John Kitto Evening Bible Devotions: December 21

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John Kitto Evening Bible Devotions: December 21

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Eutychus

Acts 20

At the time when the circumstances recorded last evening took place, Paul had already arranged to leave Ephesus, and had even settled the route he was to take. By comparing the intimations given in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, written shortly before he left Ephesus; in the Second Epistle, written not long after his departure from that city; and in the Epistles to the Romans, written after his arrival at Corinth—we find that he had formed an extensive plan for his future labors, in conformity with his avowed principle of making those places the scene of his operations, where no one had labored before him. Having, therefore, by this time laid a sufficient foundation for the extension of the Christian church among the nations using the Greek language, he purposed to visit Rome, the metropolis of the civilized world, where a flourishing church had long been established, on his way to Spain, to commence the publication of the Gospel at the extremity of Western Europe. Note: Rom_15:24-28. He wished previously, however, to revisit the churches he had formerly established in Macedonia and Achaia, and especially the church at Corinth, the disorders in which had become a subject of great anxiety to him. He had, originally, intended to proceed at once to Corinth, and pass through Macedonia on his return; but being desirous that his epistle should have time to work its due effect, he determined to go first to Macedonia, and pass through that region to Corinth, where he expected to be able to spend the winter—after which he would in the spring visit Jerusalem, and then proceed to Rome. All this he was enabled to accomplish, though his visit to Rome was under far other circumstances, and his stay there much longer than he had at first contemplated.

The visit to Jerusalem seems an anomalous feature in this plan, seeing how easy it would be for him to reach Rome from Corinth. But this also had a definite object closely connected with his journey to Macedonia and Achaia. He was desirous that a collection should be made for the poor saints at Jerusalem, the results of which he proffered himself to take to that city. The Judean converts were, as a body, really very necessitous circumstances, and needed all the help their Christian brethren in the prosperous Gentile cities could afford. Besides this, Paul had much at heart the establishment of cordial sympathies between the Jewish and Gentile converts; and he justly considered that any strong interest manifested by the latter, at the cost of personal sacrifices, in the welfare of the former, would go far to the removal of obstructive prejudices between them. He had, therefore, some time before, proposed this matter to the churches in Macedonia and Achaia, with the view that the collections should be ready against his arrival, and that there might be no gatherings after he came. It was partly in order to the furtherance of this business, and partly to bring the Corinthians to a right state of mind against his arrival, that Paul dispatched Timothy and Erastus before him by the way he meant to take, some time previous to his own departure. With Timothy we are already acquainted. Erastus was a no less suitable person for this mission, for he was himself a Corinthian, and a man of authority among them, for he was perhaps now, and certainly he was the year after, “the chamberlain of the city.” Note: Rom_16:23.

Paul hoped to receive information from them, to guide his own proceedings, before his departure. But in this he was disappointed; for Timothy was prevented from getting so far as Corinth, and returned from Macedonia to Ephesus, without any information as to the effect the epistle had produced; and although Erastus did reach Corinth, his return had not been expected, and no report from him had yet been received. Under these circumstances, the apostle sent Titus direct to Corinth for the purpose of obtaining information, and that he might personally operate upon the church there in accordance with the impression made by the epistle. At length Paul took leave of the disciples at Ephesus, and commenced his journey, accompanied by Timothy. In the first instance, he proceeded to Troas, where he proposed, as formerly, to embark for Macedonia. Here he seems to have remained some time, waiting in vain the return of Titus from Corinth. At length however, he embarked for Macedonia; and there received the most gratifying evidence that the churches he had planted were advancing in the Christian life. Soon after his arrival in Macedonia, he was met by Titus, who gave him the much-desired intelligence from Corinth. It was of an encouraging nature, and greatly revived his spirit, which he declares to have been much depressed when he first arrived. Note: 2Co_7:5-10.

