Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-35 is a climactic speech in Paul’s ministry and a remarkable piece of rhetoric. The enigmatic quotation of Jesus’ words in Acts 20:35 has sparked much inquiry and speculation with little consensus as to its origin. Nevertheless, Paul’s address is anchored in the memory of Jesus’ teaching and the saying seems to have been known to the Ephesian elders. However, this is not the only echo of Jesus’ teaching in the address. Paul uses several terms and concepts in his farewell address which are contained in Jesus’ Missionary Discourse (Matthew 10:5-42; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6, 10:1-16).
This paper will demonstrate several points of correspondence between Paul’s farewell discourse and Jesus’ Missionary Discourse. Additionally, the paper will compare Paul’s citation of Jesus’ Missionary Discourse elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 9:14 and 1 Timothy 5:18 to demonstrate the importance of these sayings of Christ to Paul’s philosophy of ministry. This paper will argue that Paul is passing on his understanding of Christ’s commands to the next generation of elders in Ephesus. Additionally, the paper will argue for locating the debated saying contained in Acts 20:35 in Jesus’ Missionary Discourse.