Acts 18:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.

NIV: When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.

NASB: When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,

CSB: When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined,

NLT: They asked him to stay longer, but he declined.

KJV: When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;

NKJV: When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent,

Paul doesn't usually stay very long in any given town, but it seems he is in Ephesus for only a day. He is on his way back to Syrian Antioch after trekking through modern-day Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Athens, before staying in Corinth for eighteen months. When he reaches Ephesus, he has just enough time for a quick stop at the synagogue to explain that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah.

After Paul visits Jerusalem and goes home to Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:22), he will return to Ephesus and stay for three years (Acts 20:31). Though many of the Jews do reject his message and drive him from the synagogue, they don't harass him after he leaves. Instead, Paul is threatened by the silversmiths. The Gentiles so thirst for Jesus' offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God that they abandon their worship of Artemis and burn valuable magic books. In response, the silversmiths, who make a living selling idols, start a riot and threaten Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's companions (Acts 19).

For now, Paul will board a ship and continue his voyage home. Ephesus is near the west coast of Asia, the western-most province in Asia Minor. Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila there and sails to Caesarea Maritima on the Judaean coast. From there, he visits the church in Jerusalem, possibly so he can complete a vow (Acts 18:18), but perhaps for Passover. After an extended stay in Syrian Antioch, Paul will go north again for his third missionary trip (Acts 18:22–23).

Acts 18:18–21 starts with a short account of Paul's final days in Corinth. He works there, where he met Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2–3), for eighteen months (Acts 18:11) before taking the couple with him to Ephesus. He apparently spends only one day in the synagogue before sailing to Caesarea Maritima on the coast of Judea. He stops briefly in Jerusalem before returning home to Syrian Antioch, then travels north and west again into modern-day Turkey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquila meet Apollos in Ephesus and teach him the truth about Jesus, thus equipping another powerful witness for the church (Acts 18:24–28).

Acts 18 recounts the end of Paul's second missionary journey. He leaves Athens for Corinth, in southern Greece, and works with Priscilla and Aquila as a tentmaker until Silas and Timothy rejoin him. The team stays eighteen months with no significant pressure. Eventually, Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila sail east to Ephesus. Paul leaves a short time later for Judea and Syrian Antioch before returning to Galatia for his third missionary journey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquilla host the church in Ephesus and train a talented speaker named Apollos to be a minister of Christ.

Acts 18 covers the last half of Paul's second missionary journey and the first part of the third. He and his team have traveled down the east coast of Macedonia and Greece to Corinth (Acts 17) where they will spend eighteen months. Paul will stop briefly in Ephesus on their way back to Judea before visiting Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. From there, Paul will return to Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor before returning to Ephesus for an extended stay (Acts 19). He will revisit the churches in Macedonia and Greece before facing arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.