Acts Chapter 20 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Acts 20:1
After the furor died down, Sha'ul sent for the talmidim and encouraged them, then took his leave and set out on his way to Macedonia.
The "uproar" that is spoken of is the riot that broke out in Ephesus in chapter 19. After that died down, he called the believers and said farewell and headed for Macedonia (Europe).
Acts 20:2 & 3
He went through that area, and, after saying much to encourage them, passed on to Greece, where he spent three months. As he was preparing to set sail for Syria, he discovered a plot against him by the unbelieving Jews; so he changed his mind and decided to return by way of Macedonia.
Paul ended up in Greece where he shared the gospel for three months. He had planned to board a ship and head back to Syria but God had other plans. Many Jews were upset because Paul was telling the people that they did not have to obey the Law of Moses to be saved so they planned to attack him. God then sent him back the way he had come.
Acts 20:4 & 5
Sopater from Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; as did Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. These men went on and waited for us in Troas,
Paul's ministry at this point was a team effort as many that had accepted Christ began to serve God with Paul. This team went on ahead of Paul and waited for him at Troas. This is a picture of believers working together to simply tell people about Jesus and more of the same should happen today as time is getting shorter. As Christians, we are all on the same team and, if we get out of the way and let Jesus lead the team, He will do great things.
Acts 20:6
while we sailed from Philippi after the Days of Matzah. Five days later, we met them in Troas, where we spent a week.
Paul stayed in Philippi to spend the Feast of Unleavened Bread and we may ask ourselves why he observed this or any other Jewish feast. We remember that Paul was taught the Old Testament by one of the most famous Jewish teachers before he came to Christ. After he accepted Christ, Paul was able to understand the meaning of these feasts and how they all pointed to Jesus even before He came into the world. For the Jews, this particular feast was a remembrance of the deliverance of God's people from slavery in Egypt but, for Christians, it was also a picture of the coming of Jesus to deliver us from the slavery of sin.
Acts 20:7
On Motza'ei-Shabbat, when we were gathered to break bread, Sha'ul addressed them. Since he was going to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight.
The body of believers met on the first day of the week (Sunday). This did not change the Sabbath day as many say but was simply a time where they got together and worshiped the Lord. We are called to worship every day and so we can worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) and on the first day (Sunday) as well as the other five days of the week. They broke bread as Jesus had instructed at His last supper and shared the Word.
Acts 20:8
Now there were many oil lamps burning in the upstairs room where we were meeting,
They were not hiding in fear as, with lights burning in the middle of the night, it would have been obvious to others that they were meeting.
Acts 20:9 & 10
and there was a young fellow named Eutychus sitting on the window-sill. As Sha'ul's drash went on and on, Eutychus grew sleepier and sleepier; until finally he went sound asleep and fell from the third story to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead. But Sha'ul went down, threw himself onto him, put his arms around him and said, "Don't be upset, he's alive!"
In the face of tragedy, Paul sprang into action and simply trusted God to bring the young man back to life. We may say that Paul was special (and he was) but that same power is available to us today. Paul acted in faith and, if we act in faith, God will answer our prayers as well.
Acts 20:11
Then he went back upstairs, broke the bread and ate. He continued talking with them till daylight, then left.
Wouldn't you love to have miracles (like the young man being brought back to life) be almost routine? The simple fact of the matter is that God wants to do amazing things through His people but it requires faith on our part to ask for the amazing things with the expectation that they are coming. That's what Paul did and then he simply went back to the preaching. Remember that he was planning to travel the next day but he stayed all night and preached the Word. How many people do you know that would do that instead of saying that they had to get their rest and turning in for the night? God used Paul in a mighty way because he completely sold out and simply followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. We can do the same!
Acts 20:12
So, greatly relieved, they brought the boy home alive.
Why does God perform miracles? It is to bring glory to His name and this is a good example. You can almost picture the people walking the young man home and praising God for bringing him back to life.
Acts 20:13
We went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, where we were planning to take Sha'ul aboard - he had arranged this because he wanted to go there by land.
We do not know why Paul walked the twenty miles from Troas to Assos. It is possible that he used it as a time of solitude and prayer to strengthen himself for the events to come in Jerusalem. It is likely that he also shared the gospel along the way.
Acts 20:14-16
After he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day, we sailed from there and arrived off Chios; the following day, we crossed over to Samos; and the day after that, we reached Miletus. For Sha'ul had decided to bypass Ephesus on his voyage, in order to avoid losing time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to get to Yerushalayim, if possible in time to celebrate Shavu'ot.
This passage gives us the sense of urgency that Paul felt to get to Jerusalem. In spite of the hardship that he knew was coming, Paul was trying to get there by the day of Pentecost. This day of Pentecost is talking about the Jewish festival called Shavuot which means "weeks". This was a feast celebrating the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and was also the first day that men could bring the first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. Paul knew that his life was being poured out for the Lord and he expected the persecution that was to come in Jerusalem. Still, he was going to present himself in the Temple as a type of first fruits just as Jesus did.
