Acts 20
1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. 13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, hon the day of Pentecost. 17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. (Acts 20, ESV Bible)
1 After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. (Acts 20:1, ESV Bible)
Leaving Efsos
In the fall of 54 CE, while Paul was still teaching in Ephesus at the lecture hall of Tyrannus, the empress Agrippina bribed the emperor's "taster" to serve him a poisonous mushroom. Agrippina's seventeen-year-old son Nero took the throne and deified his dead stepfather. He later jested that mushrooms were the food of the gods since, by means of a mushroom, his stepfather had become divine.
The death of Claudius meant the end of his ban on Jews in Rome. Roman Jews displaced by the expulsion began to return. Paul's colleagues Priscilla, Aquila, Andronicus, and Junias left Ephesus and hurried back to Rome to pick up the pieces of the work they had left behind. Paul wanted to go with them, but he needed to first bring the collection from the Gentile congregations to Jerusalem. He "purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, 'After I have been there, I must also see Rome" (Acts 19:21). He said, "I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome" (Romans I:15). But the opportunities in Ephesus made it difficult for him to leave. Meanwhile, he was corresponding with the community in Corinth, trying to manage another problem long-distance through the mail.
Then, the riot happened. In the spring or early summer of 55 CE, Paul narrowly escaped being accosted and torn apart by an angry mob in the riot instigated by the metalworkers' guild. After that, he could no longer remain in Ephesus. Most likely, the civil authorities probably banned him from the city.
Traveling with only a few companions (Gaius and Aristarchus?), he made his way up the coast to Troas, from where he could find a ship to Philippi. Paul had passed through the city several years earlier with Silas, Timothy, and Luke. Since then, a community of God-fearing believers had taken shape there. Paul wanted to spend some time nurturing the new community in the gospel, but anxiety over the whereabouts of his disciple Titus and concern about the situation in Corinth distracted him.
Several months earlier, while still living in Ephesus, Paul composed a letter to Corinth in defense of his credentials as an apostle. The sharply worded letter challenged any so-called apostles or teachers who might call his apostolic credentials into question (2 Corinthians 10-13). He dispatched Titus to carry the "severe letter" to Corinth. Titus was supposed to loop up through Macedonia, cross over from Philippi, land at Troas, and then make his way back to Ephesus. Paul's hasty departure from Ephesus forced him to leave before Titus had returned. The apostle hoped to intercept Titus at Troas, and he was distressed when he did not find him there. He supposed that Titus might still be on his way to Troas.
He and his companions promised to return to Troas when they could spend time with the new believers.
Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of the Messiah and when a door was opened for me in the Master, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. (2 Corinthians 2:12-13)
They took a ship from Troas and landed at Neapolis a few days later. They disembarked, spent the night, and then set out for nearby Philippi. Nearly six years had passed since he had first brought the gospel to Philippi. He enjoyed happy reunions with the household of Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and other believers in Philippi. He gave the disciples at Philippi "much exhortation" in the ways of the Master.
Not all was well in the local communities. The Macedonian believers were enduring a great ordeal of affliction" (2 Corinthians 8:2). They faced some sort of persecution or trial. Paul says, "For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within" (2 Corinthians 7:5).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Collecting the Donation
Timothy and Erastus had already been there and made the arrangements for the Jerusalem collection. Paul rendezvoused with them at some point, perhaps in Philippi, Thessalonica, or Berea. Together, they gathered the generous contributions of the local congregations.
Paul placed the congregations in Macedonia in a friendly competition with those in Achaia. He boasted to the Macedonians that the congregations in Achaia had been preparing their donation for a year. The zeal of the Corinthians stirred the Macedonians to be all the more generous (2 Corinthians 9:2-5). At the same time, Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the generosity of the Macedonian assemblies, and he warned them not to let those assemblies put them to shame (2 Corinthians 8:I-5).
