7 On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper.[c] Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below.
10 Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11 Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper,[d] and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.
Acts 20:7-12 (NLT) 中文
3rd Missionary trip
If you’ve been following, you know Paul is on his 3rd missionary journey to visit his church plants and “strengthen all the disciples”. He’s just left Ephesus where he stayed about 2.5 years and left after a riot. After avoiding a plot on his life as he planned to sail to Syria, he’s now returning via land through Macedonia and just arrived in Troas for a week (v6).
First things first
So Paul has arrived in Troas and met up with the other 6 representatives from the different Macedonian churches we mentioned yesterday. First thing Paul and his companions do is to celebrate the Lord’s supper (to break bread they called it). He’s a man on a mission – to get back to Jerusalem before Pentecost (v16). So his time in Troas is short which leads him to preach all night.
Window to Heaven
Poor Eutychus can’t handle it (like many of us). But he picked a bad spot to sleep – in a window on the 3rd floor! You might say it became a window to heaven for him since he fell to his death. But not so fast, Paul, without missing a beat, ran to him and seems to have laid on him (a la Elijah and the widow’s son – 1 Kings 17:17-24 – esp v 21). He didn’t pray out loud or do anything else. He simply pronounced the boy is alive.
Back to business
Paul gets right back to the business of preaching – through the night! The incident seems almost matter-of-fact to him. Just another day in the life of Paul. But the crowd was clearly amazed and greatly comforted.
RЯeflection
- Paul was very focused on the task. I guess even he may have felt a bit anxious – then wrote to the Philippians about it (Philippians 4:6-7). He kept preaching and teaching all night! What could be so important?
- Do you find it encouraging that God knew Eutychus’ situation and showed mercy on him through Paul healing him. What a testimony of the power of the Gospel. Is that power still there today?
