Acts 20:31Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"With tears," he says. Do you see that he shed tears for this? Let us also act in this way. If the impious man does not grieve, grieve yourself. Then, perhaps, he too will begin to grieve. Just as a sick man, when he sees the physician eating, feels an inclination to do the same, so it will be here. If he sees you weeping, he will be softened and become a good and gentle man. "Night and day," he says, "without ceasing, with tears, I admonished." This could rightly be said to us as well. His words seem to apply properly to teachers, but at the same time they also apply to disciples. Why do I speak, exhort, and weep night and day, if the disciple does not listen? See how extraordinary his deeds were: night and day, without ceasing, with tears, he admonished each of you. He showed care not only when he saw many gathered together. He did not cease doing all this even for one soul. Thus he bound them together.

So if you too watch, the malice of the heretics will not be able to harm your flock at all. Notice how great were Paul's zeal, ardor, and earnestness. He taught for three whole years. He taught day and night, and with tears. He taught not only everyone in general, but each one individually. After giving them such counsel, he turned to prayer, saying: "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (verse 32).

Day and night, without ceasing, and with tears, I taught each one of you. On my part, everything was done to preserve the flock of God for you whole and unharmed.

Therefore you bear before God a great responsibility for the salvation of every believer. Let this also be an example for you of how you must live and act in the house of God, which is the Church of the Lord and God.

Remember in me the pattern of activity that was not constrained or lazy, but willing. For I taught each one of you day and night without ceasing (1 Pet. 5:2).

Remember that I acted among you as a truly spiritual pastor. I did not force you to fulfill my rules by external authority or by the power of rebukes, threats, and punishments.

Rather, with tears I taught, persuaded, entreated, comforted, and encouraged each one of you (1 Pet. 5:3). While I was with you, on my part I did everything to make you worthy pastors of the Church.

I taught you everything necessary for this. And now, parting from you, brethren, I commend you to God, to His almighty help, and to the word of His grace, which I delivered to you.

If you attend to it, this word can further and more fully disclose, purify, and sanctify your Christian understanding. It can give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Therefore constant deepening in the word of the grace of God, accompanied by prayer to God for His almighty help, should likewise be one of the chief qualities of your activity as pastors of the Church.

Finally, the apostle reminds the Ephesian pastors of the selflessness with which he acted among them. This too must distinguish their pastoral activity, for they must shepherd God's flock not for filthy gain, but eagerly (1 Pet. 5:2).

“I have not taken, nor even desired, silver or gold or clothing from anyone. You yourselves know that these hands of mine served not only my needs, but also the needs of my fellow workers in the Gospel.”

“In all things I showed you that, by laboring in this way, one must support the weak in faith” (cf. Rom. 14:1; 15:1; 1 Thess. 5:14). Such people, especially when false teachers distort pastoral work, may regard a pastor's labor as self-serving if he receives support from those he pastors.

One must also remember the words of the Lord Jesus, Who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This saying of Jesus Christ has not been preserved in our Gospels.

Here, as in some other cases, the Apostle Paul supplements the accounts of the evangelists, just as the evangelists supplement one another. This is not an ordinary saying of worldly wisdom, whose meaning would be that it is better to be able to distribute alms than to need alms.

Like other sayings of worldly wisdom, in the mouth of Jesus Christ it serves here as a covering and image for the expression of a purely spiritual and moral lesson.

Blessed are those who give alms, lend to the needy, perform the works of spiritual pastorship, and in general do good to their neighbors, “hoping for nothing” for themselves here on earth.

They neither seek nor receive any earthly reward for themselves. They are more blessed in eternity than those who do good to their neighbors and receive payment for it from men.

More precisely, it was three months in the synagogue (Acts 19:8) and two years in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:10). "With tears": verse 19. "Enough has been done on my part: I remained here three years. They have been sufficiently instructed, sufficiently strengthened" (Chrysostom). Remember this and watch. Otherwise the blood of those who perish will come upon you.

To avoid these dangers, the Apostle exhorts them to watch, as good shepherds watch when they desire to preserve the sheep entrusted to them. As an example, the Apostle points to how he himself watched for three years while instructing them. This was very difficult and was accompanied by many sorrows, even by tears. There is a twofold misfortune. On the one hand, he will not be present. On the other, some will attack; and what is especially bitter, they will arise from among your own selves to draw away disciples after themselves. The aim of heretics is to draw the people not to the Lord but to themselves, so as to flatter their own vainglory. Those drawn by them then bear the name of one heretic or another, as from Manes come Manichaeans, from Arius Arians, and others. Therefore, restraining their zeal, Paul rebukes and censures those who said, "I am of Paul," and "I am of Apollos" (1 Cor. 1:12). Therefore, in view of this danger, watch. To watch means the same as to take heed to yourselves and to all the flock (verse 28). The Apostle encourages them to such watchfulness by pointing also to his own personal activity.