Acts 18:20
When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Acts 18:20
When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Paul's refusal isn't about a lack of connection with the people in Ephesus, but a sign of his profound obedience to a higher calling. Even when presented with a "plausible invitation" and a promising reception, he recognized that human desires don't always align with divine direction, leading him to move on.
Paul had been ministering in Corinth, a vibrant but sometimes challenging city, where he had seen both success and opposition. After a period of fruitful ministry there, the believers, seeing the good he was doing, earnestly asked him to stay longer. However, Paul felt a divine pull to move on, having a greater mission elsewhere that required his immediate attention.
People wanted Paul to stay. It sounds like a success story, right? But Paul's decision to leave wasn't about rejecting them, but about discerning God's direction.
It's easy to assume that a warm reception and a request to stay longer automatically mean we should stay. Paul, however, operated on a different level of discernment.
Listening for God's Voice
Paul wasn't just a traveling preacher; he was an apostle guided by the Holy Spirit. While the Corinthians' desire for him to stay was a positive sign of his ministry's fruitfulness, it didn't automatically align with God's immediate plan for him. The commentary notes that 'it is not always that there is a Divine call present under the plausible invitation of men.'
The Greater Mission
Paul understood that his ministry wasn't just about nurturing one church but about fulfilling a wider, God-ordained mission. Leaving Corinth, even when they asked him to stay, was part of a larger strategic movement to advance the gospel to new territories and strengthen existing believers.
Paul wasn't just moving on; he was moving forward. His decision to leave Corinth was a strategic step, not an abandonment.
Paul's departure from Corinth, despite the warm reception, wasn't a sign of failure but of foresight and obedience to God's timing.
Fulfilling the Feast
Paul explicitly states a reason for his departure: 'I must needs keep the feast which is at hand in Jerusalem.' This wasn't about religious obligation in the same way it was for the Jewish law, but about strategically positioning himself to reach people and fulfill God's mission during a time of significant gathering.
The Promise of Return
Crucially, Paul didn't leave with a final 'goodbye.' He added, 'but I will return to you again, God willing.' This shows a pastor's heart, committed to the flock even when absent. It’s a commitment to return and further strengthen them, demonstrating that his departure was temporary and purposeful, not a permanent abandonment. This humility and dependence on God's will ('God willing') is a hallmark of faithful leadership.
Paul's decision not to stay longer, despite the people's desire, highlights his awareness of a divine calling that sometimes supersedes human invitations. His life was governed by God's will, not just by the opportunities presented.
c. AD 50
Paul's Second Missionary Journey Begins
Paul embarks on his second major evangelistic mission, traveling through Asia Minor and into Greece. This journey is a period of establishing new churches and strengthening existing ones.
c. AD 51-52— this verse
Paul in Corinth
Paul spends a significant amount of time in Corinth, establishing a strong Christian community. It's during this stay that he encounters Aquila and Priscilla, and faces opposition from the Jewish community.
c. AD 52
Paul Departs Corinth for Ephesus
After a prolonged stay in Corinth, Paul leaves the city, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. He sails towards Syria, with a stop in Ephesus where he leaves Aquila and Priscilla.
c. AD 52
Paul's Vow in Cenchrea
Before sailing, Paul has his head shaved in Cenchrea, likely due to a vow. This act was often performed by Jews in fulfillment of a vow or to demonstrate piety, possibly to appeal to Jewish sensibilities.
This passage echoes the sentiment of needing to feed people with milk because they are not ready for stronger spiritual food, which highlights why Paul might have felt it was time to move on, even when requested to stay.
Philippians 2:4Paul's willingness to not always pursue his own desires for staying, even when invited, reflects this principle of looking to the interests of others and God's will above his own.
2 Corinthians 12:15Paul's self-sacrificing love for the churches is evident here; he willingly spends and is spent for them, even if it means not staying as long as they might wish, prioritizing their spiritual growth and God's timing.
Galatians 1:16Paul's immediate and unwavering commitment to obeying God's call, even when it meant not consulting with flesh and blood, parallels his decision here to depart despite the Corinthians' desire for him to stay.
ellicottActs 18:20: "When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;"
(20) When they desired him to tarry longer time with them.—This was, obviously, a hopeful sign, the earnest of the fruitful labours that followed. Nowhere, among the churches that he founded, does St. Paul seem to have found so great a receptivity for spiritual truth. While he looked on the Corinthians as being children requiring to be fed with milk ( 1Corinthians 3:2 ), he saw in the Ephesians those to whom h…
bengelActs 18:20: "When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;"
Acts 18:20 . Ἐρωτώντων , when they desired him) It is not always that there is a Divine call present under the plausible invitation of men.
Paul's refusal isn't about a lack of connection with the people in Ephesus, but a sign of his profound obedience to a higher calling. Even when presented with a "plausible invitation" and a promising reception, he recognized that human desires don't always align with divine direction, leading him to move on.
Paul had been ministering in Corinth, a vibrant but sometimes challenging city, where he had seen both success and opposition. After a period of fruitful ministry there, the believers, seeing the good he was doing, earnestly asked him to stay longer. However, Paul felt a divine pull to move on, having a greater mission elsewhere that required his immediate attention.
Paul had been ministering in Corinth, a vibrant but sometimes challenging city, where he had seen both success and opposition. After a period of fruitful ministry there, the believers, seeing the good he was doing, earnestly asked him to stay longer. However, Paul felt a divine pull to move on, having a greater mission elsewhere that required his immediate attention.
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c. AD 52
Urgent Need to Travel to Jerusalem
Paul feels compelled to travel to Jerusalem for an upcoming feast. This urgency overrides the earnest request from the believers in Ephesus to stay longer.
"When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined." — Paul's refusal isn't about a lack of connection with the people in Ephesus, but a sign of his profound obedience to a higher calling. Even when presented with a "plausible invitation" and a promising…