May 22, 2026 | Be Connected
Pulling an All-Nighter
Scripture: Acts 20:1-15(NIV)
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.
Devotional
Pulling an all-nighter was not uncommon for me as a college student. It came from a mixture of procrastination and a feeling that I worked best under the pressure of a time constraint. OK, that’s not entirely true. It was just procrastination. Most of my papers were the result of putting down the cards at the euchre table around 11:30 p.m. and heading off with my typewriter to crank out ten pages and hand it in that morning. I wouldn’t advise doing that today, but somehow it worked for me.
In this passage we see Paul conducting something of a cram session. It was common for Paul to spend months or even years teaching the Gospel in the communities throughout his journeys. He had just concluded three years teaching in Ephesus. He was headed to Greece where he would live in various cities, including Thessalonica and Corinth. He founded churches and sent them letters after he departed. Not so with Troas, a small city in what is today northwest Asia Minor. Paul only spent a week in Troas. It appears he had only had one night to preach the Gospel as he intended to continue his journey the next day. With only one night to work with, he kept on talking until midnight. My first impression is that it’s a really long class session.
One night was not enough for Paul to impart the full breadth and depth of his teaching. His missionary work is documented in fifteen of the twenty-eight chapters of Acts. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-two letters found in the New Testament. Seminaries teach semester-long classes on some of these letters. Paul’s letter to the Romans contains his painstakingly logical construction and proof of Jesus’ life, His message and the meaning of His resurrection and our salvation. Paul’s message is not the sort of thing you can cram into one night. But that was all Paul had for the believers in Troas, and he gave it his best.
Pulling an all-nighter doesn’t work for everyone. Apparently it did not work so well for Eutychus. I know what it’s like to fall asleep in a long and boring class, but I never fell out of a window. Fortunately Paul was able to save him. The point is that the depth of Christianity is not conducive to being consumed from a fire hose. It is a life-long journey of learning and reflection.
We don’t have to cram for our final exam. Take your time to reflect on what Jesus’ resurrection and our salvation means to your life.
