19:21-22
Paul left Ephesus and sail to Macedonia (northern Greece) and Achaia (southern Greece), where Corinth was. From there, he planned to return to Jerusalem, and then go to Rome as a stop on the way to Spain.
We know from Romans 15:24 that Paul wanted to visit Spain after Rome. Spain was the western outpost of the Roman Empire.
Luke does not mention it here, but we know from other scriptures that Paul was going to Jerusalem with representatives from the gentile churches to present a gift of money for the poor in Jerusalem.
While Paul stayed a while in Ephesus, he sent Timothy and Erastus to Greece. Although Luke does not mention it here, Paul sent them with a letter to the church in Corinth. We know the letter as the Biblical book of 1st Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 16:10)
The Riot
19:23-41
Things turned bad for Paul at this point. The silver smiths, led by man named Demetrius, protested the loss of business for those who made silver statues of the goddess Artemis. They also did not like preaching which did not recognize the status of the goddess, who was widely worshipped in Asia at the time.
The temple to Artemis was located in Ephesus. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens. It had 127 pillars, each 60 feet high.
The silversmiths made little silver niches containing a miniature sculpture of the goddess. They were dedicated in the temple and the silversmiths believed their guild was protected and blessed by Artemis.
As the silversmiths rioted, they grabbed two of Paul’s companions, Gaius and Aristarchus, and took them to the theater. (29) This theater was dug into a mountain and was large enough to hold 25 thousand people.
The other disciples restrained Paul from going into the crowd. The local leaders, referred to here as Asiarchs also urged him not to confront the crowd. Alexander, a local Jew, tried to make a defense but was shouted down. Apparently, even thought the crowed rioted, many were unsure of the reason why or who the enemy was. There seemed to be an anti-semitic attitude as well.
Finally, the town clerk got the crowd to quiet. The Romans would hold him responsible for the riot.He talked them into stopping the riot, arguing that Artemis was too great to be denied and that the men they seized had done nothing wrong. He warned them they could be arrested for rioting, something the Romans did not like at all. So they left.
After this riot, Paul encouraged the local disciples and left for Macedonia. (20:1)
So, we see through these passages that the gospel continued to spread. The Lord worked powerfully to establish Ephesus as a major center for the gentile church. God raised up other people besides Paul: Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Timothy and others. Faithful men and women witnessed to the truth of the gospel of Jesus and brought others to belief and salvation. May we do likewise.
The Last Trip To Greece
20:2-6
Paul left Ephesus after the riot and returned to Macedonia, the northern part of what is now Greece. He worked his way south into Greece, encouraging churches along the way. He ended up Greece for three months. This was probably in Corinth. He probably stayed through the worst of winter, when sailing was much more dangerous. (3)
Luke does not record this, but there is a theory that Paul went to Troas before going to Macedonia. Paul had heard of difficulties in the church at Corinth. He wrote them a forceful letter. We do not have that letter. It would have come between 1 and 2nd Corinthians. Paul’s letter evidently caused some pain in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 2:3-4, Paul wrote “And I wrote as I did so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who hold have made me rejoice…For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love the I have for you”.
Worried about the reaction of the church in Corinth, Paul sent Titus from Ephesus to Corinth. He hoped to find Titus in Troas when he got there, bearing some news of the church. But, Titus was not there. So, Paul traveled to Macedonia overland, hoping to meet Titus on the road. (2 Corinthians 2:12) Paul met Titus in Macedonia. Titus brought good news to Paul that the Corinthians still loved him. And so Paul was willing to travel on the Corinth.
Paul stayed in Macedonia for some time, although Luke did not tell us how long. Romans 15:19 indicates that, at some point, Paul went north Illyricum, a province north of Macedonia. It may have been at this time. This would mean he took the Egnatian Way west to its end at Durres on the Adriatic Sea, then turned north to Illyricum. He ended up in Greece for three months (3). This was probably in Corinth.
In Corinth, Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. He wanted to prepare them for his visit, which he hoped to make after going to Jerusalem and on his way to Spain. (Romans 1:9; 15:22-29) This was 57 A.D. He stayed with a man named Gaius. (Romans 16:23) This is probably not the same Gaius Paul met in Derbe.
While in Corinth, delegates from the churches in Macedonia came to Corinth with money collected for Paul to deliver to the church in Jerusalem. Luke does not mention this. But this is likely why Paul wrote greetings to the Romans from “all the churches of Christ”. (Romans 16:16. All the churches of Macedonia and Greece were represented by delegates gathered in Corinth with Paul.
Paul intended to sail from Corinth to Syria, to return to Antioch, but found out there was a Jewish plot against him. (3) The plot must have been to trap him at the harbor, for Paul went north to Macedonia instead. He picked up a lot of friends to travel with him, some from Macedonia and some from Asia.(4) The companions sailed for Troas in Asia. Paul and Luke went to Philippi before sailing to Troas. They all met there in Troas and stayed for seven days.
Eutychus
20:7-12
At Troas, the church met. This is the first reference to the church meeting on the first day of the week (Sunday). They met at night since many were workers or slaves who could not get away during the day.
They ate a meal together, likely including the Lord’s Supper, then Paul preached until midnight. He planned to leave the next day, so he had a lot to say to them.
Eutychus was sitting in the window, possibly to get some air in a room filled with smoke from many lamps. He fell asleep and fell out of the window from the third floor and died. Paul raised him from the dead. He then continued preaching until dawn, then left.
Traveling Toward Jerusalem
20:13-16
Paul sent Luke and his other companions by ship to Assos. They were sailing south down the coastline of Asia (Turkey). Paul went overland, met them there, and took the ship further down the coast to Mitylene on the island Lesbos.
They passed Chios without stopping. They also passed Ephesus because Paul did not want to be stopped there for a long time. He had many there who would want to hear him since he ministered there a long time. Instead, he wanted to hurry to Jerusalem and try to reach it before Pentecost. So, he sailed on down the last to the island of Samos and then to Miletus. He sent for the Ephesian elders to meet him there.
At this point, Paul had finished the first part of his mission, bringing the gospel to Europe and Asia. The second part of his mission will involve imprisonment. In our next lesson, we will look at Paul’s speech to the Ephesian elders, which will show us that Paul expected bad things to happen to him.
Yet, Paul was faithful and desired to finish the course the Lord had set for him. May we all be that faithful in our service to our Lord and Savior.
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