Acts 20:35

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35 (KJV)

Context

Paul speaks these words in his farewell address to the elders of the church in Ephesus, as he prepares to depart and expects not to see them again. In the preceding lines, he reminds them that he coveted no one’s silver, gold, or apparel, and that his own hands had ministered to his necessities and to those with him. This places Acts 20:35 within the immediate literary sequence of Paul’s final charge to these leaders.

Meaning

The opening phrase, “I have shewed you all things,” indicates that Paul had set the elders an example in both doctrine and practice, particularly in laboring to support the weak. The command to “support the weak” is directly tied to “so labouring“—that is, working diligently, as Paul himself did, to provide assistance and care for those in need. This is not abstract charity but a concrete, self-sacrificial pattern of life. The verse then records a saying of the Lord Jesus not found in the Gospels: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Paul presents this as a remembered word of Jesus, and the surrounding context makes clear that the blessing is found in the act of giving, which is more blessed than receiving.

Application

The verse calls believers to labor diligently so that they can give and support the weak, and in doing so, they participate in a greater blessedness. This is a pattern for Christian conduct: work is not merely for personal gain but for the ability to bless others.

Reflection

Paul’s words challenge us to examine our own attitudes toward giving and receiving. The saying of Jesus, preserved here by Paul, invites us to find joy in generosity rather than in accumulation. As we labor and give, we follow both the example of Paul and the teaching of Christ, discovering that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive.