AN APOSTOLIC TRAVELOGUE
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on June 14, 2023 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: June 14, 2023 from Acts 20:1-16
Theme: God shows His mighty hand to be upon those whom He sends out in His service.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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Have you ever attended a ‘travelogue presentation’? Those are multimedia presentations before an audience—usually hosted by a recognized author or lecturer—in which they, as it were, take you along with them on a journey they took through a foreign land or to a historic location.
The passage that we now come to in our study of Acts is a little bit like a ‘travelogue presentation’. It’s written down for us in Acts 20:1-16; and the physician Luke is our host. He was a first-hand witness to the journey; because, if you look through this passage, you’ll find references to “we” or “us” nine times. Luke shows himself to be a very careful chronicler of these events in Paul’s missionary work; and from what Luke presents to us, we get a very good sense of what Paul’s many other journeys must have been like.
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Now; the key note of this specific ‘travelogue presentation’—and even going beyond the things that we’re told in it—is ‘Christian fellowship’. Paul has made it clear in a letter that he wrote at about this time—that is 2 Corinthians—that he was ready and eager to preach the gospel in “regions beyond” (2 Corinthians 10:16). And there wouldn’t be much doubt that, whenever the opportunities presented themselves, he did so. But the primary focus of this presentation was how Paul and his traveling companions went to strengthen the brethren in the places where the gospel had already been established—and to enjoy their fellowship.
And there were also a couple of other matters on his mind. One of those matters was his longing to go to Rome—not to sight-see, but to proclaim the gospel in the social and political center of the world. In Acts 19:21, we read of the many things that happened in Philippi;
When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome” (Acts 19:21).
And the other matter had to do with why he first intended to pass through Macedonia and Achaia—and then to Jerusalem. It was because of a fund-raising project he was facilitating. It’s told about to us in his letter to the believers in Rome. In Romans 15:25-29, he wrote;
But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain. But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:25-29).
So; Paul’s desire to fulfill this great relief effort for the support of the believers in Jerusalem—and then, to go to Rome—is in the background of the ‘travelogue’ that we’re about to read. And throughout, it highlights Paul’s deep love for his brothers and sisters in Christ—and God’s hand upon him as he journeyed.
Now; Part 1 of this biblical ‘travelogue presentation’ could be titled …
1. THROUGH MACEDONIA TO GREECE … AND BACK AGAIN (vv. 1-6).
It begins with verse 1—right after the events of Acts 19 and the ‘uproar’ in Ephesus. As we saw in Acts 19:23-41, the preaching ministry of Paul—and the dramatic life changes that it brought about—set the unbelieving population of that city in great turmoil. Verse 1 tells us;
After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia (Acts 20:1).
It may have been that, after this ‘great commotion’ in Ephesus (19:23)—even though he had spent almost three years of ministering powerfully in that city—Paul felt that it would be safest for the other believers in the city if he moved on for a while. Plus, it may have also been that—at about this time—the actual work of taking up the collection for the saints in Jerusalem was beginning. And so, he went up north to visit the believers there. Verses 2-3 go on to tell us;
Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece and stayed three months (vv. 2-3a).
Perhaps at this time, he would have gone back to strengthen the brethren in such places as Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. And it seems that he was intending to sail from Greece to Syria—and perhaps go back to the place from which he began his missionary work. But the plans had to change. Verse 3 tells us;
And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia (v. 3b).
As Proverbs 27:12 tells us, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself …”; and Paul was definitely a prudent man! In the providence of God, he heard about the plot against his life; and he realized that a ship wouldn’t be the best place to be when some sought to kill him. And so—perhaps seeing in this the guidance of the Lord—he made a return trip through Macedonia again and made his way back to Philippi. In spite of the trouble he had seen in Phlippi, he must have felt that it was a safer place to be than within the confines of a boat that was out at sea—and especially while holding the funds that he had been helping to raise for the saints in Jerusalem!
Now; remember that fund-raising effort? It may have been that he felt that bringing some delegates with him would strengthen the sense of how the Gentile believers loved and wanted to support their Jewish brethren. And so; he picked up a few noteworthy believers and began to bring them along with him. Verse 4 tells us;
And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia (v. 4).
We recognize some of these places; don’t we?—and some of these names? Sopater was from Berea; where Paul’s ministry was described in 17:10-15. Aristarchus and Secundus were from Thessalonica; where Paul visited in 17:1-4. He calls Aristarchus “my fellow prisoner” in Colossians 4:10. Gaius and Timothy were from Derbe; where Paul ministered in 14:20 and in 16:1-3. Timothy, of course, we know well; and Paul calls Gaius “my host and the host of the whole church” in Romans 16:23. Tychicus is a man we read about in Ephesians 6:21; who Paul refers to as “a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord”. And Trophemus is a man we read about in 2 Timothy 4:21 as one of Paul’s co-workers that he “left in Miletus sick”. They were connected to Asia Minor. This delegation of Christians was from the places in which Paul had already been used by God to establish churches in his previous missionary journeys. Their presence with him would have helped give great credibility to the relief effort on the part of the Gentile saints to their Jewish brethren.
They were trustworthy men of God. Paul could send them—perhaps along with the funds that had been raised—on ahead to wait for him on the northern coast of Asia Minor. Luke—now including himself directly in the story—tells us;
These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days (vv. 5-6).