He was thus induced to write his second epistle to the Corinthians, which he sent by the hand of Titus, who was accompanied by the “brother whose praise was in all the churches,”—generally supposed to have been Luke, who may also have joined Paul in Macedonia; and seemingly by another brother who is highly commended, but whose identity is still more uncertain. These had been chosen by the Macedonian churches, to take charge of their contributions, Paul having, with his usual delicacy in money matters, declined to take personal charge of the funds collected. Note: 2Co_8:17-18; 2Co_8:22.

Paul seems to have spent the summer and autumn of that year in Macedonia, and then proceeded to Greece (Achaia), where he spent the winter, chiefly at Corinth.

The narrative of Luke is here very rapid, and we have no detailed account of the proceedings.

In the spring, Paul was preparing to embark at the eastern port of Corinth for Asia, when he became aware of a plot to seize him on board the ship, or on the way to it. He therefore directed his destined companions to proceed in the vessel, while he went round by land to Philippi, accompanied only by Luke, and took shipping there. This necessarily lost some of the time which had been appropriated to the journey to Jerusalem, and imparted a character of haste to all the subsequent movements; for Paul wanted to be there by Pentecost, and the passover week had already ended before he could quit Philippi. There was a further retardation in the voyage itself, from the city to Troas, for it occupied no less than five days, though he had formerly reached Philippi in two days from Troas. On reaching that port, he found the friends from Corinth awaiting him. There were some whom we have heard of before, and some not—Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy, and of the proconsular Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. Luke’s presence is indicated by his resuming the first person plural in mentioning the departure of the party from Corinth. “These going before tarried for us at Troas;” and “We sailed away from Philippi”—Act_20:5-6. This form of expression is maintained to the end of the book.

Paul remained seven days at Troas; and on the first day of the week, he met the brethren there to celebrate the Lord’s Supper—one strong piece of evidence to show that the observance of the first day of the week had already become prevalent in the Christian churches. In those days, the Lord’s Supper was, as a supper, celebrated in the evening. After they had partaken of it, Paul, being to depart on the morrow, delivered a farewell address to the congregation assembled in an upper chamber. This discourse lasted till day-break; but at midnight it sustained an alarming interruption. A young man named Eutychus was seated in the window, the lattice of which was left open to refresh the air, which would otherwise have become oppressive from the numerous lights that were burning in the chamber. This youth fell into a deep sleep, and sinking back, dropped out into the court-yard below. As this was from the third story, every one concluded that he was killed. Such seemed to be the case when they hurried down into the court. But Paul, overcome with tenderness and compassion, and feeling an intense desire to restore him to life, cast himself upon the body, and embraced it. Then, rising, he said, “trouble not yourselves, for his life is in him.” It has been questioned whether Eutychus was really dead, and was restored by Paul to life; or that he was merely stunned by the fall, and that Paul discovered and announced this fact to the spectators. The case is not quite clear from the narrative; but it seems most probable that the youth was killed, and restored to life by miracle. The circumstances and the tone of the narrative favor this conclusion; and, besides, the narrative expressly says, “that he was taken up dead.” Paul then returned up stairs, and finished his discourse; and, after taking some refreshment, was ready to set forth on his journey, when the young man who had fallen was brought in alive and well, to the great joy of the people.

From Troas Paul went on foot to Assos, which lies rather more than a day’s journey to the south, and there he joined his party, who had gone on before by ship. They then sailed to Mitylene, in the isle of Lesbos, opposite Assos, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. Another day’s sail brought them to Chios, an island not far from Smyrna, south-east of the bay. This island, now called Scio, has in our day been rendered memorable by the hideous butchery of the inhabitants by the Turks in 1822.

The next day they touched at the isle of Samos, and lay to for the night—for these vessels only sailed by day—at TrogyIlium, on the mainland opposite. The next day they got as far as Miletus, about thirty miles south of Ephesus, and withdrawn a little from the coast upon a stream of water. At that place they landed, and Paul sent a messenger to Ephesus to request the elders of the church to join him there. They came immediately; and Paul took leave of them in a most affecting and impressive address, uttered under the conviction that this was their last meeting on earth. At the close, the apostle kneeled down and prayed with them. “And they all wept sore, and fell upon Paul’s neck, and kissed him; sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more.”