Paul’s Third Missionary and Trip to Rome

Paul’s first missionary journey established churches in southeast Asia Minor. In his second, he had
intended to build up those churches, but the Holy Spirit led him further afield, across the Aegean Sea into
Greece and back home through Ephesus. In his third, Paul got the chance to touch back with many of the
churches he’d established his first two trips, and he started a couple of new churches.

The account of Paul’s third missionary journey begins in Acts 18. Paul spent some time at his home
church in Syrian Antioch before going northwest over land again and traveling through Galatia and
Phrygia in Asia Minor, visiting the churches in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch—churches
he’d established during his first trip (Acts 18:23). Meanwhile, in Ephesus, on the southwest coast of Asia
Minor, Priscilla and Aquila met Apollos, an educated and eloquent speaker who enthusiastically spoke of
Jesus. Unfortunately, he only knew the story up to John’s baptism. Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos
aside and taught him of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, and Apollos became a powerful Christian
teacher, at times rivaling the influence of Paul (Acts 18:24–28; 1 Corinthians 3:4–5).

Apollos traveled to Corinth in Achaia, and Paul arrived at Ephesus where he apparently met some of
Apollos’s students (Acts 19:1). These twelve men only knew of John’s baptism unto repentance (see
Mark 1:4); they had not been born again by faith in Christ and had not received the Holy Spirit (Acts
19:2–3). Paul explained the complete gospel to them, pointing them to Jesus Christ as John had done (see
Mark 1:7–8). The men were baptized, and Paul laid his hands on them. They immediately received the
Spirit and, as a sign of their new life, began speaking in tongues and prophesying (Acts 19:4–7).

Paul spent three months teaching in the synagogue in Ephesus, reasoning from the Jewish Scriptures, but
some in his audience not only rejected his message but they became abusive toward “the Way” (Acts
19:8–9). Paul took those who believed and moved from the synagogue to a school owned by a man
named Tyrannus. There Paul preached daily to Jews and Greeks for two years (verses 9–10).

Despite the opposition in Ephesus, the Holy Spirit worked mightily through Paul. Luke says that
“extraordinary miracles” were being performed (Acts 19:11) as people were being healed and evil spirits
were being expelled (verse 12). Trying to get in on Paul’s work, the “Sons of Sceva,” seven traveling
Jewish exorcists, tried to expel demons in Jesus’ and Paul’s names (verse 13). The demons responded that
they recognized the authority of Jesus and Paul but did not know these men. The demons then attacked
the men, beating, stripping, and chasing them out of the house (verses 14–16). After this incident, Jesus’
name was even more respected in Ephesus, Paul saw a great increase in his ministry, and many former
magicians burned their magic arts books (verses 17–20).

After his extended stay in Ephesus, Paul realized that the Holy Spirit was leading him to travel on.
Continuing his third missionary journey, Paul sent Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia (Acts 19:21–
22). But before Paul left, a silversmith named Demetrius, who made shrines of Artemis and resented the
decrease in business he’d seen since Paul’s arrival, gathered other workmen and started a riot (verses 23–
34). Eventually, the town clerk arrived and dispersed the crowd, telling them that, if they had something
against Paul, they should bring him to court (verses 35–41). Paul left town quietly and went across the
Aegean Sea to Macedonia where he traveled to Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea to encourage the
churches there; then he went to Greece (Achaia) and spent three months there (Acts 20:1–3).

Paul had planned to board a ship in Corinth and set sail for Jerusalem via Syria, but he discovered that
some Jews were plotting to waylay him on the voyage, so he returned to Macedonia by land. Paul
retraced his steps from Corinth to Berea, Thessalonica, and Philippi, where he caught up with Luke again
and observed Passover. From Philippi, Paul and Luke set sail for Troas, arriving there five days later and
meeting Paul’s traveling companions who had gone ahead of them: Timothy, Sopater, Aristarchus,
Secundus, Gaius, Tychicus, and Trophimus. These men represented various churches and were probably
 Paul’s Third Missionary and Trip to Rome

helping bring a monetary gift to the Jerusalem church (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1). They all stayed in Troas
for one week (Acts 20:1–6).

Paul made the most of his short stay in Troas. On Sunday when the believers met, Paul preached long into
the night (Acts 20:7–8). A young man named Eutychus sat on a windowsill of the third-story room. About
midnight, he fell asleep and fell out the window to the ground below (verse 9). Eutychus was declared
dead, but Paul raised him, served communion, and resumed speaking until daylight (verses 10–12).

