Paul was travelling to Jerusalem. He and his companions carried an offering from the Gentile Christians of Greece, eager to help their impoverished companions in the faith in Jerusalem. But Paul was also sure that arrest and prison awaited him in Jerusalem. Saying farewell to the elders in Ephesus, he carefully recounted how he had done the work God called him to do, and sketched the tasks he trusted them to carry on when he was gone.

• In verses 28-29, Paul pictured the leaders of the church as shepherds responsible to guide and protect their “flock” from spiritual hazards. In that, he echoed Jesus’ own picture of his work on earth (cf. John 10:11). How have spiritual “shepherds” helped to guide and protect you in your journey of faith? To whom can you be a spiritual shepherd?
• These verses also give us a “peek behind the curtain” at how the writing of the Bible happened. In verse 35, Paul quoted Jesus—yet the words he quoted do not appear in any of the four gospels. Like writers today, each gospel writer had to select what he included from a wealth of available material. How can more realistically understanding the human aspects of the Bible ultimately help you hear God speaking to you through the Bible more clearly?