Maybe a short reminder is appropriate here. We’re back to Acts 20 now. If you remember, Paul was in Ephesus in Acts 19. He had some success there, but was forced to leave as a result of the opposition of the artisans and the uproar they caused. So, from Ephesus he traveled north and west into Macedonia (20:1), then south to Greece and Corinth (20:2). He stayed in Corinth 3 months (20:3), and while he was there, wrote the letters to the Galatians and the Romans.
Now, Paul is still in Corinth when we pick up the account in the latter part of Acts 20:3. “And when Paul learned the Jews had formed a plot against him as he prepared to sail for Syria, he decided to go by land back through Macedonia.” Clearly, it was Paul’s intention to sail across the Mediterranean Sea from Corinth to Syria, possibly to spend time in Antioch, as he had done several times before. That the Jews wanted to kill Paul has been obvious from his conversion (Acts 9:23). We’ll see more of the same as we go through the remaining chapters of Luke’s account (Acts 23:12-13 and 25:3).
So, Paul retraces his journey back up through Greece and Macedonia to Philippi. He then sailed east across the Aegean Sea to Troas, where he rejoined Luke and the others (Acts 20:4-6). This brings us to verses 7-12 and the account of Paul’s long sermon (see verses 7, 9 and 11) and the sleeping Eutychus falling from a third story window, being taken up dead and Paul restoring him back to life. In verse 10 Paul embraces the dead Eutychus and says to those present, “Don’t be troubled, his life is in him.” The word translated “life” is psuche, and should be translated “soul”.
I mention this simply to make the point: as previously discussed, God is present at the instant of birth to place the immaterial, immortal soul in the body that has previously been supported by the mother’s womb as it developed. And, it is that soul that enables the body to function independent of that support. Life is the presence of the soul in the body; death is the absence of the soul (this truth was established with the first man in Genesis 2:7). Paul actually says, “Don’t worry, his soul is in him.” But, verse 9 is still true Eutychus was dead. I like to compare this to the account of Elijah bringing the widow’s son back to life in 2 Kings 17:17-24. In verses 21-22 the text is specific, the boy revived when the Lord heard Elijah’s request and sent the boy’s soul back to him.
Then from Troas Paul sails to Miletus. Now, Ephesus is between Troas and Miletus and Paul determined to not stop there. Luke says it was because he wanted to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost (verse 16). That was probably true, since that’s what Luke records. But, another reason Paul skipped Ephesus may have been that he was not anxious to see a repeat of the trouble he had experienced there just a short time before (probably about 15 months earlier). Further evidence of this is the fact that in verse 17 Paul sends word to the church in Ephesus to have the elders come to meet him in Miletus.
The rest of Acts 20 (verses 18-38) records Paul’s meeting with them and reveals not only his tender love and care for them, but also some indication of what awaits Paul in Jerusalem. He begins in verses 18-21 reminding them of his faithful ministry there. “You remember how I lived among you from the first day I arrived until the day I left, serving the Lord with all humility and tears, all the while being severely tested by the plots of the Jews against me. And how I did not hold anything back that would help you, teaching you in public meetings and in your houses. And I endeavored to reach both Jews and Greeks, teaching them they must turn to God in repentance and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I quote these verses to simply draw a comparison. There are those who may not agree with some of the things I teach, and they might want to argue with me, but they don’t try to kill me. It’s easy to read these accounts without any real thought of the dangers Paul faced and the resolve with which he carried on his ministry in real, hostile circumstances. But, he never felt sorry for himself or reached a point where he wanted to quit. He served the Lord absent any inflated opinion of himself (humility) and with a tenderness and heartfelt concern for those he was trying to reach (tears). Humanly speaking, he’ll always be my hero.
And when I read verses 22-24, my admiration of him grows. “And now I am going to Jerusalem, compelled by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there – except the fact that the Holy Spirit has made it clear to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me. However, my life means nothing to me, I only want to finish the course and the task the Lord has entrusted to me, that is, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.”
Here is yet another opportunity to remind you of what the Lord told Ananias about Paul in Acts 9:16, “I will make it clear to him what he must endure and how much he will suffer for My name’s sake.” Paul has just said in verse 23 above that it had been made clear to him, not just in a single, recent revelation, but constantly in city after city, that he was going to Jerusalem and would experience violent opposition.
