Acts 20:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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, on the day of Pentecost.

NIV: Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

NASB: For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him to be in Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

CSB: For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, for the day of Pentecost.

NLT: Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.

Paul and his companions are on a sea voyage from Troas to Jerusalem (Acts 20:13–15). The route could easily stop by Ephesus, but Paul has a schedule, and he knows if he stops it will be difficult to leave again.

This is the end of his third missionary voyage. A few months before, he had left Ephesus after planting and building the church over the course of three years (Acts 20:31). People came from all over the province of Asia, in southwest modern-day Turkey, to abandon their practices of witchcraft and Artemis worship and trust in Jesus, instead (Acts 19). Paul is fond of the church there, and two of the local men, Tychicus and Trophimus, are with him (Acts 20:4).

From Ephesus, Paul had planned to sail west to Corinth, but controversy in the Corinthian church made him delay his visit (2 Corinthians 1:15–24). He traveled north to Troas, instead, crossed the Aegean to Philippi, visited the churches in Thessalonica and Berea, then headed south to Corinth. After three months, he planned on sailing straight east to Caesarea Maritima, but the Jewish leaders plotted against him, so he backtracked to Troas and~~ is now sailing home (Acts 20:2–6).

The Holy Spirit has been telling him he will be imprisoned when he reaches Jerusalem. He doesn't want to stay in Ephesus, but he wants to see the elders; this will be his last chance. So, he stops in Miletus and requests that they meet him (Acts 20:17, 22–25).

Pentecost means "fifty" and is also known as the Feast of Weeks because it occurs a "week" of weeks—49 days—after Passover. It is the celebration of the end of the grain harvest and the day the Holy Spirit first fell on the Jesus-followers (Acts 2:1–2).

In Acts 20:13–16, Luke shows his love for the sea by including an inordinate amount of detail about the journey. Paul, Luke, Timothy, and companions from all over Macedonia and modern-day Turkey leave Troas for Jerusalem. Most of them board a ship directly; Paul joins them down the road in Assos. Ephesus, where Paul had recently spent three years, is along their route, but Paul doesn't want to get distracted. Seeking to arrive in Jerusalem by Pentecost, they sail past to Miletus, and the Ephesian elders join them there (Acts 20:17).

Acts 20 finishes Paul's third missionary journey. He leaves Ephesus after three years and travels to Macedonia and Corinth. Threats from the Corinthian Jews send him and his team back to Macedonia and Troas. In Troas, Paul gives a very long sermon and raises Eutychus from the dead after he falls—both asleep and out a window. In Miletus, Paul meets with the Ephesian elders. He reminds them to beware of false teachers and tells them he is going to be imprisoned and will not see them again. After a tearful farewell, he boards a ship for Judea.

Acts 20 records the last stages of Paul's third missionary journey. He started by visiting the churches he and Barnabas had planted in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). From there, he traveled southwest to the province of Asia, where he established a church in Ephesus (Acts 19). In Acts 20, he visits the churches in Macedonia and Greece before returning to Judea. When he lands, he meets briefly with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea Maritima before going to Jerusalem and getting arrested. He will stay in house arrest for the next two years before embarking on a dangerous sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

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.