Paul made Erastus responsible for the accounting. His reputation as the city treasurer of Corinth gave him credibility and qualifications for the job (Romans 16:23). In his fourth epistle to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians I-9), Paul identified Erastus as "the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the assemblies" (2 Corinthians 8:18). For his protection, he avoided naming him directly. (He was carrying a large amount of money.) He explained to the Corinthians that the anonymous "brother" had "been appointed by the assemblies to travel with us in the gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Master Himself...taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift" (2 Corinthians 8:19-20). In other words, Erastus served as the treasurer for the donation to Jerusalem. He recorded the amounts of the donations and insured against malfeasance. Paul explained, "For we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21). Paul also appointed a second anonymous "brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things" (2 Corinthians 8:22) to provide Erastus with accountability. They were dealing with a large sum of money, and "every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses" (2 Corinthians 13:1, quoting Deuteronomy 19:15).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Second Epistle to the Corinthians
While Paul, Timothy, and their entourage toured the congregations in Macedonia, they encountered Titus on his way back from Corinth. Titus brought good news, and his arrival gladdened Paul's heart (2 Corinthians 7:6-7). Titus told him that he had delivered the severe letter (2 Corinthians 10-13) and had it read aloud in the assembly. He spoke of the deep contrition of the community. The Corinthians had received him, as Paul's messenger, "in fear and trembling" (2 Corinthians 7:15). They refreshed his spirit and impressed him with their obedience to Paul's instructions. Paul's sharp words and his defense of his apostleship had produced the desired effect:
Though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it-for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while-I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. (2 Corinthians 7:8-9)
Titus spoke about the believers in Corinth with joy, affection, and enthusiasm. While in Corinth, he had instructed them to prepare their donation for the Jerusalem contribution. Titus was glad to tell Paul and Timothy that the assemblies in Corinth had already been setting aside money for a year.
Paul and Timothy decided to send a follow-up letter back to Corinth at once. Titus volunteered to carry the new letter back to Corinth: "Being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord" (2 Corinthians 8:17). Together, Paul and Timothy composed the epistle preserved for us in 2 Corinthians 1-9. The apostle took a conciliatory tone and reaffirmed his affection for the believers in Corinth. He explained why he had changed his plans and traveled to Macedonia instead of coming straight to Corinth as he first intended. He explained the circumstances under which he had written the previous, severe letter (2 Corinthians 10-13), and he admitted to the anxiety the rift had caused him. He urged them to forgive the offending brother who had instigated the rebellion against his authority-perhaps Apollos (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).
Paul spoke about his future travel plans. He hoped to arrive soon and spend the winter in Corinth before departing for Jerusalem. He gave them instructions regarding the collection for the believers in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8-9). He emphasized that they were under no compulsion. The donation was to be voluntary: "Each one must do as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). At the same time, he warned them, "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly" (2 Corinthians 9:6). Paul hoped that the generous gift from the assemblies of the Gentiles might help win the approval of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem:
Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of the Messiah and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. (2 Corinthians 9:13-14)
Paul and Timothy gave the conciliatory letter to Titus and sent him off with Erastus and the other anonymous brother, carrying the sum of money they had collected from the communities of Macedonia. They promised to try to join them in Corinth as soon as Paul had completed his work in Macedonia.
We are uncertain of exactly how long Paul spent in Macedonia. Some think he left Ephesus in the spring or early summer of 55 CE, spent the summer and fall in Macedonia, the winter in Corinth, and arrived in Jerusalem by the summer of 56 CE. Others suggest that he wintered with the congregations in Macedonia and then pressed on further down the Egnatian Way, perhaps even traveling as far as Illyricum before turning back toward Corinth (Romans 15:28). In that case, he could have arrived in Corinth in the winter of 56 CE and reached Jerusalem by 57 CE. (For our purposes, we will assume the latter reckoning.) In either case, Paul eventually did reach Corinth and spent several months with the community there.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. (Acts 20:2, ESV Bible)
Epistle to the Romans
Paul and Timothy finally arrived in Corinth, along with several other traveling companions. He brought together representatives from all the congregations participating in the Jerusalem contribution, and they planned to sail together that spring, hopefully arriving in Judea in time for Passover. Luke of Antioch may have been with them as well.
