Going Home

After 3 years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31) and over 6 months in Macedonia and Greece, Paul was going back to Jerusalem!  Paul had planned this itinerary during his final year in Ephesus (Acts 19:21) and so far, everything had worked out all right.

Paul left the Ephesian church under the protection of God and the Roman government (19:38-20:1) and traveled north to Troas looking for Titus and word from the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 2:12-13).  He finally found Titus in Philippi (2 Corinthians 7:6-7) and there wrote the letter of 2 Corinthians encouraging the Corinthian Church in their repentance (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) since they had rebelled against him.  He spent the rest of the autumn in Macedonia strengthening the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 20:2) and even finding time to evangelize Illyricum (modern Albania; Romans 15:19). Then he spent the 3 winter months (Dec – Feb 55-56 AD) with the Corinthians during which time he wrote the Epistle to the Galatians and Romans (20:3).  What a fruitful time!

Now that Spring Festival season was approaching (Passover, Pentecost; Acts 20:6, 16) Paul was hurrying to be in Jerusalem (v. 16).  He had with him 7 delegates from his 3 missionary journeys (v. 4), all of whom were accompanying the large financial gift to the Jerusalem church on behalf of the Gentile churches (Romans 15:25-28; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1 – 9:5).  Paul and company were to sail directly from Corinth (Cenchrea) to Antioch in Syria (20:3) when Paul changed plans due to a plot against his life (20:3).  As a result, Paul went north overland to Philippi where he picked up Dr. Luke (v. 6), and crossed over to Troas and performed his last and greatest miracle: the raising of Eutychus from the dead (v. 10).  From Troas, Paul and company landed at Miletus where he addressed the Ephesian elders for the last time (20:18-35) before being arrested in Jerusalem (21:33) and sent to Rome in chains (27:1).  

In God’s sovereign plan, Paul would miss Passover in Jerusalem in order to include Dr. Luke on the journey, perform his greatest miracle and address the Ephesian elders.