From Corinth and Philippi (3)

Paul’s itinerary is as follows: (1) From Ephesus to Troas (v 1). (2) From Troas to Philippi (v 1). (3) From Philippi to Corinth (v 2-3a). (4) From Corinth back to Philippi (v 3b). (5) From Philippi to Troas (v 4-6). Now, let us focus on the journeys described in (4) and (5).“And when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.” (1) Paul was planning to board a ship from Corinth to Syria. This route involved a ship departing from the port of Cenchreae bound for Tyre and Caesarea, commonly used by many pilgrims. (2) However, Paul received information about a plot by the Jews. For the zealous Jews, killing Paul aboard the ship would have been an easy task. (3) Paul therefore changed his plan and decided to travel to Jerusalem passing through Macedonia. While this meant he would not arrive in time for the Passover, he anticipated reaching Jerusalem by Pentecost. (4) Paul had seven companions: (a) Three were from Macedonia: Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, Aristarchus of Thessalonica, Secundus of Thessalonica. (b) Four were from Asia Minor: Gaius of Derbe, Timothy (from Lystra), Tychicus of Asia, Trophimus of Asia. They went ahead and waited for Paul and his group in Troas. Since there was no threat of conspiracy against them, they were able to take a direct ship from Cenchreae to Troas.

From Philippi to Troas

“We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.” (1) Paul’s group celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Philippi. From this point, the “we passages” begin, indicating that Luke joined the group in Philippi. Luke was likely participating as a representative of the Philippian church. The “we passages” continue in Acts 20:5-15 and 21:1-18. (2) The group boarded a ship from Neapolis (the port town of Philippi) to Troas. (a) Previously, the journey had taken only two days (Acts 16:11), but this time it took five days. (3) Paul reunited with his companions in Troas, where they stayed for seven days. Paul ministered to the church in Troas, and the details of his ministry there will be studied next time. Paul’s journey did not go as planned. Similarly, our life journeys often do not proceed as we expect. Let us remember that the Lord is in control of all things and live each day with a flexible attitude.