Acts 21:1-6 1And it happened, when we had put out to sea after tearing ourselves from them, setting a straight course, we came to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara, 2And after having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, boarding, we set sail. 3And when we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it behind on the left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to have its cargo unloaded. 4And after having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; they were speaking to Paul through the Spirit not to go on to Jerusalem. 5And when our days there were ended, after leaving, we continued traveling, with everyone, with wives and children, accompanying us until outside the city, and after bending the knees on the beach, praying, 6and saying farewell to one another, we got onboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes.
The first-person plural indicates that Luke was part of the group that accompanied Paul to Jerusalem with the special offering he had collected. Luke summarizes the trip to the coast of Syria, highlighting the stopping points. The first two places were islands along the route, not far from Miletus. Cos is an island about forty miles from Miletus, which could be traveled in a day or so. The next spot was to Rhodes, a large island south of Asia Minor. The next stop was Patara, located on the mainland. The ships between these ports could have been smaller. It would take a larger vessel to cross the Mediterranean Ocean. The ship went along the large island of Cyprus but apparently did not stop. That journey was around 400 miles and would normally take less than a week, which still would still be a long and uncomfortable time on a rocking ocean vessel full of cargo.
When the group arrived in Tyre, they looked for other believers. The church in that city may have been established after the persecution and subsequent spread of the church to Hellenistic areas, as mentioned in chapters 8 and 11. How Paul and the group found these believers is not described. There were no church buildings as such; believers met in houses or other hospitable locations. Perhaps the local synagogue had believers or could point to those who had come to believe in Jesus as Messiah. A hint of early Christian hospitality is evident in verse 4, as the group stayed with the local believers for an entire week. A week would have provided time to rest after the challenging sea travel and also an opportunity to tell stories of how God was working in Macedonia and Asia.
The local believers sensed by the Spirit that this would not be a good journey for Paul, confirming what he also felt from the Spirit. But Paul pressed on to carry through with his plan to personally bring the offering to Jerusalem. The visit in Tyre was a special stopping place with fellowship and prayer. The group had endeared themselves to the local believers. This passage also hints at the strong unity in the church, even when people were of different cultures and, to some degree, languages. It was another sad farewell, with entire families gathering on the beach to bid the group farewell as they set sail on another ship. The Holy Spirit was moving in people’s hearts, bringing unity and joy in fellowship while also warning Paul of what lay ahead for him.