Bible Study series: Acts 20:7-12. This was a miracle.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn. Let’s learn together and apply these truths to our lives.
I also translate to learn, so the translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 20:7-12
7 On the first day of the week, we gathered together to break bread. Paul dialogued with them, about to depart the next day, extending the word until midnight. 8 Several lamps were in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 A certain young man named Eutychus was sitting at the window, and fell into a deep sleep, while Paul was dialoguing even longer. He was overpowered by sleep and fell from the third story below and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul came down and threw himself on him and scooped him up and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him!” 11 He went back up, broke bread, ate, and taught a long time until morning. And so he left. 12 They brought the child alive and were immeasurably relieved. (Acts 20:7-12)
Comments:
In this passage we are privileged to view a service which Paul led. Teaching—Meal—Lord’s Supper—More Teaching. Now we know how he did things. What about us today? In a hurry to get out of church? Quick teaching? Don’t take communion or the Eucharist very often?
7:
“break bread”: that’s a literal translation. This is a feast that included the Lord’s Supper or Table, in which they remembered the death of Jesus.
“dialogued”: the verb means how I translated it. Other translations have “talking.” I like my translation better. Please feel free to discuss Scripture with people and dialogue with those who may not know it or have a deficient understanding of it.
“word”: one could translate the noun logos to mean “talk,” but while he dialogued I like to believe he also ministered the word of God through the Old Testament. See v. 2 for a closer look. Also click here for a table of Messianic prophecies.
At that link, there is a table of quoted OT and NT verses, but Jesus fulfills more than those quoted verses. He also fulfills major themes and concepts and types and shadows, like all the temple sacrifices, the temple itself, and all the covenants.
This is the first mention in Acts of our Sunday. This shows the importance of this day in earliest Christianity.
8-9:
Eutychus: his name literally means (good) “Lucky.”
Mentioning the torches or lamp lights is a great touch by the historian and storyteller Luke. The atmosphere must not have had enough fresh oxygen, so that is why Eutychus sat by the window—to get fresh air. Yet his sound reckoning did not work, for he fell out of the glassless window.
Luke must have met the young man and learned his name. He must have heard the people call his name.
“fell”: Luke uses this word a few times in this passage: the boy fell to the ground (v. 9), and Paul “fell upon” him (v. 10), which I translated as “threw himself.” Then the Ephesian elders “fell” on Paul’s neck (v. 37), which I safely translated as “embrace.” Most translations play it safe too.
10:
“threw himself”: as noted, this means he fell upon him.
“scooped”: Paul threw both arms around him together, and brought / sat him up.
“Don’t be alarmed”: the present imperative of the verb means that they were already shouting out of concern. People cannot make a fuss and scream, when God must act. Such panicky reactions, while natural, do not flow from faith. God can give you faith even during a disaster that just happened.
“life”: it comes from the noun psuchē (pronounced psoo-khay, and the “p” in ps- is also pronounced). It can be translated as “soul.” As Renewalists generally believe, the soul is made up of the mind, will and emotions. Here it means “life.”
Is Humankind Two or Three Parts?
Word Study on Spirit, Soul, and Body
We are witnessing a miracle, as the parallel accounts about Elijah, Elisha, Jesus (Luke 7:14-15; 8:54-55), and Peter (Acts 9:40) demonstrate.
Upper Room (20:8): see 1 Kings 17:19; 2 Kings 4:10-11, 32-33; Acts 9:37
In his arms (20:20): see 1 Kings 17:21; 2 Kings 4:34-35
His life is in him (20:10): see 1 Kings 17:23; 2 Kings 4:36; Luke 8:51
Keener, p. 498 (slightly edited)
11-12:
Many actions are covered in vv. 11-12. It shows that Paul loved close fellowship. They came together on the first day of the week, to break bread (v. 7). Some teach that because they broke bread, Eutychus was healed. The boy was taken up for dead when Paul went down outside. Then the boy was alive. It was a resuscitation from the dead. Then he broke bread and ate. It is a possible interpretation, but the sequence of events is a little off. Eutychus ate bread after he was brought back to life (v. 11).
“immeasurably”: The word hides a litotes (pronounced lih-toh-tees), or an understatement that expresses the affirmative by a negative! In this case it is “‘not measurably’ encouraged.” Luke likes litotes: Acts 12:18; 14:17, 28; 15:2; 17:4, 12, 27; 19:11, 23; 20:12; 21:39; 26:19; 27:20; 28:2.
GrowApp for Acts 20:7-12
1. Do you have a story to tell about your resurrection, whether spiritually or physically?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
For the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 