So; what do we learn from Part 1 of Luke’s travelogue? We see that Paul’s ministry wasn’t only about evangelism. It was also about strengthening and establishing those who believed in the faith, and helping them to grow. It was about finding ways to minister to the saints who were in need; and gathering carefully-selected ministry partners to help advance that ministry. And it was also about being open to God’s leading along the way—through changing and challenging circumstances.
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Now comes Part 2 of Luke’s ‘travelogue’. Sometimes, in a really good travelogue presentation, the speaker puts the journey on pause for a moment and focuses in on a particular event that occurred along the way. And in this segment, Luke zeros in on a remarkable event that occurred in Troas—along the northern coast of Asia Minor. We might title this segment …
2. THE AMAZING STORY OF THE SERMON AND THE SLEEPER (vv. 7-12).
Luke told us in verse 6 that they had been in Troas for a week. We’re told in verse 7;
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight (v. 7).
This gives us an important detail about the life of the early church. By this time, the church had set Sunday aside as the ‘Lord’s day’; and met together to share in the communion table of the Lord and to hear from the word of God.
Now; some have suggested that the believers met together in the evening because—in a pagan culture—they would have had to work during the day. Or it may be that it was a special evening service because the beloved apostle Paul was there. No one wanted to miss hearing his message; and they knew that they might not get to hear from him again. But for whatever reason, the church was meeting in the evening. And that gives us a little of the context for what follows:
There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep (vv. 8-9a).
We shouldn’t take this to mean that Paul was boring. (How could he ever be boring?) The room might have been pretty stuffy, though. And the lamps burning—and the lateness of the day—might have made it pretty easy for a young man to grow sleepy. Eutychus’ name—incidentally—means “Fortunate”. But given what happens next, some might have thought that he had been given the wrong name.
He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead (v. 9b).
We might be tempted to read those words as saying that he was “taken up for dead”. But that’s not what it says. Luke the Physician was present. He’s the one that said the young man was taken up dead. This would mean that the young man literally fell to his death from the window. This would have been a shocking tragedy. But then, God provided a miracle:
But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him” (v. 10).
Paul may have done something similar to what the Old Testament prophet Elisha did in 2 Kings 4:32-37 for the son of the Shunammite woman who had died. But however it happened, God graciously brought the young man back to life. And there was a tremendous picture in it all for the church family. They were commemorating the death of the Lord Jesus through the breaking of bread in the communion meal. But they were doing so on Sunday—the Lord’s day of resurrection. And they had now been given a vivid picture of the resurrection of the Lord in the restoration of the young man’s life. Eutychus truly was “Fortunate”!
Luke goes on to tell us in verses 11-12;
Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted (vv. 11-12).
So; what do we learn in Part 2 of this ‘travelogue presentation’? One lesson would be that you shouldn’t sit on a window sill to hear sermons. But another is that the Lord Jesus is not only the sacrifice for sins, but also the Resurrection and the Life. And third—and very clearly—our times together as the body of Christ not only involve sharing our trials and tragedies with one another, but also our joys and triumphs. In the body of Christ, we deal together with the tragedy and loss of death; but we also deal with it in the context of the hope of resurrection unto life in Christ. We share both sorrow and joy.
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And this brings us to Part 3 of Luke’s ‘travelogue presentation’. We’ve paused briefly to focus in on a remarkable story. Now, it’s time to resume the journey. We might call this last part of the travelogue …
3. ON TO JERUSALEM … BY WAY OF MILETUS (vv. 13-16).
What follows is the chronicling of a slow, well-paced journey from the upper coast of Asia Minor down to the lower coast. The journey took Paul and Luke from Troas to a city just south of Ephesus—a distance of about 150 miles. In verse 13, Luke tells us,
Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot (v. 13).
The trip from Troas to Assos was not a long one. Paul could have walked it in a day quite easily. But why did Paul wish to walk to Assos rather than sail? We’re not told what his reason was. But it may have been because he needed some time alone—to think and pray.
And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus. 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 at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost (14-16).
Count the days. This would have been a four-day journey from Troas to Miletus. And we’re told that he bypassed Ephesus and went directly to Miletus because he wanted to avoid spending time in Asia Minor. This would have probably been because he knew that—if he spent time with his beloved brothers and sisters there—he would have found it very hard to get away in time to get to Jerusalem in time for the Jewish Feast of Weeks. He perhaps wanted very much to be able to present the relief fund that he had helped raise to the Jewish brethren during the important Feast of Weeks—the day when the Holy Spirit first came upon the disciples in Jerusalem after the Lord had ascended
So; what do we learn from Part 3 of this ‘travelogue presentation’? We might learn that Paul took time in his labors to pace himself. He knew when to sail … and he knew when to stroll. But most of all, we also learn that God’s missionaries need to keep a tight schedule … but not so tight that they can’t meet with those they love. As we read on, we’ll see that, in spite of his sense of urgency, Paul took the time in Miletus in Acts 20:17-38 to meet with his brother pastors from Ephesus… and to give them a beautiful and heartfelt ‘farewell talk’.
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This brings us to the close of Luke’s brief ‘travelogue presentation’—one in which we see throughout that God shows His mighty hand to be upon those whom He sends out in His service.
AE
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