, he changed his plans and retraced his journey through Macedonia.

Verse 4

5 Act 20:4-5. These persons were associated with Paul in the good work, but were evidently not involved in the plot of the Jews. They went on ahead across the sea and stopped at Troas where they awaited the coming of Paul and Luke, he being with Paul as the first personal pronoun us denotes, and as he is the author of this book (chapter 1:1).

Verse 6

6 Act 20:6. Having been in Philippi some time (verse 3) on this return journey, he and Luke went aboard a ship bound for Troas, where the group of the preceding paragraph was waiting for them. Days of unleavened bread is mentioned only by way of indicating the date or time of year that had arrived.

Verse 7

7 Act 20:7. Break is from the same Greek word as it is in other places, regardless of whether a common meal is meant or that of the Lord's Supper. The connection must determine in each case as to what sense is used. In the present passage it could not mean a common meal, for the disciples would not come together for that purpose; they went "from house to house" (chapter 2:46). Likewise, they would not have done so especially on the Lord's day any more than on some other day. The conclusion, then, is that it means the Lord's Supper. Another unavoidable conclusion is that the Lord's Supper is to be observed by disciples who come together, and not done as a private performance in some convenient place suitable to the personal program of temporal entertainment. The preaching of Paul was incidental because he chanced to be present, not that they came together for that purpose. However, the incident gives us an apostolic precedent for having preaching at the time of the regular Lord's day assembly if a preacher is present. The long sermon was occasioned by the plans of Paul who intended continuing his journey the next day, and the interest in such a rare opportunity of hearing this great apostle held the services to the late hour.

Verse 8

8 Act 20:8. Lights is from the Greek word LAMPAS, which was a device used as a torch and was fed with olive oil. The writer had just stated that Paul continued his speech until midnight, and his mention of the many lights was to explain how an assembly could conveniently extend its services that far into the night.

Verse 9

9 Act 20:9. This verse is a simple statement of an event not especially important in itself, but furnishing an opportunity for Paul to work a miracle. The inspired writer is the one who says that the young man was taken up dead, so that it was not just the im-gination of an excited crowd.

Verse 10

0 Act 20:10. It should be observed that Paul said his life is in him after he had embraced him. The act of embracing the young man was when the miracle was performed that brought the life back into his dead body. ( See similar acts in 1Ki 17:21; 2Ki 4:34.)

Verse 11

1 Act 20:11. Broken bread. This was not the act for which the disciples had come together, for they did not know that such a lengthy service would be had when they assembled. But having been awake most of the night, and as Paul was soon to leave on a journey, it was courteous for them to set refreshments before him for his support.

Verse 12

2 Act 20:12. This verse is an afterthought upon the event of the miracle of verse 10, showing the joyful effect of the apostle's performance for the young man and friends.

Verse 13

3 Act 20:13. The entire group was making its way in the return from this third missionary journey, but Paul went on foot as far as Assos where the party was to join him.

Verse 14

4 Act 20:14. At Assos the boat landed and took in Paul, then proceeded and came to Mitylene, a town on the island of Lesbos.

Verse 15

5 Act 20:15. Three days after leaving Mitylene the group reached Miletus.

Verse 16

6 Act 20:16. Miletus was 36 miles south of Ephesus, and in the time of Paul it was on the coast. He did not wish to spend much time hi Asia (a small district in Asia Minor), because the feast of Pentecost was near at hand, and he was eager to be in Jerusalem at that time. For information about observing Jewish customs and days, see the comments at chapter 16:3 and 18:21.

Verse 17

7 Act 20:17. Paul knew he would lose less time by calling these elders to him while waiting for the ship to resume its journey, than for him to make this "detour" to Ephesus to see them. Chapter 14:23 states that Paul ordained elders in every church, and evidently that included those at Ephesus.

Verse 18

8 Act 20:18. The Ephesian elders complied with the request of Paul by coming to Miletus to meet him. This was to be a very important occasion, for Paul was to have a heart-to-heart talk with these rulers of the church, in which there will be some outstanding information that will be useful for all of us.

Verse 19

9 Act 20:19. These elders knew about the severe trials the apostles had suffered, for many of them had taken place in their city (chapter 19).

Verse 20

0 Act 20:20. That was profitable. The apostle never imposed any obligations or information upon the elders of the churches that would not be of assistance to them in their great work for the Lord. There are no "nonessentials" in the things the inspired writers have left to the world. Paul's teaching was done in the synagogue (publicly) and in the homes (from house to house).

Verse 21

1 Act 20:21. Repentance here seems to be required before faith, which is really not the order of the items pertaining to the Gospel. (See the comments at Mar 1:15.)

