Acts Chapter 20 Verses 1-6

Acts 20:1 “And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. 2 And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 3 And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These going before tarried for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.” 

“And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.  And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, And there abode three months.”  Because of the uproar, Paul knew that the persecutors were after him and that he would be a distraction unto the growth of the church there, so he embraced the disciples and departed to go into Macedonia.  Once he came to Macedonia he gave the disciples there much exhortation and then departed to go into Greece and abode there three months.  I would guess that he spent the time with the few disciples who believed at Mars Hill. 

“And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.”  While we do not know how Paul knew that the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail unto Syria, we know that he knew it because he then purposed to return through Macedonia. 

“And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.  These going before tarried for us at Troas.”  Paul had picked up a company from the different areas where he had gone and preached the gospel who had accompanied him in his travels to Asia and had gone before him in Troas and waited for him there. 

“And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.” 

Verses 7-12

Acts 20:7 “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.” 

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”  Apparently a sizeable number of people had gathered into what sounds like a barn to hear Paul’s last sermon to them.  Without the Spirit of God it would be very hard to keep a congregation engaged in what you are speaking for such a long period of time.  Even then, the human frame sometimes grows tired as it did with the young man in the third loft. 

“And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.  And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.”  I know people have fallen asleep when I have been speaking and I have never spoken near the length of time Paul did on that occasion.  Unfortunately the young man who fell asleep was in a window of the 3^rd loft and fell down from the third loft and taken up dead.

“And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.  When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.”  We read of seven times in the scriptures where someone who had died was raised back to life through the miraculous power of God.  Two times in the Old Testament the prophets Elijah and Elisha had each through the power of God raised a young lad from the dead.  Then in the gospels we read where the Lord raised three individuals who had died from the dead.  Now in the book of Acts we read where first Peter raised a lady from the dead and now Paul raised the young lad from the dead.  Now all seven of those individuals, having been raised from the dead, would later die again a natural death.  This was unlike the death of Christ for when he arose from the dead he will never die again.

“And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.” 

Verses 13-16

Acts 20:13 “And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. 14 And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. 15 And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.” 

Most of this passage is details about Paul’s travels.  A couple of things stand out to me:

1.  Paul traveled by foot alone unto Assos.  I know from personal experience that most of my best meditations and prayers have come when I was alone.  It is obvious that Paul wanted to be alone during that time. 

 

2.  Paul hasted to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost if it were possible.  This desire to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome had been previously presented to us earlier in the book of Acts.  As we will later discover this desire was brought about by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.