Acts 20:1-16 Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

In today’s reading Paul is on the move again. After encouraging the disciples in Ephesus he leaves for Macedonia and Greece. Paul encourages believers as travels to Greece. Luke joins up with Paul at Troas again as he starts to speak in the first person once more.

While in Troas the believers come together to break bread and listen to Paul. It must have been one heck of a sermon; we don’t know when he started to speak but he kept talking until midnight. It seems no one really minded, but one person must have gotten tired. Eutychus, a young man, was sitting in a window and fell into a deep sleep. He was so sound asleep that he fell from the third story window to his death.

But this is not the end of the story! Paul runs down to the street, throws himself on Eutychus and put his arms around him. Then Paul announces that he is alive! Paul was not easily side-tracked by little things like death and resurrection so he goes back upstairs to break bread and eat. He continues talking until morning when he leaves for Assos. Oh yeah, by the way, the people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul continues traveling towards Jerusalem. He wanted to get there before Pentecost, if possible. It seems that Paul was in a hurry now and wasn’t taking a lot of time for preaching or spreading the Gospel.

I’m amazed by Paul’s stamina. The man has been traveling, mostly by foot, nonstop. When he does stop he is teaching, preaching and encouraging. This is a man of action! Apparently he doesn’t need sleep either. He spends days going from one place to the next, stops at Troas to give the longest sermon ever and in the middle of it raises a young man from the dead. Once he is done preaching he is on the road again.

How does he do it? Even Jesus rested and prayed. I notice that Luke doesn’t talk about Paul going off to pray. There is no mention of rest thus far either. Is Paul the first “Energizer Bunny”? Can he really just keep going, and going, and going?

I think that we are to learn from Paul to be people of action. We are to keep moving toward Jesus, teaching, preaching and encouraging along the way. But I also think we must stop and rest too. We must separate ourselves and pray, because Jesus is the source of energy and love.

So, I plan on resting today. It is the Sabbath after all. I will worship at church and then I may take a walk, take a nap or play a game with the kids. Then tomorrow I can be a person of action, sharing the Good News with everyone I encounter. How will you rest today?