From Assos to Mitylene

Now Paul continues his journey from Troas to Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, and then to Miletus. Paul took the land route from Troas to Assos. “And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.” (1) Paul met his companions (eight people) at Assos and boarded the ship. (a) From there, they arrived at Mitylene. It was a voyage of about 31 miles (50 km). (b) Mitylene is a major city on the island of Lesbos. (c) The island of Lesbos is the largest island in the western region of Asia Minor.

From Mitylene to Chios, Samos, and to Miletus

“Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos.” (1) Paul and his companions set sail from Mitylene and arrived off the coast of Chios the next day. (a) Chios is the birthplace of Homer, a Greek poet from around the 8th century BC. (2) The next day, the ship docked at Samos. (a) Samos is an island located directly west of Ephesus. (b) Samos is the birthplace of Pythagoras, famous for the Pythagorean theorem. “And on the following day we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him to be in Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.” (1) Miletus is a port town located about 31 miles (50 km) south of Ephesus. (a) Small ships like the one the group was traveling on would anchor in the port during the night when the wind was calm. (b) The port of Ephesus was unpopular with sailors because sediment deposition had made the water level shallow. (2) Paul did not stop at Ephesus. While one reason was that it would have taken up his time, it was also dangerous for him to go to Ephesus. Paul was in a hurry to continue his journey to Jerusalem. (3) Pentecost is a feast that comes 50 days after the Passover and is one of the pilgrimage feast. It is natural for a Jew to desire to celebrate the feast in Jerusalem. For Paul, it was an opportunity to meet many friends and to evangelize. Furthermore, delivering the offerings from Gentile believers during the feast was the best way to demonstrate the unity of the church. Delivering the offerings from Gentile believers to the Jerusalem church was a top priority for Paul. Since the Gentile believers had received spiritual blessings from the Jews, they were obligated to give back materially. This is an important theological theme for Gentile believers. Let us remember this theme in prayer.