They spent three months with the Corinthian congregation. Paul laid plans for the future and reflected on his plans to travel to Rome. He knew that the community of disciples in Rome consisted of Jewish believers, Gentile proselytes, and God-fearing Gentiles. He knew several of the believers there personally, and he had heard many stories about the conflicts the gospel had raised in the Jewish community. The expulsion of the Jews under Claudius had destabilized the community, and the introduction of the apostolic decree had raised questions about Jewish-Gentile interactions.
When Paul learned that Phoebe, a deaconess of the assembly at Cenchrea, was about to leave on a trip to Rome, he took advantage of the opportunity and composed an epistle to the believers in the capital. He used the epistle to theologically prepare the ground ahead of his arrival.
He told the assemblies at Rome, "I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you" (Romans 1:I1). He told them that he had often planned to come to Rome "so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles" (Romans 1:13), but as yet, he had been prevented from making the trip.
He sent greetings on behalf of several believers with him at Corinth: Timothy, Lucius (Luke?), Jason of Thessalonica, Sosipater (Sopater) of Berea, Gaius Titius Justus, "host to me and the whole assembly" (Romans 16:23), Erastus the city treasurer, and an otherwise unknown brother named Quartus. Even the scribe to whom Paul dictated the letter included his greeting: "I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Master" (Romans 16:22).
Paul also included a word of commendation for Phoebe, the letter carrier: "Receive her in the Master in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well" (Romans 16:2).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, (Acts 20:3-5, ESV Bible)
Assassination Plot
As the winter months came to an end, Paul and Timothy prepared to sail with the delegates from all of the congregations. Luke names a few of the delegates: Sopater (Sosipater) of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy of Lystra, Tychicus and Trophimus from Ephesus. There were others as well, possibly including Luke and Titus of Antioch and Erastus of Corinth.
Not all the delegates were God-fearing Gentiles. Sopater (Sosipater) of Berea was probably a Jew from the Berean Jewish community. Paul refers to Sopater and Jason of Thessalonica as kinsmen, i.e., Jews (Romans 16:21). Timothy of Lystra and Aristarchus of Thessalonica were also Jewish. Aristarchus and Gaius of Derbe were the hapless disciples seized by the rioters in Ephesus.
Other delegates were God-fearing Gentiles. Trophimus was a Gentile believer from Ephesus (Acts 21:9), and it's safe to assume that Tychicus was, too. Secundus of Thessalonica may have been a Roman citizen. Secundus is a common Roman cognomen from Thessalonica. Paul wanted to present these men to the apostles and Jewish believers in Jerusalem. He hoped that the character and quality of the Gentile delegates would silence his critics and set all fears to rest about the type of disciple he raised in the Diaspora. There may have been delegates from other communities Paul had founded.
Before they set out that spring, prophets in the community at Corinth warned him that they foresaw bonds and afflictions for him in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23). They could not deter Paul from the journey, but the warnings made him cautious. He explained, "Behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there" (Acts 20:22). Paul and his delegates went to Cenchrea, where they booked passage on a ship bound for Caesarea. The large number of Diaspora Jews traveling to Judea for the Passover made it possible to find a ship chartered by the Jewish community. Paul and the delegates looked forward to kosher food while at sea:
For innumerable companies of men from a countless variety of cities, some by land and some by sea, from east and from west, from the north and from the south, came to the temple at every festival, as if to some common refuge and safe asylum from the troubles of this most busy and painful life, seeking to find tranquility, and to procure a remission of and respite from those cares by which from their earliest infancy they had been hampered and weighed down, (Philo, Special Laws 1:69)
They had to be cautious about the voyage. They carried a large sum of money with them, and they did not want to be robbed. Before they had even boarded the ship, an informant warned them that certain men were planning on killing Paul at sea. The plotters may have been Paul's opponents from the synagogues in Achaia, Macedonia, or Asia, but an elaborate murder plot at sea seems unlikely for theological offenses. More likely, some of the travelers knew about the sum of money Paul carried with him, and a heist had been planned.
Paul and the delegates immediately scuttled their plans. They did not dare board any vessel departing from Cenchrea together. They gave up hope of arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover. It was too dangerous. They secretly decided to rendezvous again in Troas by a certain time (perhaps the new moon of lyyar) and then take a ship from there with hopes of reaching Jerusalem before Shavuot. They may have divided the sum of the donation among them.
The delay gave Paul and Timothy seven extra weeks. "The Spirit said to him to return through Macedonia" (Acts 20:3, Western Text).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. (Acts 20:6, ESV Bible)
Pilippi and Troas
Paul, Timothy, and Luke made their way backward into Macedonia. They visited Berea and came to Thessalonica by Purim. They arrived in Philippi in time for Passover. In every community, prophets among the believers warned Paul, "Bonds and afflictions await you in Jerusalem" (Acts 20:23). Despite the warnings, Paul could not be dissuaded.
Paul, Timothy, and Luke spent the seven days of Passover with the believers of Philippi before setting off for Troas. Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem in time for the Festival of Shavuot. By the time Paul left Philippi, he had only about forty days remaining to make it to Jerusalem.
After the days of Passover had elapsed, Paul, Timothy, and Luke said shalom to the Philippians and set sail from Neapolis. They must have departed on Nisan 23, the eighth day of the Counting of the Omer (Omer 8). The winds were against them, and the voyage to Troas took five days.
They spent the Sabbath at sea. They finally put into port around lyyar I, near the end of the second week of the Counting of the Omer (Omer I2).
The other delegates had already arrived. They had spent their Passover with the believers in Troas. They had already found a ship that would carry them as far as the Mediterranean port of Patara, but the ship was not due to leave from Troas for another week. That gave Paul a full week to teach the young community. After the incident in Corinth, Paul and the delegates were more careful about keeping their plans quiet. Secrecy about the mission was important. They hatched a scheme to make it appear that Paul would not be traveling on board the ship carrying the delegates and the money. Paul would travel overland to the next port of call and wait for the ship there.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. (Acts 20:7-8, ESV Bible)
Havdalah in Tro’as
Paul planned on leaving Troas after the Sabbath, on the first day of the week. People sometimes cite Acts 20:7 as evidence that the early believers met on Sundays: "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread." The narrative does not support that interpretation. If Paul met with the Troasian believers on Sunday morning, they had a very long church service. Paul spoke until midnight: "Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight."
The Greek text of Acts does not indicate that they met on Sunday morning at all. Instead, it literally says, "On the first of the Sabbath...", that is, by Jewish reckoning, the first day of the count off until the next Sabbath. (The word "day" does not appear in the Greek.) According to the Jewish reckoning of time, the first of the week begins Saturday after sunset, after the Sabbath has concluded. The early believers were accustomed to assembling on Saturday nights, after the Sabbath.
From ancient times, Jews have concluded the weekly Sabbath with a special ceremony called havdalah (הַבְדָּלָה), which means "separation." The ceremony included wine, a meal, spices, and the reintroduction of flame for illumination: There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together" (Acts 20:8). The early believers associated the conclusion of the Sabbath with the resurrection because Yeshua rose from the dead on the third day, "after the Sabbath." At least as early as the Talmudic Era, Jews gathered on Saturday night for a special meal (Malaveh Malkah) to bid farewell to the Sabbath. In some Chasidic communities today, Chasidim still gather around their Rebbe for the meal at the end of the Sabbath, break bread with him, and listen to him discourse as they close out the Sabbath together. Such meals are notorious for stretching on into the evening. Luke was present that night with Paul. His statement that Paul talked on and on has the ring of ear-witness testimony.
A young disciple named Eutychus experienced an extra measure of the havdalah resurrection. Evtixos (Εὔτυχος) means "lucky." As Paul talked on and on toward midnight, Eutychus began to doze. Unfortunately, he had perched himself in a window. He plummeted three stories to the street below.
