Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Acts
Book: Acts
Chapter: 20
Overview:
Paul's journeys.
(1-6) Eutychus restored to
Life.
(7-12) Paul
travels towards
Jerusalem.
(13-16) Paul's discourse to the
elders of
Ephesus.
(17-27) Their farewell.
(28-38)
1-6 Tumults or opposition may constrain a
Christian to remove
from his station or alter his purpose, but his work and his
pleasure will be the same, wherever he goes.
Paul thought it
worth while to bestow five days in going to
Troas, though it was
but for
Seven days' stay there; but he knew, and
So should we,
how to redeem even journeying time, and to make it turn to some
good account.
7-12 Though the disciples read, and meditated, and prayed, and
sung apart, and thereby kept up
Communion with
God, yet they
came together to
Worship God, and
So kept up their
Communion
with one another. They came together
On the first
Day of the
Week, the
Lord's Day. It is to be religiously observed
By all
disciples of
Christ. In the breaking of the
Bread, not only the
breaking of
Christ's body for us, to be a
Sacrifice for our
sins, is remembered, but the breaking of
Christ's body to us, to
be
Food and a
Feast for our souls, is signified. In the early
times it was the
Custom to receive the
Lord's
Supper every
Lord's Day, thus celebrating the memorial of
Christ's
Death. In
this assembly
Paul preached. The preaching of the
Gospel ought
to go with the sacraments. They were willing to hear, he saw
they were
So, and continued his speech till midnight. Sleeping
when hearing the
Word, is an evil thing, a sign of low esteem of
the
Word of God. We must do what we can to prevent being sleepy;
not
Put ourselves to sleep, but get our hearts affected with the
Word we hear,
So as to drive sleep far away. Infirmity requires
tenderness; but contempt requires severity. It interrupted the
Apostle's preaching; but was made to confirm his preaching.
Eutychus was brought to
Life again. And as they knew not when
they should have
Paul's company again, they made the best use of
it they could, and reckoned a night's sleep
Well lost for that
purpose. How seldom are hours of repose broken for the purposes
of devotion! but how often for mere amusement or sinful revelry!
So hard is it for spiritual
Life to thrive in the
Heart of
Man!
So naturally do
Carnal practices flourish there!
13-16 Paul hastened to
Jerusalem, but tried to do good
By the
way, when going from place to place, as every good
Man should
do. In doing
God's work, our own wills and those of our friends
must often be crossed; we must not spend time with them when
duty calls us another way.
17-27 The elders knew that
Paul was
No designing, self-seeking
Man. Those who would in any office serve the
Lord acceptably,
and profitably to others, must do it with
Humility. He was a
Plain preacher, one that spoke his message
So as to be
understood. He was a powerful preacher; he preached the
Gospel
as a
Testimony to them if they received it; but as a
Testimony
against them if they rejected it. He was a profitable preacher;
one that aimed to inform their judgments, and reform their
hearts and lives. He was a painful preacher, very industrious in
his work. He was a
Faithful preacher; he did not keep back
reproofs when necessary, nor keep back the preaching of the
Cross. He was a truly
Christian, evangelical preacher; he did
not preach notions or doubtful matters; nor affairs of state or
the civil government; but he preached
Faith and
Repentance. A
better summary of these things, without which there is
No
Salvation, cannot be given: even
Repentance towards
God, and
Faith towards our
Lord Jesus Christ, with their fruits and
effects. Without these
No sinner can escape, and with these none
will come short of eternal
Life. Let them not think that
Paul
left
Asia for fear of
Persecution; he was in full expectation of
trouble, yet resolved to go
On,
Well assured that it was
By
Divine direction. Thanks be to
God that we know not the things
which shall befall us during the
Year, the
Week, the
Day which
has begun. It is enough for the
Child of
God to know that his
strength shall be equal to his
Day. He knows not, he would not
know, what the
Day before him shall bring forth. The powerful
influences of the Holy
Spirit bind the true
Christian to his
duty. Even when he expects
Persecution and affliction, the
Love
of
Christ constrains him to proceed. None of these things moved
Paul from his work; they did not deprive him of his comfort. It
is the business of our
Life to provide for a joyful
Death.
Believing that this was the last time they should see him, he
appeals concerning his integrity. He had preached to them the
whole counsel of
God. As he had preached to them the
Gospel
purely,
So he had preached it to them entire; he faithfully did
his work, whether men would
Bear or forbear.
28-38 If the
Holy Ghost has made ministers overseers of the
flock, that is, shepherds, they must be true to their trust. Let
them consider their Master's concern for the flock committed to
their charge. It is the
Church He has purchased with his own
Blood. The
Blood was his as
Man; yet
So close is the union
between the Divine and human nature, that it is there called the
Blood of
God, for it was the
Blood of Him who is
God. This
Put
such dignity and worth into it, as to
Ransom believers from all
evil, and purchase all good.
Paul spake about their souls with
Affection and concern. They were full of care what would become
of them.
Paul directs them to look up to
God with
Faith, and
commends them to the
Word of God's
Grace, not only as the
foundation of their
Hope and the
Fountain of their joy, but as
the rule of their walking. The most advanced Christians are
capable of growing, and will find the
Word of
Grace Helps their
growth. As those cannot be welcome guests to the holy
God who
are unsanctified;
So Heaven would be
No Heaven to them; but to
all who are born again, and
On whom the image of
God is renewed,
it is sure, as almighty power and eternal
Truth make it
So. He
recommends himself to them as an
Example of not caring as to
things of the present world; this they would find
Helps forward
their comfortable
Passage through it. It might seem a hard
saying, therefore
Paul adds to it a saying of their Master's,
which he would have them always remember; "It is more blessed to
give than to receive:" it seems they were words often used to
his disciples. The opinion of the children of this world, is
contrary to this; they are afraid of giving, unless in
Hope of
getting. Clear gain, is with them the most blessed thing that
can be; but
Christ tells us what is more blessed, more excellent.
It makes us more like to
God, who gives to all, and receives
from none; and to the
Lord Jesus, who went about doing good.
This mind was in
Christ Jesus, may it be in us also. It is good
for friends, when they part, to part with
Prayer. Those who
exhort and pray for one another, may have many weeping
Seasons
and painful separations, but they will meet before the
Throne of
God, to part
No more. It was a comfort to all, that the presence
of
Christ both went with him and stayed with them.