Arriving at Miletus from Troas.

Acts 20:13-16

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“Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.” Acts 20:13

The “we” in this verse refers to Luke, Silas, and Timothy, who sailed to Assos ahead of Paul. Paul would travel by land to Assos and meet with the others there. This is the way Paul wanted it to be. They had just finished ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Troas, Paul’s ministry in Troas is described in Acts 20:7-12.

The important focus of living for Jesus Christ is not in how united we are from person to person but how united we are in the purpose of Jesus Christ. That is how it was with Paul, Luke, Silas, and Timothy. They were often scattered physically from one another but always together in the Spirit of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 “And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.” Acts 20:14-16

On the map below, Troas is seen at the top middle of the image, with a yellow line on top. From there, Luke, Silas, and Timothy sailed to Assos [below Troas] while Paul traveled there by land. Then, they all continued sailing south to Mitylene, then Chios, then Samos [where they stayed at Trogyllium overnight]. From there, they arrived at Miletus, where Paul called for the elders of Ephesus to say his final farewell to them before going to Jerusalem.

Paul sailed to Samos instead of stopping at Ephesus to avoid spending more time in that region than necessary. Paul was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost [if possible]. For us today, the Day of Pentecost represents the day the Holy Spirit was poured out, as described in Acts 2:1-2. Jerusalem can be said to be the capital of our soul where God sets on the throne [by the Holy Spirit] by our faith in Jesus Christ. That is the most important part of our ministry, not how many cities we visit, or how many people we influence, but living for the presence of the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, the Day of Pentecost is also known as the “Feast of Weeks”. This day is observed fifty days after Passover. Also, the day of the Christian Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus was three days, then he walked on this earth for 40 days after His resurrection, which adds to 43 days. Then the resurrected Jesus, just moments before His ascension, told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit [one week]. That is a total of 50 days.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11