Acts 20:37-38

Acts 20:37-38

[37] And  they all  wept  sore,  and  fell  on  Paul's  neck,  and kissed  him,  [38] Sorrowing  most of all  for  the words  which  he spake,  that  they should  see  his  face  no more.  And  they accompanied  him  unto  the ship. 

What does Acts 20:37-38 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This record of the Gentile converts" affection for Paul (cf. Genesis 33:4; Genesis 45:14; Genesis 46:29) contrasts with the hatred of the Jews that he was to face soon in Jerusalem. Luke again obliquely pointed out that the Gentiles received the gospel but the Jews usually rejected it.
". . . through all this scene there runs one dominant feeling and that is the feeling of an affection and a love as deep as the heart itself. That is the feeling that should be in any Church. When love dies in any Church the work of Christ cannot do other than wither or fade." [1]
Paul may have left Timothy in Ephesus at this time. However, it seems more likely that that took place after Paul"s release from Rome, his departure from that city, and his return to Ephesus ( 1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:14; 1 Timothy 4:13).