acts 20:1 - 20:2: end of the third missionary journey
1. After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken
his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia.
2. When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece.
paul wraps up the third missionary journey (1-3a):
paul, having spent two years in ephesus, heads back into greece via macedonia.
his 3 months in greece are probably largely in corinth...
unspoken things happening in this time:
1. turmoil in corinth leading to his visit
what isn't stated in acts is filled in a bit in 2 corinthians.
basically, during this time, a ton of other things are happening. epistiles are flying, corinth
needs serious work, etc...
for reference only ... a rough timeline of pauls interaction with corinth
1. Paul Visits Corinth For The First Time - Acts 18 (Date : 51/52 AD)
2. Paul Leaves Corinth - Acts 19:10
3. Paul Writes First Letter To Corinth - Referenced in 1 Cor 5:9
4. Paul Writes Second Letter To Corinth - 1 Corinthians (Date : 55 AD?)
5. Paul Visits Corinth (Probable)
6. Paul Writes Third Letter To Corinth (The Severe Letter) - Referenced in 2 Cor 2:5-11
7. Titus Visits Corinth (Carrying Paul's 'Severe Letter'?) (referenced in 2 Cor 2:12, 7:5-7)
8. Paul Leaves Ephesus For Macedonia (To Find Titus And To Collect The Money Raised For Jerusalem) - Acts 20:1-3
9. Paul Writes Fourth Letter To Corinth - 2 Corinthians (Date : 56 AD?)
2. possible visit to illyricum/yugoslavia
3. many epistles written
2 corinthians (on the road in macedonia) and romans (from corinth) were written during this period.
paul is a busy dude - he's working like a dog do do the things he cares about.
acts 20:3 - 20:6: collection and journey to jerusalem:
3. And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to
set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
4. And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the
Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
5. But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas.
6. We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days;
and there we stayed seven days.
collection and journey to jerusalem:
acts doesn't talk much about why this, but paul's trip to macedonia/greece is also a collection for the poor saints in jerusalem.
back at the end of acts 11 paul and barnabus carried a collection from antioch to the poor in jerusalem; he's doing the same
sort of thing here but on a larger scale.
2 cor speaks directly about this gift (and giving in general) in chapters 8/9.
- jewish plot
though they were planning on returning to jerusalem by boat, they end up having to go by land via macedonia.
not only is there a plot to worry about, but there is also the large sum of money they are trying to carry to jerusalem
- gentile posse
the names that paul has accompanying paul and the gift are predominantly gentile.
so...paul has arranged a large gift to the poor jewish believers in jerusalem...from gentiles and delivered
by gentiles.
note that there are representatives from each of the giving areas.
- everyone can vouch theres no theft?
- everyone can parcipate in the giving?
- no one can say paul is taking a little of the top
acts 20:7 - 20:12: eutychus sleeps and falls
7. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending
to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
8. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together.
9. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept
on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead.
10. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, "Do not be troubled, for his life is in him."
11. When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until
daybreak, and then left.
12. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.
eutychus sleeps and falls
paul is meeting with the church at troas...he's leaving in the morning.
they're hanging out on the third floor. paul keeps talking...it gets later and later...
eutychus is sitting on the window sill, nods off, and falls the three stories down.
when they pick him up - he's dead.
paul embraces him and he comes back to life.
paul keeps talking all night long.
acts 20:13 - 20:16: paul heads south
13. But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for
so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land.
14. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.
15. Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to
Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus.
16. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was
hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
paul heads south
paul leaves troas and journies by land to assos (a smaller port city).
his companions take a boat there, then pick him up and head across the channel to mitylene (on the island lesbos).
they then hop from island (chios) to island (samos), heading south.
they make it to miletus, a town near ephesus (paul not wanting to spend time in ephesus since he was in a hurry).
1. paul's work and exhorting...
this is a snapshot into pauls life - he's the hardest working apostle in show business.
up late, on the road.
under attack from corinth.
under threat from the jews.
put yourself in those shoes and imagine (realistically) how stressed and tired you'd be.
how easy would it be to be kind to the hundreds of people who are trying to talk to you?
how touchy would you be when people malign your intentions?
despite the schedule...what is paul focused on? building the church.
everywhere he goes, he's doing the same thing.
ephesus - After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had exhorted them and taken
macedonia - When he had gone through those districts and had given them much exhortation, he came to Greece.
corinth - he writes them 2nd cor
troas - spends the night awake to talk to them.
you can kind of get an idea of some of what the day to day looked like in paul's life.
the healing of eutychus almost serves as a human interest story here...
but it should also remind us that god is powerful over everything, even death.
problems you encounter...house not selling, car not selling, concern about job, spouse, health, etc...
how to react?
the bible has tips all over the place - but just sticking to things expressed here...
don't allow your concern to change your understanding of god's power.