Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Acts
Chapter 20: The Church of God, Which He Hath Purchased With His Own Blood
Acts 20 follows Paul as he journeys toward Jerusalem and pours out his heart to the leaders he loves. At Troas, gathered on the first day of the week to break bread, the young man Eutychus falls asleep and drops from the third loft, taken up dead, but Paul embraces him and restores his life. Hastening toward Jerusalem, Paul calls the Ephesian elders to Miletus for a moving farewell. He reminds them how he served the Lord 'with all humility of mind, and with many tears,' keeping back nothing profitable, testifying 'repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' He goes 'bound in the spirit' to Jerusalem, knowing 'bonds and afflictions' await, yet counting not his life dear, that he might 'finish my course with joy.' He charges the elders, 'Take heed... to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood,' warning of wolves to come. He commends them to God and 'the word of his grace,' and they weep and pray, for they would see his face no more. The chapter shows us the faithful minister, the flock bought with God's own blood, and the love that binds the people of God.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Acts chapter 20. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Paul restores Eutychus at Troas and gives his farewell charge to the Ephesian elders. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
To Break Bread
The church gathers on the first day; Eutychus is restored.
Finish My Course With Joy
Paul goes bound in the spirit, counting not his life dear.
Purchased With His Own Blood
The church is bought by the blood of God Himself.
They See His Face No More
Paul commends the elders to God and the word of His grace.
Upon the First Day of the Week, to Break Bread (Acts 20:1-16)
As the church gathers on the first day of the week, Paul preaches late, and the fallen Eutychus is restored to life.
Trouble Not Yourselves; for His Life Is in Him
"And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, 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. 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. These going before tarried for us at Troas. 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. 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. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 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. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 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. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. 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. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. 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. 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."
Word Study
"break bread," Greek klao arton (κλάω ἄρτον). The phrase means to break bread, and in Acts it describes the gathering of believers for fellowship and the Lord's Supper. "Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread." This verse gives us an early glimpse of the church's practice of assembling on the first day of the week, the day of the Lord's resurrection, to worship, hear the word, and break bread together. The breaking of bread was both the sharing of a common meal and the remembrance of the Lord's death that He commanded, "this do in remembrance of me." The gathered church, meeting on the resurrection day around the word and the bread, is the pattern of Christian worship. And on this night the fellowship of the broken bread was joined to a display of resurrection power, as the young man taken up dead was given back alive.
Explanation
Paul travels through Macedonia and Greece strengthening the churches, and at Troas, preaching late into the night, the young man Eutychus falls asleep and drops three stories to his death -- but Paul embraces him and restores his life. The gathering "upon the first day of the week... to break bread" shows the early church's rhythm of worship and the Lord's Supper. Even in a long journey crowded with hardship and farewell, Paul pours himself into teaching and fellowship, and God confirms the word with a resurrection. The pastor's heart is evident: he cannot stop feeding and gathering the people of God.
Gospel Focus
After the Ephesian riot subsides, Paul encourages the disciples and travels through Macedonia and Greece, everywhere giving "much exhortation." Escaping a Jewish plot, he journeys back through Macedonia with a company of fellow workers from many churches, a picture of the wide fellowship the gospel had created. (Note the "we," Luke rejoining the party.) At Troas they stay seven days, and Luke records a precious detail of early church life: "upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them." The believers gathered on the first day, the resurrection day, to break bread and hear the word, and Paul, about to depart, preached long, "until midnight." In the crowded, lamp-lit upper room, a young man named Eutychus, sitting in a window, is overcome by sleep and falls "from the third loft, and was taken up dead." It is a scene both solemn and gently human, a young man overcome during a very long sermon. But Paul goes down, falls on him and embraces him, as Elijah and Elisha had done in raising the dead, and says, "Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him." The young man is restored to life, and the gathering, comforted, continues the breaking of bread and Paul's teaching "even till break of day." So the meeting that saw death turned to life ends in fellowship and the word, and "they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted." The power of the risen Christ, working through His apostle, gave back a life; the God of resurrection was present among His gathered people. Then Paul presses on by land and sea toward Jerusalem, "for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost." He chose to sail past Ephesus rather than be delayed, but he could not pass the Ephesian church by without a word, and so he sends for their elders to meet him at Miletus. The section shows the church gathered on the Lord's day around the word and the bread, the resurrection power of Christ at work, and the tireless apostle pressing toward Jerusalem and the sufferings he knew awaited him.
Feed the Church of God (Acts 20:17-38)
Paul charges the elders to shepherd the flock bought with God's own blood, and they part in tears and prayer.
Which He Hath Purchased With His Own Blood
"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship."
Word Study
"his own blood," Greek tou idiou haimatos (τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος). Paul charges the elders "to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." The phrase is staggering: the church of God was purchased with God's own blood. God is Spirit and has no blood; blood belongs to the flesh. So how can Scripture speak of the blood of God? Only because the God who shed His blood for us did so in the flesh He took upon Himself: Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh, and the blood He poured out on the cross is rightly called the blood of God, for the man who bled was none other than the one God come in flesh. This verse is a mighty witness to the deity of Christ and to the Oneness of God: it is the church "of God," bought with the blood of God, and that God is Jesus, whose blood was shed. There are not two who purchased the church, but one God, who in Christ redeemed His people with His own blood.
