Acts 20

Chap. XX. Ver. 1—16. Paul goeth to Macedonia, and preaches at Troas.—This great commotion of the worshippers of the Ephesian goddess, Diana, having subsided, Paul called a meeting of the brethren, and took an affectionate leave of them. He then, passing through Troas, from thence crossed the sea to Macedonia, where he visited the Philippians, Thessalonians, and Bereans, to whom he had before sent Timothy and Erastus, the former of whom had since returned, and remained in Ephesus. From Macedonia Paul came to Greece, (or Achaia,) where he abode three months, and chiefly (it should seem) at Corinth. From thence he was about to sail.

Ver. 37. Robbers of churches.—The word “churches,” is here very improper in reference to the deliverance from Egypt, as well as to the rest at the creation, (compare (Deuteronomy 5:15), with (Genesis 2:2),) it seems so far to have been a part of the ceremonial law, and of course to have subsided with it. (See (Romans 14:5). (Colossians 2:16).) It would, however, be very contrary to the spirit and tenor of the New Covenant, to suppose that Christians should have no stated times for divine worship; and we do in fact find that, from the time of our Lord’s resurrection, there is no recognition of a seventh day sabbath in the Christian church, especially among the gentiles, though there are many proofs of the first day of the week being occupied in religious worship. In this our Lord himself set the example by repeatedly appearing on that day to his disciples. ((John 20:1, 19, 26).) On that day, it is believed, fell the day of Pentecost; and, in the chapter now before us, we find the Christians, at Troas, were accustomed to meet on the same day for religious worship, and for “breaking bread,”

or the administration of the Lord’s Supper. On this day the churches were required to make collections for their poor and afflicted brethren. ((1 Corinthians 16:2).) This day also appears to be marked by the Apostle John as the Lord’s day, ((Revelation 1:10),) which we naturally understand to mean, the day on which he arose from the dead. The first day of the week was, therefore, peculiarly honoured in apostolic times, and we know that it has been observed as the Christian sabbath ever since. A question has been raised, however, on the expression, (ver. 7,) “When the disciples came together to break bread,” which, it is agreed, might apply to those charitable meals which the first Christians held with each other, and which were certainly not held without prayer for a divine blessing: yet, as it is here stated that the special object of their meeting on the “first day” was to “break bread;”

and since the Lord’s Supper is clearly designated by St. Paul as breaking bread, ((1 Corinthians 10:16);) and as we know that the sacrament just named was usually celebrated on that day, it seems most natural so to apply it in the passage now before us. (See note on ver. 7.) We are no friends, generally speaking, to long sermons; but

Ver. 6. Philippi—{So called after Philip, king of Macedon, who fortified it against the incursions of the Thracians, was one of the chief cities of Macedonia.}

from such a preacher, and on such an occasion, no service could appear long or tedious. At the same time, it can be only on extraordinary occasions, wherein the Christian affections are deeply interested, that such sermons should be tolerated; for, generally speaking, they weary more than they edify the hearers. The melancholy incident here related of Eutychus, must not only have interrupted, but damped the pleasure of the present meeting; yet this must have been more than compensated by the pleasure received from his restoration, especially to his friends.

We are far from apologizing for sleepers in public worship, nor does this instance afford either encouragement or apology for such conduct; for where would Eutychus have been if Paul had not been there? and who would willingly die sleeping under a sermon? As, however, we know nothing of this young man, charity would lead us to hope that there might be palliative circumstances in his case.

Ver. 17—38. Paul’s farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus.—Though Paul dare not trust himself to stop at Ephesus, lest he should be detained by the kindness of his friends, his own feelings would not suffer him to pass them unnoticed: when, therefore, he anchored off Miletus, he sent a special messenger to desire the elders (or presbyters) of Ephesus to meet him there.

They did so; and he addressed to them the most tender and affectionate charge that ever was delivered on such an occasion—and inferior only (if it may be called inferior) to that which his Divine Master delivered to his apostles just before his death. The charge now before us (limited as our room is) we must not pass without some observations. 1. We have his solemn appeal to them as to his affection, fidelity, and disinterestedness, when he laboured among them, as mentioned in ch. xix. “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you in all seasons.” 2. He gives a brief summary of the doctrines which he had delivered among them, “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ;”

which comprise “all the counsel of God” for man’s salvation. Conviction is necessary previous to laying that foundation. Those who know not their need of such a Redeemer, cannot value him as such; but when they know and feel this, faith in Christ acquits them with righteousness, both for justification and a holy life. We add, 3. That Paul taught “both publicly and from house to house.” The labours of the pulpit are far from being the whole of ministerial duty: in domestic preaching “from house to house,” it is much more difficult to be faithful, and still more arduous is the task to exhibit in the life all the precepts taught. Of Paul, indeed, it might well be said,—

“His preaching much, but more his practice wrought,
(A living sermon on the truths he taught!)
For this by rules severe his life he squar’d,
That all might see the doctrines which they heard!”—Dryden.

4. We remark, that Paul’s labours, both public and private, severe as they might be, formed but a part only of his duty. He had not only to labour, but also to suffer. “The Holy Ghost witnesseth, (said he,) in every city, that bonds and afflictions abide (or wait for) me;” watching, as it were, for my arrival—as his history abundantly evinces. 5. That no labours, no dangers, no sufferings, daunted or discouraged him in his work! God, his Saviour, had purchased the church “with his own blood;” and he “counted not his life,” his blood, dear to himself, so that he might be instrumental in edifying that church;—so that he might “finish his course with joy,” and receive from his Master that divine plaudit = “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

5. He closes all with earnest prayer, commending them to God and to the word of his grace: exhorting them to “support the weak” and relieve the necessitous; and reminding them particularly of an unrecorded saying of our Lord Jesus, that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” The concluding verses are inimitably beautiful and pathetic. They require no comment, and they admit no paraphrase. “And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him; sorrowing most of all for the words that he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.”