Instead of traveling inland to visit the established churches of Asia Minor or sailing more directly to
Jerusalem, Paul continued his third missionary journey by taking a coastal route. Paul walked to Assos,
while the rest of the party sailed to that port and picked Paul up there. Then they all traveled to Mitylene,
Trogyllium, and Miletus, along the southwest coast of Asia Minor (Acts 20:13–15). Paul bypassed
Ephesus because he knew if he stopped there he’d be kept longer than he liked, and he wanted to reach
Jerusalem by Pentecost (verse 16). Paul asked the Ephesian elders to meet him in Miletus, and they did.
Paul prayed with them, encouraged them, warned them against false teachers, and predicted the hardships
he would face in Jerusalem (verses 17–35). After tearful good-byes, the Ephesian elders saw Paul to the
ship (verses 36–38).

From Miletus, Paul and his entourage sailed to Patara, then to Tyre in Syria, where they stayed a week
(Acts 21:1–6). The disciples there begged Paul, for his own safety, not to go to Jerusalem. But he sailed
on, stopping briefly in Ptolemais before landing in Caesarea and staying with Philip the evangelist (verses
7–14). While in Caesarea, the prophet Agabus declared that Paul would be imprisoned if he went to
Jerusalem, but Paul was resolute in completing his mission. After several days, a group escorted Paul to
Jerusalem and to the home of Mnason, who hosted Paul and his companions (verses 15–16). Thus Paul’s
third missionary journey came to an end.

After Paul’s third missionary journey, Paul traveled to Jerusalem, despite knowing he would be arrested.
He first reported to James, the half-brother of Jesus and head of the church in Jerusalem, as well as the
elders. Paul also learned that some Jewish believers in Jerusalem had a warped idea of his work. They had
been told that Paul pushed Jewish believers in Asia Minor and Macedonia to reject Jewish customs,
including circumcision. In order to prove that Paul respected the laws of Moses, the elders asked him to
participate in the ceremony for four men who were ending their vow (probably a Nazirite vow). Paul did
as the elders requested, showing that he was not anti-Law or opposed to Jewish customs (Acts 20:17–26).

Part of the ceremony involved the men presenting themselves to the priests in the temple. That is where
Jews from Asia found Paul and falsely accused him of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob dragged
Paul out the temple and beat him until the tribune, the leader of the Roman cohort, arrived with soldiers
and centurions to break up the melee. The tribune arrested Paul—without charges—chained him, and
confined him to the barracks. It turned out the tribune thought Paul was an Egyptian who had recently led
a revolt and fled with a group of Sicarii (dagger-wielding assassins). Paul explained who he was and
asked to address the crowd (Acts 20:27–40). The tribune agreed to his request.

Paul basically gave his testimony to the crowd in Jerusalem. The Jewish crowd listened quietly until he
mentioned that God had sent him to reach the Gentiles. Then they started rioting again. The tribune, not
understanding why the Jews were upset, pulled Paul back into the barracks and strung him up to be
flogged, thinking a beating would encourage him to explain what was really going on. Paul escaped the
flogging at the last minute by mentioning he was a Roman citizen. The tribune pulled back, knowing that
he shouldn’t have even bound Paul, let alone threatened him with flogging (Acts 22:1–29).

The next day, in an attempt to understand what was going on, the tribune had Paul meet with the chief
priests and council (Acts 22:30). Paul gave his credentials, identifying himself as a Pharisee and
 Paul’s Third Missionary and Trip to Rome

appealing to the Pharisees’ belief in the resurrection of the dead. Immediately, a dispute arose between
the Pharisees and the Sadducees (who denied the resurrection), fulfilling Paul’s intention of drawing his
enemies’ focus away from him. The resultant uproar was so violent that the Roman tribune returned Paul
to the barracks before he could be torn apart (Acts 23:1–10). That night, Jesus gave Paul encouragement
that he would preach the gospel in Rome, something Paul had longed to do (Acts 23:11; Romans 1:11).

The next day, Paul’s nephew overheard that a group of forty men had vowed to kill Paul or die trying, and
he passed that intel to Paul and then the Roman tribune (Acts 23:12–22). That night the commander sent
Paul to Felix the governor in Caesarea with an escort of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two
hundred spearmen. The commander wrote a letter explaining the situation and requesting that Felix take
over the investigation against Paul. The soldiers and spearmen returned to the commander when Paul was
safely away, and the horsemen continued to Caesarea with Paul. Governor Felix promised to hear his case
once his accusers arrived (verses 23–35).

Five days later, Ananias the high priest, some Jewish elders, and a hired lawyer reached Felix’s palace.
They played to Felix’s ego and fear by insisting that Paul caused severe civil disturbances, disrupting the
peace Felix had provided (Acts 24:1–9). Paul confidently gave his defense, giving details of the last few
days and explaining his only “crime” was believing in the resurrection of the dead. Paul also pointed out
that his original accusers from the temple weren’t present and the Jewish elders had nothing to charge him
with (verses 10–21). Felix understood Judaism and Christianity, and he delayed a decision until the
Roman commander who had arrested Paul arrived (verse 22). Felix kept Paul under guard but allowed
him a fair amount of freedom (verse 23). Felix also spoke to Paul frequently in hopes Paul would offer
him a bribe (verse 26). But two years passed with no change in Paul’s situation, and Felix was succeeded
by Porcius Festus. Festus, wishing to curry favor with the Jewish leadership, left Paul in prison (verse 27).

The Jewish leadership wanted more than Paul’s incarceration. They wanted Festus to order Paul
transferred to Jerusalem—they were secretly plotting an ambush along the way to kill Paul. Festus told
the Jewish leaders to bring their case against Paul to Caesarea, and they did, bringing a multitude of
baseless charges against Paul. Caught between the Jews’ lies and Festus’s desire to placate his new
subjects, Paul appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:1–11). Governor Festus granted the appeal (verse 12).

A few days later, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice came to visit Festus in Caesarea. Festus told him
about Paul’s case, and Agrippa desired to hear Paul speak. Festus was delighted. He was legally obliged
to send Paul to Caesar, but there were no charges. He hoped Agrippa could find something to justify
Paul’s imprisonment and transfer to Rome (Acts 25:13–27).

Paul was also delighted to speak, as he knew King Agrippa was knowledgeable about Judaism. In his
defense before Agrippa, Paul gave a longer version of his testimony, including his conversion on the road
to Damascus and his work among the Gentiles (Acts 26:1–23). Agrippa’s legal opinion was that Paul was
innocent. If Paul had not insisted on his right of being sent to Caesar, Festus would have been obliged to
release him (verses 24–30).

So, Paul was headed to Rome, where he had wanted to go—although he had not necessarily planned to go
as a prisoner.

Julius, the centurion in charge of transporting the prisoners, treated Paul well. The first stop on their
voyage was Sidon. Luke and Aristarchus, a believer from Thessalonica, were allowed to accompany Paul,
and Julius allowed other of Paul’s friends to visit in Sidon and see to his needs (Acts 27:1–3). They
traveled as far as Myra on the southern coast of Asia Minor before transferring to another ship (verses 4–
6). The weather grew uncooperative, and the ship made it to Fair Havens, on the southern coast of Crete,
with difficulty. Paul advised Julius to stay the winter in Fair Havens, but the centurion listened to the pilot
 Paul’s Third Missionary and Trip to Rome

and the ship’s owner instead of Paul, and they continued west, hoping to reach the Cretan port of Phoenix
to winter there (verses 7–12).

They never made it to Phoenix. A fierce storm with gale-force winds drove the ship off course, battering
the ship for many days and causing the crew to give up hope (Acts 27:13–20). One night, an angel visited
Paul with this message: “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has
graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you” (verse 24). Paul encouraged everyone on board
with the prediction that all lives would be saved; only the ship would be lost when it ran aground on an
island (verses 21–26). True to Paul’s (and the angel’s) word, the ship was wrecked, but everyone aboard
made it safely to shore on the island of Malta (verses 39–44).

The Maltese people were kind and built a fire for the shipwreck victims to stave off the rain and cold. As
Paul gathered a bunch of sticks and threw them into the fire, a deadly viper bit his hand (Acts 28:1–3).
The islanders declared that the gods must be punishing him for murder or some such crime (verse 4), but,
when Paul suffered no harm, they decided he must be a god (verses 5–6). The chief official of the island
took care of Paul and his friends for three days. While in his home, Paul had the opportunity to heal the
official’s father who was sick with fever and dysentery. Soon, the rest of the islanders brought their sick
for Paul to heal (verses 7–10).

Paul, still technically a Roman prisoner, stayed on Malta for three months before another ship could take
them all to Rome. Once they arrived, Paul was able to meet with believers from the area in his private
quarters. He also met with the Jewish leaders and explained what had happened in Jerusalem. They
agreed to hear his message and filled his lodging while he spoke; some believed the gospel, and some
didn’t. Paul stayed in Rome (at his own expense) awaiting trial, teaching and preaching the gospel for two
years. It’s likely that he also wrote the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during
this time.

The book of Acts ends with Paul still in Rome under house arrest awaiting trial. Apparently, Paul was
released after two years. It’s thought that his accusers, the Jewish elders in Jerusalem, never came to
Rome to accuse him. What happened after Paul’s release is even less clear. The hints given in Paul’s
epistles are vague. But it’s possible that Paul went on a fourth missionary journey before his second and
final imprisonment in Rome.