Verse 22

2 Act 20:22. The original word for bound is defined "To put under obligation" by Thayer. Paul was always guided in his teaching and conduct of his office as an apostle, by the Holy Spirit that was sent to "guide him into all truth" (Joh 16:13).

Verse 23

3 Act 20:23. The Spirit did not give Paul the details of what was to come upon him, but he was told that he was to have a hard time. This "blanket" information really made a severer test of his faith than a minute statement might have been.

Verse 24

4 Act 20:24. None of these things move me means that Paul was not disturbed by the prospect of persecutions, nor did he let it change his purpose to serve Christ faithfully to the end. Finish my course with joy. The true servant of God expects to receive his reward at the end of the race, not while the conflict of this life is going on. The ministry refers to the charge delivered to Paul to "fight the good fight" (2Ti 4:7) by testifying for the Gospel.

Verse 25

5 Act 20:25. Paul did not make this sad prediction by inspiration. He did not know what particular experiences were awaiting him, but he knew that he would not be permitted to labor among the churches as extensively as before.

Verse 26

6 Act 20:26. Take you to record means he was testifying to these elders with regard to his work among them. Pure from the blood denotes that he would not be held responsible for any unfavorable lot that might come upon them in the future.

Verse 27

7 Act 20:27. This verse explains the statement in the preceding one. A preacher of the Gospel may not have the ability or opportunity to declare everything that pertains to the plan of salvation, and if so he will not be held accountable for such lack. But if he shuns or evades to proclaim- a single requirement of the counsel of God that he could have made known, he will be charged with the full results of such evasion of duty.

Verse 28

8 Act 20:28. Overseers is from EPIS-KOPOS and is the same word that is translated "bishop" in other passages. The word is defined by Thayer, "An overseer, any curator, guardian or superintendent." There is but one class of ruling officers in the church of the New Testament, and they are called by the three words, elders, overseers and bishops. The exception is the case of evangelists who have charge of churches not having elders (Tit 1:5). God is the family name of the Deity, of which Christ is a member, making that word his own name as well as that of his Father. Hence the name church of God is equivalent to "church of Christ." It is his church because he purchased it with his own blood. The elders are commanded to feed this church which is likened to a flock, and the word in the original is POIMAINO, which is also defined, "To rule, govern." The Holy Ghost makes men overseers by revealing the qualifications and manner of appointment of such officers (1Ti 3:1-7; Tit 1:6-9).

Verse 29

9 Act 20:29. The warning of this verse refers to false teachers from the outside, who would creep into the congregation and corrupt the members.

Verse 30

0 Act 20:30. Of your own selves means that false teachers would arise among the elders. It is a fact borne out by history, that the great apostasy known as the "Dark Ages," was started within the eldership of the church, but this is not the most appropriate place to go into the details of that subject.

Verse 31

1 Act 20:31. The three main duties of the elders are to feed, rule and watch. The first two are commanded in verse 28, and the third is stated here. Heb 13:17 states for what or why the rulers are to watch, namely, for the souls of the flock, because the elders will have to give an account of their work with the members of the flock. The warning of three years included that recorded in chapter 19:8, 10.

Verse 32

2 Act 20:32. Commend you to God denotes that he advised them to look to God and to his word. That word is able to build them up or edify them in their work for Him. Such a life would make them heirs of the reward that is prepared for all who are sanctified or set apart for the service of the Lord.

Verse 33

3 Act 20:33. Paul was not preaching the Gospel with the motive of obtaining the personal possessions of the brethren.

Verse 34

4 Act 20:34. As proof of the preceding statement, Paul reminded them of his manual labor for the temporal support, of himself and his traveling companions. (See chapter 18:3.) Not that it would not have been right for him to receive financial support in his work, for he taught elsewhere that such support would have been right (1Co 9:4 1Co 9:14). But he refers to his own secular work as proof that temporal support was not his purpose in preaching the Gospel.

Verse 35

5 Act 20:35. Another purpose Paul had in his manual labor was to set an example of working to supply the needs of those who cannot work. The words of Jesus quoted are not recorded elsewhere in the New Testament, but Paul could repeat them by inspiration.

Verse 36

8 Act 20:36-38. This paragraph does not require any particular explanation. It is a word picture of a very pathetic leave-taking between Paul and the elders. His conviction that they would never meet again was the saddest item in the circumstance. The labors in the midst of many trials and persecutions for the cause of Christ, had a tendency to bind the followers of the Lord close together. The manner of embracing upon the neck was a custom of those times. The elders went with Paul as far as they could, then parted from him as he entered the ship.