Acts 20:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

NIV: From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

NASB: From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.

CSB: Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church.

NLT: But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

KJV: And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

NKJV: From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

A group including Paul, Luke, and several other men (Acts 20:4) are sailing to Caesarea Maritima on their way to Jerusalem. Paul wants to see the elders of the church in Ephesus, but he wants to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost, and he knows he won't make it if he stops (Acts 20:16). So, he and his team sail past Ephesus and land at Miletus on the west coast of modern-day Turkey.

Paul left Ephesus months before after spending three years planting and building up the church (Acts 20:1, 31). He started by finding twelve men who followed John the Baptist's teaching of repentance but didn't know Jesus was the Messiah. Paul explained, and they readily accepted baptism in Jesus' name. As was his custom, Paul then taught about the kingdom of God in the synagogue. After three months, those who refused his message forced him to find a new location. Besides teaching, Paul also countered the rampant witchcraft in the city by healing and expelling demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. He was so effective, the people burned their magic books and stopped worshiping Artemis. The gospel spread all over the province (Acts 19:1–10).

Paul had spoken to the synagogue in Ephesus very briefly on his way back from this second missionary voyage (Acts 18:19–21). During his third trip, he spent three years there. He has much he wants to remind the elders: his faithfulness to his mission, his inclusion of Gentiles, and the fact that he served them with no expectation of reward or even compensation. He also warns them to protect their church from false teachers (Acts 20:18–35). Some of these reminders reflect trouble he's had in other cities (Acts 15:1; Galatians 6:12–13).

Most alarming, Paul tells the elders that when he arrives in Jerusalem he will be imprisoned, and he will not see them again (Acts 20:22–25). Paul had not meant to visit with them this time; troubles in Corinth made it possible (Acts 20:3). To see them and provide one last encouragement must bless him during the next five years as he faces trials, imprisonment, and a dangerous shipwreck.

In Acts 20:17–27, Paul begins his farewell to the elders of Ephesus. He and his team leave Troas and sail to Miletus, south of Ephesus, where Paul requests the Ephesian elders meet him. He reminds them how he served with dedication and self-sacrifice, and he also relays disturbing news. When he gets to Jerusalem, he will be imprisoned, and they will never see him again. Next, he will challenge them to protect their church from false teachers and to emulate his humble leadership (Acts 20:28–35).

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.