Paul's Farewell Address: Lessons for Church Leaders
May 15, 2024 - Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab; John 17:11b-19
Our first reading includes a fragment of a farewell message from Paul to the elders of the Church in Ephesus. The speech was delivered in Miletus, a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor, about 72 km south of Ephesus, to which Paul summoned those leaders. In his farewell address, the apostle looks back at his past ministry, presents himself as a model to be emulated, and reminds the Ephesian leaders of their responsibility (Acts 20:17-36).
Paul is compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, while the Spirit warns him that "imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for" him (Acts 20:23). Yet, Paul's entire ministry in Asia was filled with trials and persecutions (Acts 20:19). What Jesus disclosed during their conversation, namely that Paul would suffer greatly for His sake (see Acts 9:16), was being fulfilled. Nevertheless, the apostle did not give up; he took up his cross and followed his beloved Lord. I believe he was able to carry his cross without complaint because the Lord Jesus interceded for him with the Father.
The Gospel of John chapter 17 is known as “the High Priestly Prayer.” Jesus, the Son of God and our High Priest, offers this prayer to the Father, praying that his death on the cross will bring glory to the Father and to himself. He consecrates himself for the sacrifice of his life, acting as both priest and victim. Then, he prays for his present and future disciples, asking that they be consecrated in the truth.
A particular verse strikes me as relevant in the life of all apostles of Christ: "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil" (John 17:15). Whenever I read Paul's biographical description of his trials and persecutions in his letter to the Corinthians—hard labors, imprisonments, severe beatings, stonings, shipwrecks—I wonder how he was able to endure all of that (see 2 Cor 11:23-28). The answer is that the One who promised him great sufferings for His sake also gave him the grace to endure it. The most important thing is that Paul, and all who serve Christ, are kept from the evil one.
Unfortunately, Paul predicts that the evil one would infiltrate the Ephesian Church. His words about wolves entering among them and some perverting the truth, snatching Christ's believers out of the Church, remind us of Jesus' parable of the Good Shepherd. In that parable, we also hear about wolves dispersing the flock because those appointed as shepherds were unwilling to lay down their lives for the sheep (see John 10:11-13). The apostle reminds them of the great responsibility they have over the Church of God, which Jesus "acquired with his own Blood" (Acts 20:28).
It appears that Paul's prediction materialized. In the Book of Revelation, the Ephesian Church is criticised by Christ for forsaking its initial love and is called to repent and return to its first works (Rev. 2:4-5). Then, the Lord says, "I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:5). Today, the church of Ephesus is a distant history.