A Study of Acts: Paul and the Group Travel South
Acts 20:13-17 - Disciples serving God need travel days, too.
“But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.”
Acts 20:13-16 NASB1995
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This passage describes travel from Troas to Miletus for the group. The disciples, other than Paul, board a ship in Troas and head for the town of Assos, shown on the map above. Paul elects to walk the distance between the two towns. Interestingly, commentary that I read notes that there was an excellent Roman road between Troas and Assos and the distance was about 20 miles. Sailing around the headland between Troas and Assos was about 40 miles, so Paul took the shorter journey and may have arrived ahead of the others. There is endless speculation in various commentaries as to why he did this walk instead of sailing on the ship, so here’s a short list of the ideas:
He wanted some time alone to pray and enjoy God’s nature in this scenic area.
He wanted to stay as late as possible in Troas to ensure that Eutychus was doing well.
He wanted to stay as late as possible in Troas to continue his teaching and exhortation with the congregation there.
He was accompanied on the walk by people from Troas who continued their conversations with Paul (the passage does not say he was alone).
The group picks Paul up in Assos, then they sail to Mitylene, noted above on the map on the island of Lesbos. This city, dating back to the 11th century B.C., is the capital of that island. The passage does not describe any activities that they pursue in this location, as Paul was apparently in a hurry to get back to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost.
The group sails from Mytilene through the narrow passage between the island of Chios (Kios) and Roman Asia (western Turkey); Chios is marked on the map above, from Bibleatlas.org. Interestingly, Steve and I visited Chios on a cruise that also took us to Ephesus. This lesser-known Greek island, the birthplace of Homer and Aristotle Onassis, is just beautiful and is known for harvesting mastic gum, a resin from mastic trees (this gum has been highly valued over the centuries for a variety of uses, including medicinal).
After sailing past Chios, the group goes past the island of Samos, which you can see on the same map above, finally arriving in Miletus, which is south of Ephesus. Paul decided they would sail past Ephesus, knowing that if he stopped, he would probably be there for quite a while. As noted in the passage, Paul wanted to get back to Jerusalem in a hurry. However, he does send for the elders of the church in Ephesus and he addresses them in the next passage I will study.
My next devotional examines Acts 20:17-38, Paul’s farewell to Ephesus.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for the leaders of the early church, who lived their lives serving other churches and traveling between those locations. Keep us safe in our travels and help us to be disciples for You in any location. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
The Bibleatlas.org was accessed on 12/31/2024 to review maps for Acts 20:13-17.