Acts 20:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Some of the heretics, because of the corruption of their mind, thought that evangelical preaching brought bodily profits. They preached the Gospel solely in order to acquire property for themselves. Concerning them the same Paul wrote to Timothy: "Evil disputes of men corrupt in mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that piety is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such" (1 Tim. 6:5). Therefore, guarding the presbyters of Ephesus, and in their person all hierarchs of the Church, from such impiety, Paul gives himself as an example. He says, I desired neither silver nor gold nor clothing from anyone. And lest anyone suppose that he desired none of these things, but those whom he taught and converted gave them to him on their own, he immediately says: "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me" (verse 34).

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.

Both the connection of the speech and the Apostle's whole view of those who labor in evangelical preaching urge us to understand here not so much the poor and needy, but the weak or spiritually infirm (Rom. 14:1; 15:1; 1 Cor. 9:22; 1 Thess. 5:14). Such men, infirm in conscience, could regard the actions of a teacher and preacher who receives support from those he teaches as self-interested. They could regard the preacher as covetous, and be scandalized not only by the teacher's person, but also by his teaching itself. Yet the teacher's complete disinterestedness, when he supports himself by the labor of his own hands, will dispose them both toward the teacher and toward the teaching. It will strengthen the infirm in the faith. Paul showed a lofty example in this, and points to it here (cf. 1 Cor. 9:4; 2 Cor. 11:7; 2 Thess. 3:8). Yet the Lord and the Apostle himself did not regard it as unjust for a laborer to receive wages and sustenance from his labors (cf. Mt 10:10). Nor is it unjust for the preacher of the Gospel to live from the Gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 9:7-11, 13-14). "It is more blessed to give than to receive," because in receiving we obtain a present, brief consolation. But in giving, we hope for future, imperishable consolation in eternal life.