Acts 20:7-12 See! The believers met on Sunday to take communion! Or did they?

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, he was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, "Do not be troubled, for his life is in him." When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.”

What do you see in this passage? When I first read this passage as a Protestant I immediately associated the first day of the week with Sunday worship and the breaking of bread with communion. But, is that what was really going on? Did Sunday worship even exist then? Did communion exist? Upon further study of Judaism and the traditions at the time of Paul a different picture unfolds.

First of all, it is apparent in the passage that this is taking place at night, not morning, as there are many lamps around and Paul talks until midnight. It is also obviously night as the boy falls asleep out of exhaustion. So right away we can rule out Sunday morning. It is also important to note that the Jewish day begins at sundown. So the first day of the week actually begins at sundown on Saturday immediately following the 7^th day of the week, or the Sabbath.  At the end of every Sabbath Jews come together for what they call Havdalah. This is a ceremony where candles are lit and blessings are given in order to separate the Sabbath from the rest of the week. This custom was already in place in the time of Paul. The tradition is to participate in the ceremony and then share an evening meal together. “Breaking bread” is another way to say eating a meal, it does not refer to communion.

This passage in no way advocates a change of the Sabbath to the first day of the week. It is simply Jews doing what they always have done, saying goodbye to the Holy Sabbath by congregating for Havdalah and sharing a meal. Paul happened to be leaving the next morning so he took the opportunity to speak to his fellow believers. He was not giving a Sunday sermon; he was more likely midrashing after the Shabbat before having to leave on his journey in the morning.

Shalom!