Acts 20:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,

NIV: "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

NASB: And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

CSB: "And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there,

NLT: And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,

KJV: And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

NKJV: And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,

When Paul was younger, he trained as a Pharisee under the famous teacher Gamaliel. He learned to follow the Mosaic law faithfully and legalistically. When the church started in Jerusalem, he first witnessed and approved of the murder of Stephen the evangelist, then imprisoned believers in Jerusalem, then followed them to other countries to bring them to trial before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (Acts 7:58; 8:1–3; 9:1–2). Now, Paul must tell the elders of the church of Ephesus that he will face the same trials.

He wants to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost (Acts 20:16), but the Holy Spirit has been warning him his stay will not be pleasant. He doesn't know details except he will be imprisoned and afflicted (Acts 20:23), and that God promised this fate long ago (Acts 9:16).

He probably doesn't know the arrest will start with false accusations by Jews who are from the very province—Asia—where they are meeting, that the Jews will believe the false accusation that he brought a Gentile into the temple, or that they will beat him until the Romans come to the rescue by arresting him (Acts 21:27–36). He doesn't know he will barely escape flogging and an assassination plot before facing house arrest in Caesarea Maritima for two years (Acts 22:23–29; 23:12–16, 23–24; 24:27). Or that from Caesarea, he will take a harrowing sea voyage until the ship is wrecked on a tiny island where he will promptly get bitten by a viper (Acts 27:13—28:6).

"Constrained" is from the Greek root word deo which literally means to bind or fasten with chains. Metaphorically, it means to be attached to or under the obligation of something or someone. Paul is as bound by the Holy Spirit's leading as he will be by the chains the Romans will fasten to him (Acts 21:33). The Holy Spirit has chosen what Paul will experience, and he walks into it willingly, despite even the protestations of his friends (Acts 20:37–38; 21:12). His perspective is what ours should be: "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13).

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.