Through Macedonia And Greece
THROUGH MACEDONIA AND GREECE
ACTS 20:1-6
Are we as keen as Paul to share Jesus with those who have never heard?
From Ephesus Paul’s journeys took him to Macedonia and then to southern Greece. Later as he faced opposition he decided to return northwards and to sail from Neapolis, the port of Philippi (20:6), across the Aegean to Troas on his long trip to Jerusalem (20:3: “set sail for Syria”).
In a section which deals with Paul’s uneventful travels we shall do well to dig a little below the surface, for this was an important period in his life. His visit to Macedonia (20:1) evidently was the same as that spoken of in 2 Corinthians 2:12 when he halted at Troas where he had arranged to meet Titus. This was a critical period in his apostolic service, for he had been insulted at Corinth (2 Corinthians 2:5) and had written a “severe letter” to rebuke a factious minority in the church which had opposed his authority. But this letter was not composed easily, as 2 Corinthians 2:4 makes clear. At Troas he was anxious to receive news of the letter’s effect.
Indeed, so concerned was he and sorry that Titus had failed to rendezvous with him at Troas that he crossed over into Macedonia (2 Corinthians 7:5-13). There good news awaited him as Titus arrived with the report that the Corinthian disturbance was over and the church had voted confidence in him. From Macedonia he wrote 2 Corinthians, therefore, and followed it up with a visit (20:2), when he composed the epistle to the Romans, which was sent out from Corinth.
The return trip, through Macedonia to Troas, brought him a further stage on his eastward journey. It was a slow journey (compare 20:6 with 16:11-12), and meant a hurried “stop-over” at Miletus instead of a diversionary visit to Ephesus (20:16). Why was he in a hurry (20:16)?
Notes 20:4: the names of Paul’s travel companions are interesting. Sopater may be the same as Sosipater of Romans 16:21. Aristarchus was mentioned earlier at 19:29, while Gaius may be the Macedonian of that verse if we accept (with NEB) the variant reading “the Doberian” instead of “Derbacan” (NEB margin). Doberus was a Macedonian town, near Philippi. Tychicus is well known in the later imprisonment epistles as Paul’s courier; and Trophimus recurs as the sick man of 2 Timothy 4:20. 20:6: Passover days numbered a week, and probably a date in April AD 57 is intended.