Several men hurried down to the street, and they picked him up dead. Paul took the corpse from their arms and flung himself over the dead man's body like Elisha stretching himself out on the corpse of the Shunammite widow's son (2 Kings 4:32-35). As he felt life returning to the young man's body, he called out, "Do not be troubled, for his life is in him."
After the midnight resurrection, Paul brought the boy back upstairs and presented him to the believers. "They took the boy away alive and were greatly comforted." They ate a late-night meal together, and then Paul continued teaching until dawn.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
13 But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. (Acts 20:13-14, ESV Bible)
Assos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos
Nineteen or twenty days of the Omer had already elapsed, and Paul wanted to arrive in Jerusalem in time for the Festival of Shavuot. Paul and the delegates had already booked passage on a small ship making a coastal run south to the Mediterranean.
Timothy, Luke, and the delegates boarded the ship early that morning, but Paul made it appear as if he was not going to be traveling with them.
He hurried overland from Troas to Assos (modern Behramkale), a small port town on the southern side of the peninsula of Troas, where the ship was due to put in to port. The direct road was only twenty miles. The ship had to round the Cape of Lectum.
Assos had a good harbor and was a key shipping station. In the days of the apostles, Assos was known as the city where Aristotle had established a Platonic academy of philosophers. The city sat on a tall volcanic cone overlooking the water. It had a temple to Athena, a large theater, and the regular accoutrements of a Roman-era city.
The subterfuge worked. Paul arrived in Assos in time to rejoin his party and board their ship. Anyone watching his movements would not have realized that he shipped out with the delegates. They left the port and sailed to the island of Lesbos where they docked at the fair city of Mitylene.
Paul and company did not have time to do any sightseeing. Their ship left harbor the same day. The following day, they passed between the island of Chios and the coast of Asia Minor, anchoring overnight opposite the island (Omer 20). Another day at sea brought them adiacent to the island of Samos, a famous island that contended with Smyrna and Ephesus for the title of first city of lonia (Omer 21).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, hon the day of Pentecost. 17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. (Acts 20:15-17, ESV Bible)
Miletus
In the morning (Omer 22) they entered one of the harbors of the ancient Ionian city of Miletus. The city of Miletus occupied a position on the western coast of Anatolia near the mouth of the Meander River. Miletus had a long, proud history as one of the most important cities in the ancient Greek world. Under the Romans, the city experienced a resurgence of prosperity and success. Miletus had four harbors, a thriving economy, and magnificent Roman-era architecture. A massive theater looked out on the Theater Harbor. Two marble lions flanked the entrance to the Lion Harbor. A proud temple to Apollo capped the city.
The Meander River has long ago silted in the city, moving the shoreline five miles out from the old harbors. The gulf on which the city once sat survives today only as an inland lake.
Paul had almost certainly visited Miletus while living in nearby Ephesus. The city had a strong Jewish community that had fought for and won the right to observe the Sabbath, send the half-shekel to Jerusalem, and live according to Torah. The remains of the synagogue can be seen today. An important inscription from the Miletus theater reads, "For the Jews and the God-fearers." Jews and God-fearing Gentiles sat together in the public theater.
Since the ship was to remain at Miletus for more than a day, Paul sent for the elders of the Ephesus community (thirty miles to the north). He asked them to travel to Miletus immediately so that he could see them one last time before leaving. Luke explains, "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." Moreover, Ephesus was no longer safe for Paul to enter.
The elders of the Ephesus community must have traveled through the night. By the time they arrived (Omer 24), Paul had only a few hours left before his ship was to put out to sea. Paul assembled the small group of men at the harbor. Memories came flooding back as he looked into their faces. They were a mixed group of Jews and God-fearers. He had placed each one in a position of authority in the assemblies at Ephesus.