Acts 20:17
But he did send from Miletus to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Messianic community.
Even though Paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, he made time to talk to the Christian leaders from Ephesus.
Acts 20:18 & 19
When they arrived, he said to them, "You yourselves know how, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with much humility and with tears, in spite of the tests I had to undergo because of the plots of the unbelieving Jews.
When the leaders from Ephesus arrived, Paul began by reminding them of his service. Paul had not only proclaimed the gospel in the province but he also had demonstrated it as well. He also reminded them of the opposition that he had faced from the established religious leaders.
Acts 20:20 & 21
You know that I held back nothing that could be helpful to you, and that I taught you both in public and from house to house, declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and Greeks alike: turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
Paul reminds the Ephesian elders that he did not hold back anything in his teaching but shared it all publicly with anyone who would listen. There are many today that want to just tickle the ears of people and not really teach them how to follow Jesus because they don't want to offend anyone. The simple fact of the matter is that there are parts of the Bible that will offend each of us because we all have areas of our lives that do not match God's desire for our lives. The Word can bring us to repentance but you will not change if you aren't made aware of the problem and that is why all of the Word must be preached.
Acts 20:22 & 23
"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Yerushalayim. I don't know what will happen to me there, other than that in every city the Ruach HaKodesh keeps warning me that imprisonment and persecution await me.
Paul doesn't know the details of what is coming but he knows that it is not going to be easy. Even though he knows that he is facing this hardship, the Spirit is "compelling" him to go to Jerusalem. God grants us "free will" to do or not do things but He will give us guidance as to what He wants us to do. This is what Paul is talking about and Paul has made it a habit to listen and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 20:24
But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Yeshua - to declare in depth the Good News of God's love and kindness.
Paul is willing to die in his efforts to share the gospel. He is focused on the task at hand and convinced that, even if he dies, he will be better off with Jesus. That may seem like radical faith to us but, if you think about it, why should we fear going to be with the Lord? Fear is not from God it is a tool that the devil uses to get us to take our focus off of the task at hand which is sharing the gospel. Paul knew that and we can too!
Acts 20:25-27
"Now, listen! I know that none of you people among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I testify on this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. For I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole plan of God.
Paul tells the Ephesian elders that he knows that they will not ever see him again. He then goes on to explain how he is innocent of the blood of men because he shared the gospel. This is from Ezekiel 3:17-19 where God talks about being a watchman for the people. We must understand that God has made all of us who are Christians to be watchmen for the world. If we do not share the gospel with the people we come into contact with, we can be guilty of their blood if they die without Christ.
Acts 20:28
"Watch out for yourselves, and for all the flock in which the Ruach HaKodesh has placed you as leaders, to shepherd God's Messianic community, which he won for himself at the cost of his own Son's blood.
Paul urges the elders to not only watch over the believers but also to watch over themselves as he knows that there will be attacks. He reminds them to be shepherds and that the "church" was bought at a heavy price. A shepherd's main job is to protect the flock and so Paul urges them to be watchful.
Acts 20:29-31
I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you; and they won't spare the flock. Even from among your own number, men will arise and teach perversions of the truth, in order to drag away the talmidim after themselves. So stay alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, with tears in my eyes, I never stopped warning you!
Now, Paul warns them of the dangers that face them and the worst of all is distorting the gospel. Paul even warns the Ephesian elders that, some from their own number, will distort the Word of God to get people to follow them. It seems that Paul could be talking about many people today as it seems that "churches" are in a competition to be the biggest or have the most programs. Many today are seeking numbers instead of the lost and distorting the Word to draw people in instead of proclaiming the Word to lead people to salvation. This is just what Paul was warning them (and us) about.
Acts 20:32
"And now I entrust you to the care of the Lord and to the message of his love and kindness, for it can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who have been set apart for God.
Paul was a man of prayer and here he tells the Ephesian elders that he has prayed for them and placed them in God's loving hands. He also encourages them as he reminds them that they have an inheritance. We can take encouragement from this as well because we share in that same inheritance.
Acts 20:33-35
"I have not wanted for myself anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided not only for my own needs, but for the needs of my co-workers as well. In everything I have given you an example of how, by working hard like this, you must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua himself, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.'"
Paul is encouraging the Ephesian elders to be humble even as they are in a position of leadership. He reminds them that, even though he deserved to be supported, he worked to support the ministry that God had given him. It seems that much of this teaching has been lost on the leaders of today as many are more of the boss behind the desk type instead of the getting your hands dirty actually laboring in the gospel. Paul, one of the greatest "church leaders" ever, got out of the office and worked to support his ministry. In doing this, he was a great example to the early church as well as to us.
Acts 20:36-38
When he had finished speaking, Sha'ul kneeled down with them all and prayed. They were all in tears as they threw their arms around his neck and kissed him farewell. What saddened them the most was his remark that they would never see him again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Even as Paul is heading for severe persecution, he bows with the elders from Ephesus to pray for them. What an impression that must have left on the elders!