I suspect that all through Paul’s third journey as he passed through Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and back again, the Holy Spirit was not just leading him in the day to day tasks of his ministry, but was also reminding him that he was getting closer and closer to the time he would go to Jerusalem and to the trouble that awaited him there. But, these constant reminders of what lie ahead did not affect his determination to be obedient. Then Paul tells them they will not see him again, that he’s not responsible for any who heard his message and failed to heed it and that he had not held back anything that pertained to the plan and purpose of God (verses 25-27).
This next section (verses 28-32) gives me the opportunity to emphasize the importance of studying the Bible, not in the order you find in most commercial translations, but in chronological order – paying particular attention to the timeline in which events actually occurred. “Be on guard both for yourselves and for the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Guide the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know full well that after I leave, wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from among this group, men will rise up and distort the truth in an effort to draw disciples away to their own party. So be on your guard and remember that for the space of three years both night and day with tears I warned you this could happen. And now I commit you to God’s care and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Did you recognize the direct nature of Paul’s warning here? He looked them in the eye and told them, “There will be those who will come to destroy the church, even some of you guys are going to try to tear up this church for your own selfish motives.” Could this be a result of the fact that in the past year Paul had written his letter to the church in Galatia warning them not to listen to the Judaizers that had insisted Gentile converts follow certain Old Testament rituals (circumcision was the main issue) – a clear distortion of the gospel message. Or that he had written to the church in Corinth (twice) to correct errors concerning factions, immorality and the misunderstanding and misuse of spiritual gifts. The reality of men trying to destroy the church would have been fresh on his mind.
Let’s put this in historical context. Paul has just charged the Ephesian elders with the responsibility of guiding the church. Then, in verse 32 he commits them to “God’s care and the word of His grace.” This phrase illustrates a truth that runs all through scripture from beginning to end. And the truth is that those responsible for the care and nurture of others in spiritual matters must carry out that responsibility on the basis of two things – their relationship with God and direct revelation from Him.
This is obviously true of the family priest and the Levitical priesthood in the Old Testament, then the believer priest in the New Testament (the article on the website “The Priesthood of the Believer” explains all this in detail). The verb “commit” in verse 32 is from paratithemi, literally, to put near, usually translated commit or entrust, in this context it indicates relationship. Then “word” is logos, used here to denote direct revelation (the “word of His grace” is the message explaining the favorable disposition God has towards those who accept His plan of redemption through Christ – the gospel message).
Was Paul’s message (remember that long sermon earlier in Troas) a result of hours of study, pouring over all the books he took with him on his journeys? Did he rely on various commentaries that told him what Jesus said and what the writer thought He meant? Those things didn’t exist. Paul’s message was gained through revelation over the past 22 years, or so, since his conversion.
What’s the point? The elders in Ephesus were not going to go home to their extensive libraries filled with other men’s opinions. They had to rely on their relationship with God and revelation. And history proves this was exactly what God intended. The existence today of the many different religious denominations and institutions, with distinct doctrinal differences, ever-changing moral standards and allegiance to varying traditions and rituals cannot be the result of direct revelation from God. The plan of God was for men to rely on Him for truth and when they abandoned that reliance, truth was lost and man’s religious institutions took its place.
One more thing, and I’ll shut up about this. Let me show you the bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament on this subject. In John 6:45 Jesus partially quotes Isaiah 54:13. This is Jesus, “It is written in the Prophets, And they shall all be taught (personally) by God.” Now this is what Isaiah said, some 750 years earlier, “And all your (spiritual) children shall be taught by the Lord and obedient to His will.”
I often make the point in conversations that one of the first things Jesus will do upon His return is abolish religion in all its forms and insist on allegiance to Him alone. And this fact begs the question, why would anyone want to participate in something the Lord is going to abolish when He returns to establish His earthly kingdom?
The rest of this chapter is about the emotional parting of Paul and the Ephesian elders and simply illustrates, again, the tender love and care they had for one another. Paul had spent several years with these people and their mutual affection was strong.