Acts 20:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.

NIV: I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

NASB: I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.

CSB: I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

NLT: I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes.

KJV: I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

NKJV: I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.

Paul has a very balanced view of ministers and income. He believes that pastors should be paid by their congregations (1 Corinthians 9:14), but he will not insist on that right if it will impede the spread of the gospel. He neither craves riches nor demands payment from the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:34). He mentions it here as inspiration for the Ephesian elders—"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak…" (Acts 20:35).

Ephesus was one of the major ports on the east coast of the Aegean Sea as well as the meeting place of three major roads, so it saw a great deal of trade. It's likely the church includes many who are wealthy, but Paul worked to support himself. Wealth is not Paul's only expression of modesty. He also rejects glory (1 Thessalonians 2:4–6), honor (Philippians 3:7–8), and credit (1 Corinthians 1:10–17). He does expect respect for his teaching as his non-worldly lifestyle should prove that his words are from the Holy Spirit.

Paul is speaking to church elders, here. He is teaching them how to lead. Church members and attenders, however, have a different standard. We are to ensure that those God has chosen to feed us spiritually are fed physically. It is our responsibility to make sure we meet our spiritual leaders' financial needs (1 Corinthians 9:9–12).

Acts 20:28–35 records Paul's last words to the elders of Ephesus. He has reminded them of his own faithful service to them and the church. He has told them he is going to Jerusalem where he will be imprisoned; they will never see him again (Acts 20:18–27). Now, he exhorts them to follow his example in leading the church, protecting their people from false teachers, and sacrificing worldly gain to bring others to Christ. Paul will live out this last point as he spends the next five years in custody but still preaching and writing to the churches (Acts 28:30–31).

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.