Explanation
Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus is his most tender charge. He recalls serving "with all humility of mind, and with many tears," declaring "the whole counsel of God," and warns that "grievous wolves" will arise even from among themselves. His central command shows how highly he values the church: "feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." The blood that bought the church is God's own -- for Jesus, whose blood was shed, is God manifest in flesh; the Apostolic gospel confesses that the crucified Saviour is the LORD Himself. Paul commends them to God and to "the word of his grace," and they weep and pray, for they will see his face no more.
Gospel Focus
Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders is one of the most moving passages in Acts, the portrait of a faithful minister pouring out his heart. He first reminds them of his example: he served "the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears," through trials and plots, and "kept back nothing that was profitable," teaching "publickly, and from house to house," his message summed up as "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ", the whole gospel in a phrase. Then he speaks of his path: "I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem," knowing only that "bonds and afflictions" await, yet resolute: "none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry... to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Here is the heart of a true servant: his life is not his own; his one aim is to finish faithfully the ministry entrusted to him. Believing they will not see him again, he solemnly clears himself: "I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." He held nothing back and warned everyone, so their blood is on their own heads if they perish. Then comes the great charge, and the great verse: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Elders are shepherds set by the Holy Ghost to feed and guard the flock, and the flock is infinitely precious, for it is "the church of God," bought at the highest price, "his own blood." That God should speak of purchasing the church with His own blood is a mighty testimony to the deity of Christ: the God who redeemed us is the same Jesus who shed His blood, God manifest in flesh. Paul warns that "grievous wolves" will enter and that some from within will "speak perverse things," so the elders must "watch," even as Paul had warned them "night and day with tears" for three years. Then he commends them to the only sufficient keeper: "God, and... the word of his grace, which is able to build you up." God and His word of grace, not Paul, would sustain them. He closes by pointing to his own example of self-support and generosity, "these hands have ministered unto my necessities," and to support the weak, recalling the Lord's own words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Then Paul kneels and prays with them all, and the scene ends in tears: "they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him," grieving that they would see his face no more. Here is the beauty of the body of Christ, a shepherd and his flock bound in deep love, parting in prayer and tears. The faithful minister has poured out his life for the flock God bought with His own blood, and now commends them to God's keeping.
Chapter 20 in Review
Acts 20 shows the heart of a faithful minister on his way to suffering. At Troas the church gathers "upon the first day of the week... to break bread," and when Eutychus falls dead from the window, Paul restores his life. Hastening toward Jerusalem, Paul summons the Ephesian elders to Miletus and gives his farewell. He recounts his humble, tearful, faithful service, testifying "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," and goes "bound in the spirit," not counting his life dear, that he might "finish my course with joy." He charges them, "feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood," warns of coming wolves, commends them "to God, and to the word of his grace," and parts in prayer and tears, for they would see his face no more.
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a treasure of ministry and doctrine. It gives us the pattern of the gathered church, meeting on the first day of the week, the resurrection day, around the word and the breaking of bread. It gives us the model of the faithful servant: humble, tearful, holding nothing back, declaring "all the counsel of God," pure from the blood of all men, counting his own life as nothing so long as he finishes his God-given course and testifies the gospel of grace. It gives us the charge to shepherds: overseers set by the Holy Ghost to feed and guard the flock, watchful against wolves without and false teachers within. And at its center it gives us one of the mightiest witnesses to the deity of Christ and the Oneness of God: the church "of God" was "purchased with his own blood." God is Spirit and has no blood; the blood that bought the church is the blood of the man Christ Jesus, who is Himself the one God come in flesh. There are not two redeemers but one, for the God who shed His blood for us is Jesus, God manifest in flesh. Behold the price of your redemption, the very blood of God; treasure the flock He bought so dearly; serve faithfully, holding nothing back; and rest, like the Ephesian elders, in God and the word of His grace, which alone is able to build you up.
- The church gathered on the first day of the week to break bread and hear the word (20:7).
- The faithful minister holds nothing back, declaring all the counsel of God (20:27).
- Count not your life dear; finish your course and ministry with joy (20:24).
- Elders are set by the Holy Ghost to feed and guard the flock (20:28).
- The church was purchased with God's own blood: the deity of Christ (20:28).
- God and the word of His grace are able to build up and keep His people (20:32).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you treasure the gathering of the church around the word and the bread?
- Do you, like Paul, count your life not dear, but aim to finish your course faithfully?
- Do you grasp that the church was bought with the very blood of God?
- Do you rest in God and the word of His grace to build you up?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The first day of the week and breaking bread: 1 Corinthians 16:2; Luke 24:1; Acts 2:42, 46. Raising the dead as of old: 1 Kings 17:21-22; 2 Kings 4:34-35. Repentance and faith as the gospel: Acts 2:38; 17:30; Mark 1:15. Finishing the course: 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Acts 21:13; Philippians 1:20-21. Elders as shepherds set by the Spirit: 1 Peter 5:1-4; Titus 1:5-9; Ephesians 4:11-12. The deity of Christ and the blood of God: 1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9; John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:7. It is more blessed to give than to receive: Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The journey and the raising of Eutychus: Acts 20:1-16; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Kings 4:34-35.
- Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders: Acts 20:17-38; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:16.