St. John Chrysostom

  On the Acts of the Apostles

Homily 45 (Acts 20) "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 them that are sanctified." What he does when writing in an Epistle, this he does also when speaking in council from exhorting, he ends with prayer: for since he had much alarmed them by saying, "Grievous wolves shall enter in among you" (v. 29), therefore, not to overpower them, and make them lose all self-possession, observe the consolation (he gives). "And now," he says, as always, "I commend you, brethren, to God, and to the word of His grace: that is, to His grace: it is grace that saveth. He constantly puts them in mind of grace, to make them more earnest as being debtors, and to persuade them to have confidence. "Which is able to build you up." He does not say, to build, but, "to build up," showing that they had (already) been built. Then he puts them in mind of the hope to come; "to give you an inheritance," he says, "among all them which are sanctified." Then exhortation again: "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." (v. 33.) He takes away that which is the root of evils, the love of money. "Silver, or gold," he says. He says not, I have not taken, but, not even "coveted." No great thing this, but what follows after is great. "Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so laboring, ye ought to support the weak." (v. 34, 35.) Observe him employed in work and not simply that, but toiling. "These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me:" so as to put them to shame. And see how worthily of them. For he says not, Ye ought to show yourselves superior to money, but what? "to support the weak "--not all indiscriminately--" and to hear the word of the Lord which He spake, It is more blessed to give than to receive." For lest any one should think that it was spoken with reference to them, and that he gave himself for an ensample, as he elsewhere says, "giving an ensample to you" (Phil. iii. 17), he added the declaration of Christ, Who said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." He prayed over them while exhorting them: he shows it both by action,--"And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all," (v. 36)--he did not simply pray, but with much feeling: great was the consolation--and by his saying," I commend you to the Lord. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more." (v. 37, 38.) He had said, that "grievous wolves should enter in;" had said, "I am pure from the blood of all men:" and yet the thing that grieved them most of all was this, "that they should see him no more:" since indeed it was this that made the war grievous. "And they accompanied them," it says, "unto the ship. And it came to pass, that after we had torn ourselves from them"--so much did they love him, such was their affection towards him-"and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara: and finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth. Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre" (Acts xxi. 1-3): he came to Lycia, add having left Cyprus, he sailed down to Tyre--" for there the ship was to unlade her burden. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." (v. 4.) They too prophesy of the afflictions. It is so ordered that they should be spoken by them also, that none might imagine that Paul said those things without cause, and only by way of boasting. And there again they part from each other with prayer. "And when we had accomplished those days, we departed, and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him." (v. 5-8.) Having come to Caesarea, it says, we abode with Philip, which was one of the seven. "And the same man had four-daughters, virgins, which did prophesy." (v. 9.) But it is not these that foretell to Paul, though they were prophetesses; it is Agabus. "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." (v. 10, 11.) He who formerly had declared about the famine, the same says, This "man, who owneth this girdle, thus shall they bind." (ch. xi. 28.) The same that the prophets used to do, representing events to the sight, when they spoke about the captivity--as did Ezekiel--the same did this (Agabus). "And," what is the grievous part of the business, "deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem." (v. 12.) Many even besought him not to depart, and still he would not comply. "Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?" (v. 13.) Do you mark? Lest, having heard that saying, "I go bound in the Spirit" (ch. xx. 22), you should imagine it a matter of necessity, or that he fell into it ignorantly, therefore these things are foretold. But they wept, and he comforted them, grieving at their tears. For, "what mean ye," he says, "to weep and to break my heart?" Nothing could be more affectionate: because he saw them weeping, he grieved, he that felt no pain at his own trials. "For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done."v. 13, 14.) Ye do me wrong in doing this: for do I grieve? Then they ceased, when he said, "to break my heart." I weep, he says, for you, not on account of my own sufferings: as for those men), I am willing even to die for them. But let us look over again what has been said. (Recapitulation.) "Silver, or gold, or apparel," etc. (ch. xx. 33, 34; 1 Cor. ix.; 2 Cor. xi.) So then, it was not in Corinth only that they did this--they that corrupted the disciples, but in Asia as well. But he nowhere casts this up as a reproach to the Ephesians, when writing to them. And why? Because he did not fall upon any subject that obliged him to speak of this. But to the Corinthians he says, "My boasting has not been stopped in the regions of Achaia." (2 Cor. xi. 10.) And he does not say, Ye did not give to me; but, "Silver, or gold, or apparel, I coveted not," that it might not seem to be their doing, that they had not given. And he does not say, From no man have I coveted the necessaries of life, that again it might not look like accusing them: but he covertly hints as much, seeing that he provided subsistence for others as well as himself. See how he worked with earnestness, "night and day" (discoursing to others), "with tears warning each one of them." (v. 31.) (Here) again he puts them in fear: "I have showed you all things," he says: ye cannot take refuge in the plea of ignorance: "have shown you" by works "how that so laboring ye ought to work." And he does not say, that to receive is bad, but that not to