Luke records Paul's short farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:18-37. Luke must have written the speech from his own eyewitness recollection of the occasion; it sounds like the authentic voice of Paul, the letter-writer. He touches on many themes common in his epistles. Readers of his epistles recognize genuine Pauline sentiments and turn-of-phrase.
Paul charged the overseers of Ephesus to diligently shepherd the flock and "to feed the Assembly of the Master which he purchased for himself with his own blood" (Acts 20:28, Western Text). The shepherding metaphor goes back to Moses and David, Israel's shepherd-leaders. The prophets often depicted Israel as the flock of God, and they referred to their kings and religious leaders as the shepherds. The Master referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the flock, and He instructed His disciple Simon Peter to feed and care for His sheep. The apostles spoke of their community leaders as shepherds. The word pastor (poimen, ποιμήν) literally means “shepherd.”
Shepherds must protect their flocks from predators. Paul warned that, after his departure, wolves would attack the flock. He urged the shepherds to be ready. The wolves are heretics, false teachers, and false prophets. Our Master warned His disciples, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Paul foresaw that many of the wolves and predators would come from within the flock: "From among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them." This gloomy prediction is similar to the words of Moses, who, while saying his farewells to Israel, predicted that they would fall into apostasy and idolatry:
I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands. (Deuteronomy 31:29)
Paul often warned about a coming apostasy: "Night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears." In his epistle to the Thessalonians, he predicted a coming time of apostasy during which the "man of lawlessness" will be revealed, because "the mystery of lawlessness is already at work" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7). In another place, Paul wrote, "The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (I Timothy 4:1). Paul had seen some of the future.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. (Acts 20:36-38, ESV Bible)
Kos, Rodos, and Pattarah
The mariners called Paul's party to board the ship. The apostle drew the Ephesian elders close around him on the beach, and they all fell to their knees to pray. Paul prayed over them, laid hands on them, embraced them, blessed them, and wept. The elders wept as well, pained by the prediction that they would not see him again, they kissed him and embraced him. They were still clinging to him and saying their farewells as he made his way to the docks.
The ship left Miletus and continued to hug the coast as it worked its way south. That night, they put in at a harbor on the island of Cos (Kos), a Greek island (one of the Dodecanese) in the south Aegean. The principal port town was also called Cos, one of the great commercial centers of the Aegean. If Paul and his party disembarked, they could have found hospitality and food in the local Jewish community.
From Cos, they sailed to Rhodes (Omer 25), the largest island off the coast of Asia Minor. Its capital city had attained commercial, political, and cultural importance. Strabo considered the city of Rhodes "superior to all others in harbors and roads and walls and improvements in general that I am unable to speak of any other city as equal to it, or even as almost equal to it, much less superior to it."
Rhodes was home to one of the seven wonders of the world. The Colossus of Rhodes, a great bronze statue of the Titan Helios, was once the tallest statue in the ancient world. When it still stood upright, it stood over one hundred feet high. One mighty arm stretched toward the sea. The citizens of Rhodes built the Colossus around 280 BCE. Fifty-six years later, an earthquake snapped it at the knees. In the days of the apostles, it still lay collapsed on the ground in the spot where it had fallen. Even though it no longer stood, tourists still came from around the world to see the shattered remains of the enormous statue.
From Rhodes, they sailed to Patara (Omer 26), their last port on board the coastal vessel that had carried them the distance from Troas. Paul and the delegates disembarked and went to find passage across the Mediterranean.
Patara was a flourishing Mediterranean port city on the southwest coast of Lycia. Under Roman rule, Patara was attached to the province of Pamphylia. It possessed a natural harbor and was named after Patarus, a son of Apollo. The temple of Apollo in Patara ranked second only to the one in Delphi.
Paul and his party did not linger in Patara long. They quickly found a large cargo ship bound for the Phoenician coast. Unlike the small vessel they had taken from Troas, the big cargo ship did not need to hug the coast. It made a straight line for Tyre directly across the Mediterranean. Luke recalled seeing the island of Cyprus off the left side of the ship as they passed by.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.