Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles — Homily 45

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

Acts XX. 32

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified.

What he does when writing in an Epistle, this he does also when speaking in council: from exhorting, he ends with prayer: for since he had much alarmed them by saying, Grievous wolves shall enter in among you [[Acts 20.29]], therefore, not to overpower them, and make them lose all self-possession, observe the consolation (he gives). And now, he says, as always, I commend you, brethren, to God, and to the word of His grace: that is, to His grace: it is grace that saves. He constantly puts them in mind of grace, to make them more earnest as being debtors, and to persuade them to have confidence. Which is able to build you up. He does not say, to build, but, to build up, showing that they had (already) been built. Then he puts them in mind of the hope to come; to give you an inheritance, he says, among all them which are sanctified. Then exhortation again: I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. [[Acts 20.33]] He takes away that which is the root of evils, the love of money. Silver, or gold, he says. He says not, I have not taken, but, not even coveted. No great thing this, but what follows after is great. Yea, you yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things, how that so laboring, you ought to support the weak. (v. 34, 35.) Observe him employed in work and not simply that, but toiling. These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me: so as to put them to shame. And see how worthily of them. For he says not, You ought to show yourselves superior to money, but what? to support the weak — not all indiscriminately — and to hear the word of the Lord which He spoke, It is more blessed to give than to receive. For lest any one should think that it was spoken with reference to them, and that he gave himself for an ensample, as he elsewhere says, giving an ensample to you [[Philippians 3.17]], he added the declaration of Christ, Who said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. He prayed over them while exhorting them: he shows it both by action, — And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all, [[Acts 20.36]] — he did not simply pray, but with much feeling: ( κατανύξεως ): great was the consolation — and by his saying, I commend you to the Lord. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they should see his face no more. (v. 37, 38.) He had said, that grievous wolves should enter in; had said, I am pure from the blood of all men: and yet the thing that grieved them most of all was this, that they should see him no more: since indeed it was this that made the war grievous. And they accompanied them, it says, unto the ship. And it came to pass, th