receive is better. For, "remember," he says, "the words of the Lord which he spake: It is more blessed to give than to receive." (v. 35.) And where said He this? Perhaps the Apostles delivered it by unwritten tradition; or else it is plain from recorded sayings, from) which one could infer it. For in fact here he has shown both boldness in meeting dangers, sympathy with those over whom he ruled, teaching with (unshrinking) boldness, humility, (voluntary) poverty: but, what we have here is even more than that poverty. For if He says there (in the Gospel), "If thou wilt be perfect, sell what thou hast and give to the poor" (Matt. xix. 21), when, besides receiving nothing himself, he provides sustenance for others also, what could equal this? It is one degree to fling away one's possessions; a second, to be sufficient for the supply of one's own necessities: a third, to provide for others also; a fourth, for oneto do all this) who preaches and has a right to receive. So that here is a man far better than those who merely forego possessions. "Thus it is right to support the weak:" this is indeed) sympathy with the weak; for to give from the labors of others, is easy. "And they fell on his neck," it says, "and wept." (v. 37.) He shows their affection also by saying, "Upon his neck," as taking a last and yet a last embrace, such was the love they conceived from his discourse, such the spell of love that bound them. For if we groan when simply parting from each other, although we know that we shall receive one another back again, what a tearing away of themselves it must have been to them! Methinks Paul also wept. "Having torn ourselves away," he says: he shows the violence of it by saying, "having torn ourselves away from them." And with reason: otherwise they could never have got to sea. What means, "We came with a straight course unto Coos?" Instead of saying, "we did not go round nor make stay in other places." Then "unto Rhodes." (ch. xxi. 1.) See how he hastes on. "And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia. (v. 2.) Possibly that ship (in which they had come) was making a stay there: wherefore they shifted to another, and not having found one going to Caesarea, but (finding this) for Phenice, they embarked in it (and pursued their voyage), having left Cyprus also and Syria: but the expression, "having left it on the left hand," is not said simply in that meaning), but that they made speed not to get to Syria either. "We landed at Tyre." (v. 3.) Then they tarry with the brethren seven days. Now that they were come near to Jerusalem, they no longer run. "Who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." (v. 4.) Observe how, when the Spirit does not forbid, he complies. They said, "Adventure not thyself into the theatre, and he did not adventure" (ch. xix. 31): often they bore him off (from dangers), and he complied: again he escaped by a window: and now, though numberless persons, so to say, beseech him, both those at Tyre and those at Caesarea, weeping also and predicting numberless dangers, he refuses to comply. And yet it is not merely), they predicted the dangers, but "said by the Spirit." If then the Spirit bade, why did he gainsay? "By the Spirit," that is, they knowing "by the Spirit"what would be the consequences, said to him): for of course it does not mean that the exhortation they made was by the Spirit. For they did not simply foretell to him the dangers through the Spirit), but added of themselves) that it behooved him not to go up--sparing him. But "after we had accomplished the days," i.e. had fulfilled the appointed days, "we separated, and went on our way: they all bringing us on our way with wives and children." (v. 5.)--See how great was the entreaty. And again they part with prayer. Also in Ptolemais they stay one day, but in Caesarea many. (v. 6-8.) Now that they are near to Jerusalem, they no longer hurry. For observe, I pray you, all the days. "After the day of unleavened bread" they came "to Troas in five days" (ch. xx. 6); then they there spent "seven;" in all, twelve: then to "Thasos," to "Mytilene," to "Trogylium" and "over against Chios," and to "Samos" and "Miletus" (ib. 13-17); eighteen in all. Then to "Cos," to "Rhodes," to "Patara," twenty-one: then say five to "Tyre;" twenty-six: there "seven;" thirty-three; "Ptolemais," thirty-four; then to "Caesarea, many days" (ch. xxi. 1-10); and then, thereafter, the prophet puts them up thence. When Paul has heard that he has to suffer numberless perils, then he is in haste, not flinging himself upon the dangers but accounting it to be the command of the Spirit. And Agabus does not say, "They shall bind" Paul, that he may not seem to speak upon agreement with Paul), but "the man that owneth this girdle" (v. 11)--so then he had a girdle also. But when they could not persuade him--this was why they wept--then they "held their peace." Do you mark the resignation? do you mark the affection? "They held their peace," it says, "saying, The will of the Lord be done." (v. 12-14.) The Lord, say they, Himself will do that which is pleasing in his sight. For they perceived that it was the will of God. Else Paul would not be so bent (upon going)--he that on all other occasions delivers himself out of dangers. "And after these, days," it says, "having taken up our baggage"--i. e. having received the supplies) necessary for the journey--"we went up to Jerusalem." (v. 15.) "And there went with us also certain of the disciples from Caesarea, bringing us to one with whom we should lodge, one Mnason, an ancient disciple of Cyprus." (v. 16.) "And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly." (v. 17.) "Bringing us," it says, "(to him) with whom we should lodge"--not to the church: for on the former occasion (ch. xv. 4), when they went up concerning the decrees, they lodged with the Church, but now with a certain "ancient disciple."The expression) shows that the preaching had been going on a long time: whence it seems to me that this writer in the Acts epitomizes the events of many years, relating (only) the matters of chief importance. So unwilling were they to burthen the Church, when there was another to lodge them; and so little did they stand upon their dignity. "The brethren," it says, "received us gladly." Affairs among the Jews were now full of peace: there was not much war fare among them). "Bringing us," it says, "to one with whom we should lodge." Paul was the guest he entertained. [...]