Acts 20:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet the Apostle wished to see the Macedonian Christians once more. For this purpose he set out for Syria by land through Macedonia. There, in Philippi, the Apostle spent the Days of Unleavened Bread. Afterward he went by sea to Troas, where he arrived after five days.

He saw their devotion to him, their firmness in the faith, hardened by persecutions, and their readiness to help gather alms for the suffering Christians of Palestine. All this was a great consolation to the Apostle after the griefs and misfortunes he had endured. At last Titus also joined him and reported the saving effect produced by his epistle to the Corinthians. Disorders had disappeared, devotion to the Apostle had increased, and a visible improvement had generally come in Corinth's ecclesial, religious, and moral life. Complete peace, however, had not yet been fully restored. The Apostle's enemies tried to cast a shadow of doubt upon Paul's very right to apostleship. Yet this was already powerless malice, with insufficient ground beneath it. To help still more in restoring peace in the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. In it he expressed his joy over the pacification of the Church and gave a whole series of new instructions on various questions. In this epistle the Apostle, among other things, confirmed his rights to apostleship. He pointed to the afflictions and sufferings he had endured and was still enduring for Christ. He also mentioned the cross given him by Christ for his whole life, lest he be exalted: namely, 'a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan.' This 'thorn in the flesh,' as was said above, was most probably an eye disease from which the Apostle suffered constantly. At times it became so tormenting that it deprived him of every possibility of activity and forced him to turn to God with tearful prayer for relief. 'Three times I besought the Lord about this,' says the Apostle, 'that it should depart from me. But the Lord said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' As though in confirmation of this, the Apostle had just before spoken of the extraordinary revelation once granted to him. He was caught up to the third heaven, into paradise, and 'heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.' This revelation came to him soon after his conversion. From that time, by his tireless and truly heroic activity, he fully justified his election. He labored and endured for the cause of Christ even more afflictions and sufferings of every kind than the other Apostles.

Having decided to leave Ephesus, the Apostle Paul gathered his Ephesian disciples. He gave them various instructions and consolations, took leave of them all, and then departed. He rejoiced over what had been accomplished for the cause of faith in Ephesus. Even the disturbance of Demetrius had finally served to strengthen Christianity, for the storm had passed without bringing harm to Christianity. 'A tender father, loving his children, was taking leave of his dear children. He was handing on to them his great spiritual treasure. After the instructions the Apostle bade them farewell. These were farewell blessings, final kisses and embraces. At last the Apostle went out from Ephesus.' The chief aim of this journey of the Apostle was Corinth, where the Church was suffering from internal divisions. He had sent his epistle there, sending Titus, Timothy, and Erastus.