This morning my devotional included a reference to Acts 20:24. When I read a scripture for devotion, I usually like to read the entire chapter that contains the subject verse to gain context. Additionally, I often find that what God puts on my heart during my devotion time is some other verse or verses that are not part of the devotional material; so, I read Acts chapter 20. It is a powerful chapter for me, and I generally have tears in my eyes by the time I finish the chapter. There are several points in the chapter that speak to me.
First, the book of Acts is written by Luke. The first 19 chapters in Acts are written in the third person when describing what people said and did. At the beginning of chapter twenty, verse 5, Luke switches to first person and continues that to the end of the book. This tells me chapters 20 through 28 describe Luke’s personal testimony to the events, which for me makes it more personal and lends added credibility. Second, at an evening gathering of several Christians in Troas, while Paul spoke before breaking bread, a young man named Eutychus fell out of a three-story building. Paul stops his message, goes and heals Eutychus, and then returns to break bread and talk with the gathering until daybreak. What an amazing communion service that was.
Third, Paul chose to walk alone to Assos while all the others sailed by ship. This is reminiscent of Jesus seeking to be alone while the disciples went on ahead. I envision God preparing and informing Paul while he traveled alone. We see evidence of this in verses that follow. Fourth, Paul skips a stop at Ephesus because he now has a sense of urgency to get to Jerusalem, but still when he gets to Miletus, he sends for the elders of Ephesus to come to him. He gives the elders a short farewell talk clearly stating that they will never see him again, alluding to the fate that awaits him in Jerusalem.
Fifth, he ends his talk quoting a saying that Jesus had said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” My father taught me this saying when I was a young boy. He also told me another saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” At the time I did not know they were sayings of Jesus quoted in the Bible, they were simply words to live by. I now realize those two sayings are two of the best gifts my father gave me. Sixth, when Paul finished speaking, he knelt down and they all prayed together. Even though it was apparent to everyone that the fate of Paul was established by God, prayer was still necessary. We always need to pray, even and especially when we face uncertain perils.
Seventh, they had a tearful goodbye, knowing they would never see Paul again. Even with the knowledge of a place in heaven awaiting us, parting like this is always sorrowful. Living this scene out in my mind always evokes emotion. One can easily sense the raw emotion of that parting. I find this aspect of the Bible very powerful, it is often so real and relatable. The real honest humanity I find in the Bible led me to write the song Real, one of three songs included in the last chapter of Building My Faith.