Notes on the verses

Chap. XX. Ver. 2. Greece—[That is, Greece properly so called, bounded on the west by Epirus, on the east by the Aegean sea, on the north by Macedonia, and on the south by the Peloponnesus. In its largest acceptation, it also comprehended all Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus, Peloponnesus, and the circumjacent islands.]—Bagster.

Ver. 5. Tarried for us.—Another indirect hint that Luke the Evangelist was now travelling with Paul.

Troas—{Was a maritime city and country of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, anciently called Dardania, lying on the Hellespont, west of Mysia.}—Bagster.

Dardania, situated at the east of the river Strymon, on a rising ground which abounded with springs, and on the borders of Thrace.]—Bagster.

Ver. 7. Came together to break bread.—In (Acts 2:42, 46), we have followed Doddridge, in referring this phrase to the friendly meals of the disciples; but, upon farther consideration, we are inclined to make a distinction between the breaking of bread, and prayers,” in verse 42, which, as closely connected with public worship, we should refer to the Eucharist; and the breaking of bread “from house to house,” as connected with “eating their meat with gladness;” this we would apply to their friendly and domestic meals.

Ver. 9. In a window.—Doddridge, “an open window,” with a wooden casement, which he supposes was set open to admit the air, on account of the many lamps burning, (ver. 8.) As we know not the construction of the building, we cannot exactly tell how he fell.

Perhaps it was a large house, with three lofts or stories, fitted up in a temporary manner on the occasion.

Ver. 13. Assos.—[Assos, Trogyllium, and Miletus, (now called Melas and Palatia,) were maritime cities of Asia Minor; the former in the province of Troas, the second in Lydia, a little below Ephesus, and about five miles from Samos, and the latter in Caria, about ten stadia south of the mouth of the river Meander. Mitylene was a city on the east side of the island of Lesbos; now Mytilini, reckoned about seven miles from the mainland; next to which is the island of Chios, now Scio, opposite Smyrna, and about four leagues from the continent; and south-east of which is the island of Samos, now Samo, about five miles from the coast of Asia.]—Bagster.—To go afoot—Or “by land.”

Ver. 16. To sail by Ephesus—i.e. to sail past it, that he might not be detained there.

Ver. 19. Temptations.—Doddridge, “trials.”

Ver. 22. Bound in the spirit.—Our translators, by referring in the margin to (Acts 19:21), understood this in the sense of being firmly resolved: but Doddridge, and the commentators generally, explain this, of his going under “a strong impulse” of the Spirit of God.

Ver. 26. Pure from the blood of all men.—See note on (Acts 18:6).

Ver. 27. For I have not shunned.—Doddridge says, ‘the proper import of the word is such a connexion, (as used by Demosthenes and Lucian,) is to disguise any important truth; at least to decline the publication of it.” All the counsel of God.—There is no doubt but the original term (boule) means both decree and advice.

The former in (Luke 23:51). (Acts 2:23), and elsewhere. But this cannot be the sense here, for who shall declare all the divine decrees? The latter must be understood, (Luke 7:30). In (Acts 27:42-43), we read, “The soldiers’ counsel (i.e. advice) was to kill the prisoners; but the centurion, willing (i.e. determined) to save Paul, kept them from their purpose” (or will) to kill them. Here we have both senses of the word.

Ver. 28. Overseers.—Gr. Episkopous, or Bishops. The German Lutherans call their Bishops “Superintendents.”—— To feed the church of God.—Griesbach gives no less than six readings. That of our common version is found in about seventeen Greek MSS., of which one, the Vatican, (in the Pope’s library,) is reckoned of the 5th or 6th century.

This reading is also supported by the Syriac of the 6th, and two Fathers of the close of the 4th century. Another reading, “The church of the Lord,” has the following authorities:—Of MSS., all the most ancient, the most valuable, and those derived from different and independent sources, viz. the Alexandrian, the Ephrem, the Cambridge, Abp. Laud’s, and many others of various dates, from the 4th to the 8th centuries. Of the Versions, the two Coptic, the Armenians, the Old Italic; of Fathers, Irenæus, Eusebius, Athanasius, Chrysostom, and many others. By preponderance of evidence is thus in favour of Lord, (Kyrios,) which is therefore decidedly adopted by Griesbach and approved by Dr. Pye Smith.

Boothroyd, however, adopts another reading, which embraces both “Lord and God.” On this he judiciously remarks, ‘I have preferred the last, (the one just named,) as supported by the greatest number of MSS. collated, [viz. one ancient and 46 others,] and as accounting best for the other variations. For it is more easy to omit a word in transcribing than to insert one; and one transcriber might omit God and insert Lord, as judging the latter more accordant with what follows. The reading he admits to be singular, but finds the sentiment in (John 20:28): and the phrase “church of the Lord,” occurs not in the New Testament.

Ver. 29. Grievous wolves.—Our Lord describes false prophets as “wolves in sheep’s clothing;” so false teachers in the Christian church are described as not only erroneous, but rapacious—“not sparing the flock.”

Ver. 31. Three years.—See (Acts 19:8, 10). After preaching three months in the synagogue, he taught two years in the school of Tyrannus; but the three years may probably include his preaching in the neighbouring towns and villages.

Ver. 35. More blessed, &c.—This is a saying of Christ, traditionally preserved by the apostles, and happily here recorded.