“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Acts 20:32-35
“Paul’s example of sacrificial service, emphasized here, dominates the entire speech: his ministry in Ephesus (Acts 20:20-21), his willingness to sacrifice his life in Jerusalem (Acts 20:22-25), and his approach to possessions (Acts 20:33-35)…In his farewell instruction, Jesus said that the greatest should be a servant (Luke 22:26), following his example (22:27). This teaching inverted the normal status expected of the teacher-disciple relationship. Paul, like Jesus, will serve rather than be served…
Paul claims not only to model working hard to help the weak but also to model following Jesus’ example…Acts, like Paul’s letters, does not regularly cite Jesus, but sometimes it does cite him at strategic points (such as in the climax here)…Although a citation of an authority would prove effective only among those who accepted his authority. Jesus would be the highest authority for Paul’s (and Luke’s) audience.”
Craig S. Keener in Acts: An Exegetical Commentary – 15:1-23:35, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014) 3007, 3062-3063.
Today Jenni and I bid farewell to Malaga, Spain. With God’s help and safe travel, we will return home via Paris and Chicago. Yesterday we were privileged to visit the Teatro Romano de Málaga, the ruins of the Roman Theatre that dates back to the days of the Apostle Paul. We have no record of whether or not he visited here but we know he made famous speeches in such settings.
I took a many photos and chose this one with the arch on the right as the new header for my daily posts. I did so with a specific purpose. If our time here on earth would be equated to a stage, we enter and exit with the sole purpose of playing our part in the proverbial theatre. Paul was adamant that his role would be to serve others like Jesus. That’s my aim!
What about you! Since it is better to give than receive, ask God today what it might look like for you to work hard, serve those around you, and help the weak. To do this we must say no to the many desires that tempt us to covet that which other people have. Don’t do it. God’s grace is able to build us up and help us exhibit his generosity toward others. Make it so, Lord Jesus!