CHAPTERS 20-21

SUMMARY

Chapter 20 records the conclusion of Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul was heading for Jerusalem, intending to arrive before the Feast of Pentecost. On the way, he took time in Troas to encourage the believers, then he had a tearful farewell with the elders of the church in Ephesus. These events reveal the heart of the apostle. His speeches and actions offer a model for ministry.

Venturing down through Macedonia and into Achaia, Paul expressed a fatherly concern for the communities of believers that he had been instrumental in founding.

In Troas, the believers gathered on Sunday, and Paul preached a lengthy, late-night sermon. A young man by the name of Eutychus fell asleep and fell to his death out of the third-floor window in which he was sitting! Paul calmly restored Eutychus to life, and the church resumed its worship service.

Traveling south to Miletus, Paul summoned the elders of the Ephesian church in order to bid them farewell. In his charge to them, Paul reviewed his ministry among them, described the Spirit’s leading him to Jerusalem, and challenged them to shepherd the church in their care. This discourse reveals Paul’s pastoral heart (20:18–20, 31, 36–37), reiterates Paul’s preoccupation with preaching the kingdom of God (20:24–25), and records the presence of a well-trained group of disciples who would be able to carry the message of Christ throughout Asia.

Upon making his way to Tyre, Paul was urged by the believers not to go to Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the apostle pressed on. At Caesarea further prophecies were given, warning Paul of certain imprisonment if he journeyed to Jerusalem. Unmoved, Paul adamantly determined to complete his mission even if it meant dying “for the sake of the Lord Jesus” (21:13 nlt). God’s sovereignty is the underlying theme. This truth becomes more apparent upon viewing how this Jerusalem visit ultimately paved the way for Paul’s trip to Rome!

This chapter looks more like a travelogue than a record of the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, all believers can learn a great deal about the benefits of being involved in the work of the gospel in people’s lives. The challenge to us, of course, is to get involved in people’s lives and introduce them to the Savior.