Acts 20:33–34

Context

Acts 20:17–38 records the farewell address of Paul at Miletus. At the end of his third missionary journey, on his way to Jerusalem, he stopped there and summoned the elders of the church at Ephesus. Paul looks back on his roughly three years of ministry in Ephesus (Acts 20:31) and charges the elders to care for the church of God (Acts 20:28). He also warns that false teaching will arise both from outside and from within the church.

This passage comes at the close of the address: "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me" (Acts 20:33–34). In the ancient world, clothing was regarded as a form of wealth. In the following verse, Paul says that by laboring in this way one ought to support the weak, and he adds the words of Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Acts 18:3 records that Paul supported himself by tentmaking. Among Korean translations, the older Korean Revised Version uses a verb meaning to bear the cost, that is, to pay for and supply the needs, while the New Korean Revised Version renders it with a word meaning "to cover."

Interpretation

• Integrity and example of leaders: Many commentators read Paul's words as a model for the elders to follow. They see the passage as consistent with the teaching that those entrusted with the church must not be covetous, and they read it alongside the qualifications for overseers in Titus 1:5–9.
• Relinquishing rights for the sake of the gospel: Elsewhere Paul affirms that those who preach the gospel have a right to be supported (1 Corinthians 9:14), and he did in fact receive support from the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:15–16). On this basis, this interpretation holds that supporting himself was not a principle binding on all ministers but a choice intended to avoid placing any hindrance in the way of the gospel. 2 Thessalonians 3:7–9 is cited in the same connection.
• Labor and sharing: Read together with verse 35, manual labor appears not merely as a means of meeting one's own needs but also as a means of helping the weak. The passage is read alongside Ephesians 4:28.
• Historical background: Some scholars see in this passage Paul's intention to distinguish himself from the itinerant philosophers and teachers of his day who taught for pay.

Questions of Application

There is little dispute over the translation or the manuscript tradition of this passage. Views differ, however, on how it should be applied to the church today.

• The bivocational ministry debate: Those who support pastors taking on other work when church compensation alone is insufficient to live on cite this passage as a biblical basis.
• A cautious view: Others point out that Paul himself received support from churches and that the general principle is for the church to support its ministers. On this view, the passage should be read as describing a choice made in particular circumstances.
• Differences among denominations: Korean denominations are reported to have approached bivocational ministry either by restricting it in principle or by permitting it conditionally, for example for pastors of churches that are not financially self-sufficient. Positions vary from denomination to denomination.
• Related discussions: The passage is also raised in discussions of the appropriate level of pastoral compensation.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, the practice of doing mission work while holding a job and earning one's own living is called self-supporting mission (jabiryang seongyo) or "tentmaker mission," by analogy with Paul's tentmaking. This passage is commonly cited to explain the practice. It is also frequently used in sermons emphasizing the financial integrity of pastors and church officers.

Related Passages

• Acts 18:3
• Acts 20:35
• 1 Corinthians 9:12–18
• 1 Thessalonians 2:9
• Philippians 4:15–16