Bible Story · Acts 20:17–38
Paul's Farewell to Ephesus
The Story
Paul is on his final journey to Jerusalem, racing against time to arrive before Pentecost. He has decided not to stop at Ephesus itself — the city where he spent three years, longer than anywhere else in his ministry — for fear that he will be delayed. Instead he sends word to the Ephesian elders to meet him at the port city of Miletus, thirty miles south. When they arrive, Paul sits with them and speaks — and this speech, unlike any other in Acts, is directed not at unbelievers but at leaders he loves. He reminds them of his ministry among them: the tears, the trials from the plots of Jews, how he held back nothing that was useful, how he taught them publicly and from house to house. He called both Jews and Greeks to repentance and faith. Now, he tells them, the Holy Spirit is compelling him to go to Jerusalem — though he does not know what will happen to him there. "I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me." Then the most grievous words: "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." He charges them. They are to be shepherds. Wolves will come from outside. Men from among themselves will arise and distort the truth. They must guard themselves and the flock. He kneels down with all of them and prays. They all weep as they embrace him and kiss him. What grieves them most is his saying they would never see his face again. They accompany him to the ship. This is the most human, most pastoral moment in Acts. Not a missionary adventure but a goodbye — leaders who built something together, who wept together, who knew that faithfulness would carry a cost.
Background
Paul spent approximately three years in Ephesus (Acts 19–20), longer than anywhere else. Ephesus was the leading city of the Roman province of Asia, home to the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world), and the commercial and cultural hub of the eastern Mediterranean. The church Paul planted there became one of the most significant in early Christianity — the letters to the Ephesians and to Timothy (who later led the Ephesian church) reflect its ongoing importance. Paul's warnings about false teachers proved prophetic: Revelation 2:1–7 addresses the Ephesian church's battle against false apostles.
Truth
Paul's farewell addresses three things: his past faithfulness ("I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God"), the community's future vulnerability (wolves, false teachers from within), and the resource that will sustain them: "I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up." The church is not sustained by the presence of any single leader — not even Paul. It is sustained by God and his word.
Application
Paul's farewell shows what mature spiritual investment looks like: he gave three years, he wept, he warned, and then he let go. Is there someone in your life you are discipling or leading who is not yet ready to stand without you — and what would it mean to have an honest conversation about the future and what wolves may come?