Interpreting Acts 20:7 in the Context of Early Church Worship
Acts 20:7 (ESV) states, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight." This verse provides a significant glimpse into the worship practices of the early Christian church, particularly concerning the timing and elements of their gatherings.
The passage is situated within Paul's third missionary journey, specifically during his farewell visit to Troas. Paul had been traveling through Macedonia and was on his way to Jerusalem, making a stop in Troas for seven days [3]. The narrative in Acts 20 describes Paul's ministry, his warnings to the Ephesian elders, and his journey, culminating in his eventual arrival in Jerusalem [2]. The immediate context of Acts 20:7 is the final day of Paul's stay in Troas, where the disciples had assembled for worship [3].
A key phrase in this verse is "the first day of the week." This indicates a shift from the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday as the primary day for Christian assembly [5]. This practice is corroborated by other New Testament references, such as 1 Corinthians 16:2, where Paul instructs the Corinthians to set aside offerings "on the first day of every week" [1, 5]. The "Treasury of Scripture Knowledge" cross-references Acts 20:7 with other passages that mention the first day of the week, including John 20:1, 19, and 26, which describe post-resurrection appearances of Jesus on this day, and Revelation 1:10, which refers to "the Lord's Day" [1]. This consistent emphasis suggests that the early church intentionally gathered on the day of Christ's resurrection to commemorate it [5].
The purpose of their gathering was "to break bread." This phrase is widely understood to refer to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, also known as communion or the Eucharist [1, 3]. The act of "breaking bread" is a central element of Christian worship, recalling Jesus' institution of the Supper on the night he was betrayed (Luke 22:19) [1, 6]. The "Treasury of Scripture Knowledge" links "breaking bread" in Acts 20:7 to Acts 2:42 and 46, which describe the early Jerusalem church's devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, and the breaking of bread [1]. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, discusses the significance of the Lord's Supper as a sacrament [7, 8]. Charles Hodge also notes the theological implications of the bread representing Christ's body in the Lord's Supper [4]. The early church's practice of breaking bread together was a communal act of remembrance and fellowship [3].
Paul's actions in this passage further illuminate early Christian worship. He "talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight" [1]. This highlights the importance of preaching and teaching within their gatherings. The duration of Paul's discourse, extending until midnight, underscores the earnestness and dedication of both the speaker and the listeners [3]. The "Treasury of Scripture Knowledge" cross-references this with Acts 20:31, where Paul reminds the Ephesian elders of his three years of teaching [1].
The passage also implicitly reveals the communal nature of early Christian worship. The disciples "came together" [3], indicating a corporate assembly rather than individual devotion. Matthew Henry notes that while individual prayer and meditation are important, coming together for worship fosters communion among believers through mutual encouragement and assistance [3]. This communal aspect is further emphasized by the shared meal and the extended time spent together, which included Paul's preaching and the breaking of bread [1, 3].
Sources
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Acts 20:7 cross-references: Nehemiah 8:3, Nehemiah 9:3, Mark 16:9, Luke 22:19, Luke 24:35, John 20:1, John 20:19, John 20:26, Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46, Acts 20:9, Acts 20:11, Acts 20:31, Acts 28:23, 1 Corinthians 10:16, 1 Corinthians 11:17, 1 Corinthians 15:10, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Timothy 4:2, Revelation 1:10”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Acts 20:27 cross-references: Joshua 8:35, Psalms 32:11, Isaiah 46:10, Jeremiah 23:22, Jeremiah 34:6, Matthew 28:20, Luke 7:30, John 15:15, Acts 2:23, Acts 13:36, Acts 20:20, Acts 20:35, Acts 26:22, 1 Corinthians 11:23, 2 Corinthians 4:2, Galatians 1:7, Galatians 4:16, Ephesians 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 2:4”
- Acts (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Acts 20:7: We have here an account of what passed at Troas the last of the seven days that Paul staid there. I. There was a solemn religious assembly of the Christians that were there, according to their constant custom, and the custom of all the churches. 1. The disciples came together, Act 20:7. Though they read, and meditated, and prayed, and sung psalms, apart, and thereby kept up their communion with God, yet that was not enough; they must come together to worship God in concert, and so keep up their communion with one another, by mutual countenance and assistance, and te”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 71: taken and broken; and therefore it was the bread which He affirmed was, either literally or figuratively, his body. Lutherans themselves cannot avoid saying and admitting that the bread in the Lord’s Supper is the body of Christ. Thus Luther ( Larger Catechism , v. 12, 13; Hase, Libri Symbolici , p. 554) tells his catechumen to say, “Though infinite myriads of devils and all fanatics should impudently demand, How bread and wine can be the body and blood of Christ? I know that all spirits and all learned men put together have not as much i”
- Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 20:7: upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together--This, compared with Co1 16:2, and other similar allusions, plainly indicates that the Christian observance of the day afterwards distinctly called "the Lord's Day," was already a fixed practice of the churches. Paul preached--discoursed. The tense implies continued action--"kept discoursing."”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 7: Lactantius, Venantius, Asterius, Victorinus, Dionysius — THE PAULINE NORM.(1) (part 1): 1. Supplications. 2. Prayers, Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. 3. Intercessions. 4. General Thanksgiving. The Kiss of Peace. 5. Anaphora.(2) The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, And said, Take, eat: this is my Body, which is broken for you: This do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, Saying, This cup is the New Testament in my Blood: This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in r”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 44: his children should be stript of the kingdom, and carried away into captivity, for a sin which he had committed ( Isa. 39:7 ); and the households of Pharaoh and Abimelech were made to suffer for an injury done to Abraham ( Gen. 12:17 ; 20:3–18). But the attempt to solve the question in this way is an evasion rather than a true interpretation. For the punishment denounced here and in similar passages is too great to be confined within the limits of the present life. We must therefore understand it to mean, that a curse from the Lord”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 2:19 2:21 2:24 4:3 4:6 4:8 4:11-12 4:14 5:12 5:12 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:16 5:16 5:16 5:17-18 1 Peter 1:2 1:2 1:2 1:3 1:5 1:5 1:9 1:11 1:12 1:12 1:15 1:16 1:18-19 1:18-19 1:19 1:19-20 1:20 1:21 1:21 1:21 1:21 1:22 1:23 1:23 1:23 2:5 2:9 2:9 2:9 2:13 2:17 2:17 2:18 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:24 2:25 2:25 3:18 3:19 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 3:21 4:3 4:3 4:8 4:8 4:11 4:11 4:14 4:17 5:1 5:2 5:2 5:3 5:5 5:6 5:7 5:8 5:8 5:9 2 Peter 1:4 1:4 1:4 1:5 1:13-14 1:14 1:14 1:19 2:1 2:4 2:4 3:4 3:8 3:9 3:16 11:9 1 John 1:1 1:7 1:7 1:7 1:9 1:9 1:10 2:1 2:1 2”