The Way
You Will Not See My Face Again
The elders who wept and walked him to the ship
Story
Paul was hurrying to reach Jerusalem before Pentecost. So he did not stop at Ephesus but sailed past it and landed at Miletus. Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. When the elders came, Paul said, “You know how I served the Lord with humility and tears from the first day I came to Asia.”
Paul went on, “Now, bound by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. In every city the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and troubles are waiting for me. But my life means nothing to me, if only I can finish the work of telling the gospel of God's grace. Now none of you will ever see my face again.”
Paul urged them, “Savage wolves will come in and attack the flock, so stay alert. The Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” When he had finished speaking, Paul knelt down and prayed with them all. The elders wept loudly, threw their arms around Paul's neck, and kissed him. Then they walked him to the ship.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of the Lord and of Paul
My life means nothing to me, if only I can finish my race and complete the task the Lord Jesus gave me: to testify to the gospel of God's grace.
Now I entrust you to God and to the word of his grace.
Remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Acts 20:13–38
Background
Miletus was a port city a little more than fifty kilometers south of Ephesus. Here Paul looked back on his three years in Ephesus, when he taught the believers night and day with tears.
Pause and Reflect
What path of faith do I want to hold to until the end?