Just as he was about to sail for Syria, the Jews cooked up a plot against him. So he went the other way, by land back through Macedonia, and gave them the slip. His companions for the journey were Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both Thessalonians; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and the two from western Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. (Acts 20:3-4, MSG)

Paul is on his second missionary journey here, and man, a lot has happened. Right before this Paul deals with a riot in Ephesus, so you could say it hasn’t been a quiet trip for him.  His plan was to board a ship and sail to Syria, but, as we see, he is met with some opposition from locals and has to quick-shift, heading out on foot to evade them.  

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If we look over the whole of any of the disciples’ ministries, it’s never a cushy vacation on a beach with a delicious coconut drink in hand. They are constantly dealing with opposition.  Peter is thrown in prison in Acts 12; in Acts 5 the apostles are flogged; Paul is nearly stoned to death in Acts 14, and the list goes on.  

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When Jesus says “pick up your cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24), the image is strong; he didn’t say get on your palanquin and people will carry you like an old Egyptian king. It’s not going to be an easy road; life is hard, especially for those who are following Christ. Even Jesus saw this: He was tempted in the desert. He was constantly being confronted by the religious leaders and eventually was crucified. But…and this is a big one…he didn’t do it alone.  

In our passage, Paul is traveling with other disciples, other people who help him, encourage him and, let’s face it, do life with him. I think I always had this image in my head that Paul did it all by himself. The modern-day parallel might be a guy in an average suit, sitting by himself in an airport terminal, waiting for his flight to the next stop on his business trip. He’s quietly (and kind of sadly) sipping on a cup of McDonald’s coffee and looking lonely. Similarly, I always imagined Jesus as a guy walking out in front of his twelve disciples as they waited for some wise sermon or tip to life.  

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However, some time ago a mentor of mine told me this: “Imagine this, Jesus and his disciples are sitting by a creek after a long day of travel. They are cooking dinner and getting a camp set up for the night. Jesus is sitting on the creek bank and watching them all. Slowly, he stands up and walks to the creek side. All the disciples stop what they are doing and focus on their Rabbi as he continues out into the creek. They are waiting for some bit of wisdom or the next profound lesson. Jesus reaches down into the muddy bottom of the creek and pulls up a handful of mud. The disciples hold their breath, expecting something powerful. Jesus looks up at Simon Peter and suppresses a smirk, then hurls the mud right in the face of Peter.  All the disciples are stunned, then the tension breaks, and they all pour into the creek and start a gigantic mud fight.”  

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Jesus did life with these 12 men, and Paul did life with the men in today’s verse, too. They laughed and cried, worked and played together. Jesus and Paul give us a lot of guidelines for life in the New Testament, but they both also modeled one of the most important things: you can’t do this alone.  In my life God has brought me the perfect people to walk alongside me for every stage in my life.  

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When you are going through the hard times life throws at you, look for the people God sends. And here’s the most important part: don’t turn the other way and isolate yourself. We aren’t made to do this alone.  

God, you are so good. We praise you for your holiness and grace. God give me eyes to see the people you are bringing into my life when I face the struggles. Give me courage to step into those relationships with boldness and use that community to run head-on into the ministry you have for me. Amen.