An Outline Of Acts 20

1 Paul’s journeys from Ephesus to Troas

Text, Acts 20:1-6, KJV: 1 And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. 2 And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 3 And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These going before tarried for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

Thoughts:

--Luke provides a brief summary of Paul’s travels from Ephesus to Macedonia (northern Greece) to “Greece (probably Achaia, the southern region of Greece)” and back through Macedonia. Paul alludes to this in 2 Corinthians 1.

--Paul stayed in “Greece” for three months. When he wanted to sail for Syria, he found out that some of the Jews “laid wait” for him, so he went (on foot?) through Macedonia once again. Something like this would happen later, per Acts 23.

--A group of seven different men went with Paul on this journey; Luke gives their names and hometowns. If nothing else, this proves the Gospel reached people of various locations!

--Paul and the seven other men got to Troas a few days before Luke and the others. Once they all got together again, they “abode” or remained there for another seven days.

--But there was more to happen in Troas, The next few verses describe a very important event.

2 Paul’s encounter with the man named “Lucky”

Text, Acts 20:7-12, KJV: 7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Thoughts:

--The disciples came together on the “first day of the week” to “break bread”, perhaps to observe Communion or the Lord’s Supper. In Acts 2, the disciples hand done this “daily (Acts 2:46); now this seemed to be a weekly observance of this ordinance. Of note, there is no mention of Paul going to a synagogue here. Did one exist?

--Paul apparently had so much to say that he talked until midnight! He and the disciples were in the “upper chamber”, where the other disciples had apparently brought plenty of “lights”. These ‘lights” were lamps, where oil-soaked wicks were burned to give light (paraphrased from the definition found at https://biblehub.com/greek/2985.htm).

--Eutychus means “well-fated” or, “lucky”! He didn’t have much good fortune or luck of any kind during this rather extended message: he fell asleep and fell out of the window!

--Note Luke’s diagnoses: first, he fell into “a deep sleep”, then he ”sunk down with sleep”, and finally he fell out of a third-story window! Whether this meant a true third-story (about 30 feet) or a British-style third story, meaning ground-first-second, is not known. At any rate, he fell down from a good distance. Some, including Luke, thought Eutychus had died.

--Paul went down, “fell on him”, first, and then “embraced him”. After this, Paul said, “It’s all good, he’s alive!” Debate exists whether Eutychus had really died or was in a swoon or if he had been in some other state.

--After this, Paul and at least some others, came up again, probably to the same upper chamber, then broke bread and ate afterwards. Paul then seemed to take up where he left off, and kept on speaking until the “break of day!”

--Eutychus was fully alive by now (had he rested or slept since Paul had ministered to him?). The others were greatly (not moderately) comforted. Dr. A. T. Robertson notes how Luke likes to use this idiom or figure at https://godrules.net/library/robert/robertact20.htm.

3 Paul’s journey from Troas to Miletus