Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 20, verses 16-18, 28-36

¹⁰ is raised to life, ¹⁷ At Miletum he calleth the elders together, telleth them what shall befall to himself, ²⁸ committeth God's flock to them, ²⁹ warneth them of false teachers, ³² commendeth them to God, ³⁶ prayeth with them, and goeth his way

¹⁶For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
...

²⁸Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

²⁹For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

³⁰Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

³¹Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

³²And 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 which are sanctified.

³³I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

³⁴Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

³⁵I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

³⁶And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

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20:16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus - Which lay on the other side of the bay. He hasted to be at Jerusalem on the day of pentecost - Because then was the greatest concourse of people.

20:17 Sending to Ephesus, he called the elders of the Church - These are called bishops in the Act 20:28 (rendered overseers in our translation). Perhaps elders and bishops were then the same; or no otherwise different than are the rector of a parish and his curates.

20:18 Ye know - Happy is he who can thus appeal to the conscience of his hearers.

John, Chapter 17, verses 1-13

¹ Christ prayeth to his Father to glorify him, ⁶ to preserve his apostles, ¹¹ in unity

¹These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

²As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

³And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

⁴I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

⁵And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

⁶I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

⁷Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

⁸For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

⁹I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

¹⁰And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

¹¹And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

¹²While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Read more:John, Chapter 17

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17 In this chapter our Lord prays,

For himself, Joh 17:1-5.
For the apostles, Joh 17:6-19.
And again, Joh 17:24-26.
For all believers, Joh 17:20-23. And
For the world, Joh 17:21-23.

In his prayer he comprises all he had said from Joh 13:31,
and seals, as it were, all he had hitherto done, beholding things past, present, and to come. This chapter contains the easiest words, and the deepest sense of any in all the Scripture: yet is here no incoherent rhapsody, but the whole is closely and exactly connected.

17:1 Father - This simplicity of appellation highly became the only - begotten Son of God; to which a believer then makes the nearest approach, when he is fullest of love and humble confidence.The hour is come - The appointed time for it; glorify thy Son - The Son glorified the Father, both before and after his own glorification.When he speaks to the Father he does not style himself the Son of man.

17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh - This answers to glorify thy Son. That he may give eternal life, etc - This answers to that thy Son may glorify thee. To all whom thou hast given him - To all believers. This is a clear proof that Christ designed hissacrifice should avail for all: yea, that all flesh, every man, should partake of everlasting life. For as the Father had given him power over all flesh, so he gave himself a ransom for all.

17:3 To know - By loving, holy faith, thee the only true God - The only cause and end of all things; not excluding the Son and the Holy Ghost, no more than the Father is excluded from being Lord, Co1 8:6; but the false gods of the heathens;and Jesus Christ - As their prophet, priest, and king: this is life eternal - It is both the way to, and the essence of, everlasting happiness.

17:4 I have finished the work - Thus have I glorified thee, laying the foundation of thy kingdom on earth.

17:5 The glory which I had - He does not say received - He always had it, till he emptied himself of it in the days of his flesh.

17:6 I have manifested thy name - All thy attributes; and in particular thy paternal relation to believers; to the men whom thou hast given me - The apostles, and so Joh 17:12.They were thine - By creation, and by descent from Abraham. And thou hast given them me - By giving them faith in what I have spoken.So Joh 17:9.

17:7 Now they know that all things - Which I have done and spoken, are of thee - And consequently right and true.

17:8 They have received them - By faith.

17:9 I pray not for the world - Not in these petitions, which are adapted to the state of believers only. (He prays for the world at Joh 17:21, Joh 17:23, that they may believe - That they may know God hath sent him.) This no more proves that our Lord did not pray for the world, both before and afterward, than his praying for the apostles alone, Joh 17:6-19, proves that he did not pray for them also which shall believe through their word, Joh 17:20.

17:10 All things that are mine are thine, and that are thine are mine - These are very high and strong expressions, too grand for any mere creature to use; as implying that all things whatsoever, inclusive of the Divine nature, perfections, and operations, are the common property of the Father and the Son. And this is the original ground of that peculiar property, which both the Father and the Son have in the persons who were given to Christ as Mediator; according to what is said in the close of the verse, of his being glorified by them; namely, believing in him, and so acknowledging his glory.

17:11 Keep them through thy name - Thy power, mercy, wisdom, that they may be one - with us and with each other; one body, separate from the world: as we are - By resemblance to us, though not equality.

17:12 Those whom thou hast given me I have guarded, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition - So one even of them whom God had given him is lost. So far was even that decree from being unchangeable! That the Scripture might be fulfilled - That is, whereby the Scripture was fulfilled. The son of perdition signifies one that deservedly perishes; as a son of death, Joh 12:5;children of hell, Mat 23:15, andchildren of wrath, Eph 2:3,signify persons justly obnoxious to death, hell, wrath. Psa 109:8.

17:13 In the world - That is, before I leave the world.My joy - The joy I feel at going to the Father.


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Orthodox readings for 24 May 2026

Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 20, verses 16-18, 28-36

John, Chapter 17, verses 1-13