Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ!
In our last post, Paul went through Macedonia and Greece, then doubled back and went to Troas, where he taught an all-night Bible study and performed a miracle when Eutychus fell from the third-story loft.
As we pick back up in Acts 20, Paul’s company is leaving Troas for Assos by ship, but Paul felt like going to Assos by himself on foot, which is about a fifteen-mile hike.
Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us understanding as we read thy word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Acts 20:13-17
13 And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot.
I would like to know why Paul went alone on foot to Assos. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know since Dr Luke does not tell us. It may have been for the witnessing opportunities, or it could just be that Paul needed some alone time. They say that smart people need more time alone. I suppose that may apply to highly spiritual people as well, and Paul was both.
14 And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.
15 And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus.
Paul is now in the Area of the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3. Ephesus, the first church on the list, is where Paul spent three years teaching and preaching. The harbor where Miletus was located was eventually filled in with silt, the same as the harbor where Ephesus was located. Today, they are both miles inland from shore, but in Paul’s day, they were on the coast. When Paul called for the elders of the church (v 17), they probably came down by ship from Ephesus to Miletus. Ephesus is about 36 miles north of Miletus.
16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
Acts 20:13-17
Paul has become well-acquainted with suffering by now, and he still has a lot more to come, but is that a bad thing? I recently listened to The Gulag Archipelago (an abridged audio version), something I have been meaning to do for a long time now. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a stalwart believer in Marxism-Leninism when he was imprisoned in 1945, but after years of unimaginable suffering in the Soviet GULAG system, Solzhenitsyn embraced Christianity. He considered his time suffering in prison a blessing, as it made him understand the importance of the development of his soul and the unimportance of everything else he used to think was important. Solzhenitsyn’s revelations on the nature of the soul and the human condition are truly Pauline in their depth of wisdom. For example:
“If only it were all so simple. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”
— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
To know Jesus is to invert one’s thinking on just about everything. Nobody would suppose that suffering is a blessing without divine revelation (Phil 1:29; 3:10; II Tim 2:12; 3:12 et al), but that is precisely how Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn attained his wisdom. Likewise, that is how Paul attained his wisdom, beginning with the blindness he was struck with on the road to Damascus. Before Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, he was like Nabal, such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him. (1 Sam 25:17) It was only after being struck blind that Paul saw he was wrong about Jesus. After years of suffering, Paul had the mind of Christ. (I Cor 2:16)
What I find so salient about The Gulag is how it shows where the human heart goes apart from Christ. It gives insight into how this fallen world works, what really matters in life, and why Christians are persecuted for telling the truth. Jesus told the church in Smyrna,
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
Like Paul, many of the other authors of the Bible spent time in prison. Countless other Christians have likewise been imprisoned or suffered for their faith in other ways. Solzhenitsyn found his faith in prison, but many of his fellow prisoners were there simply for the crime of believing in Christ. That was the cause of all Paul’s suffering, yet the fruit of that suffering is worth far, far, far more than any comfort Paul could have had by denying Christ. Every believer from Adam to Job to Paul to you and I get insight and understanding from suffering. I like the mountain top, but I grow in the valley.
Paul is going to impart his wisdom to the church in Ephesus in our next post. When the elders from the church in Ephesus come down to Miletus, Paul will give them an update on his current situation, a recap of his ministry to Ephesus in particular, and a prophetic warning about what is coming after his departure. I look forward to unpacking what Paul has to say to the elders from Ephesus.
Father, thank You for the suffering You allow in our lives. It is more precious than we understand or know. It draws us closer to You and gives us understanding. We love You, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Thorn
by Martha Snell Nicholson
I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne
And begged Him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own
I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord, this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
“This is a strange, a hurtful gift which Thou has given me.”
He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He take the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.
