Bible verses explained, part 3: the man who fell asleep in church

Almost everyone has fought to stay awake during a long sermon. Acts 20:9 is what happens when that fight goes badly. It is one of the most surprising lines in the Bible, and somebody with a regular pew will want it on a shirt.

This is part 3 of our unique Bible verses series. Part 1 covered the food verses and part 2 covered the objects. This time it is a young man, a window and a very long night.

Acts 20:9, the verse

“He sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.” Acts 20:9

Paul was visiting a group of believers and preaching to them late into the night. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a third story window. The sermon kept going, and he sunk down with sleep and fell out of the window.

Notice that the verse does not soften it. He was taken up dead. The Bible says so plainly, and it does not offer an excuse for him or a joke at his expense. The jokes come from us, centuries later.

Then Paul went downstairs and wrapped his arms around him, and Eutychus came back to life. The group went back upstairs and ate together. Paul kept preaching until sunrise.

Read that last part again. Nobody cancelled the meeting. Nobody told Paul to wrap it up. The sermon simply went on, with one more story for the group to tell.

What it means, in plain words

On the surface, this is a story about a very long sermon. Underneath, it is about what God does with an interruption.

The worst thing that could happen in that room happened, and it still was not the end of what God was doing there. A death interrupted the night. God finished the night anyway.

That is the bridge we put on the story card: even death can’t stop what God is doing. Whatever just interrupted your life is not the end of it either.

It is also a mercy toward anyone who has nodded off in church. Eutychus is in the Bible by name, and the Bible does not hold the nap against him.

There is a practical side too. Most of us will never preach for hours, and most of us will never fall out of a window. But we all have evenings that go sideways, plans that get cut short and news that arrives at the wrong moment. This verse is a short, surprising reminder that God is still at work after the thing that stopped us in our tracks. You do not have to explain that to anyone. You can just let the verse say it, and answer when someone asks.

Why Manna’d picks lines like this

The name comes from Exodus 16:15. When God fed Israel in the wilderness, bread showed up on the ground every morning. Small, white and round, like coriander seed. The people had never seen anything like it and did not know what it was. The word manna comes from the Hebrew for “what is it?” In Exodus 16:15 it reads, “It is manna: for they wist not what it was.” They named the bread after the question, and God kept sending it for forty years.

That question is the whole idea behind the shop. The Bible is full of lines most people read right past. Ten cheeses. A loaf of barley bread. A gnat and a camel. And a man who falls out of a window during a sermon. Every one of them is real, every one is in there on purpose, and every one points to something true about God if somebody stops to ask, “Wait, what is that?”

So we put one surprising line on a shirt, big and plain, with no slogan and no explanation. The verse does the work. Somebody behind you in line reads it and asks, and you get to tell them the story. You can read more on our story page.

Job 6:6, White of an Egg

“Is there any taste in the white of an egg?” Job 6:6

Job lost his children, his wealth and his health almost overnight. When his friends came, he told them the truth: life had gone so flat that nothing tasted like anything, not even an egg.

What it means: Job did not fake being fine, and God never let go of him. Grief can take the taste out of everything, but it can’t take away God’s purpose for you. The White of an Egg tee is a quiet one, and it tends to start the kind of conversation people actually need.

Matthew 23:24, Gnat and Camel

“Which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:24

Jesus was talking to religious leaders who gave God ten percent of even the mint and spices in their kitchens, but skipped justice, mercy and faithfulness. They strained their drinks through cloth so they would not swallow a gnat, which was an unclean bug. Jesus said they were swallowing the camel, which is also unclean, just bigger.

What it means: you can be careful about every tiny rule and still miss mercy. The Gnat and Camel tee is a good pick for the friend who is very organized and very kind about it.

Gift ideas for the Third Loft

If Acts 20:9 belongs on someone’s list, here is how the Third Loft design comes. Every one of these carries the same verse and its own story card, so the recipient has an answer ready when somebody asks.

The Third Loft tee is $34, in sizes S to 4XL. Pick the Art or Text version, in Black or Bone.
The hoodie is $65. Garment dyed fleece with the verse on the back, in sizes S to 3XL.
The crewneck is $50. Same garment dyed fleece, same verse on the back, sizes S to 3XL.
The mug is $18. It is 11 oz ceramic, white or black, with the verse on one side and the answer on the other. Good for Monday mornings and for anyone who stays up too late.
The framed print is $45. It is the meaning card, 8 x 10 in, in a black, white or red oak frame.
The stickers are $12. You get three kiss cut vinyl stickers on one sheet, about 5.8 x 8.3 in.

A tote is $28 and an unframed poster is $28, if you want something for the wall or the grocery run. If you are still deciding, you can see all eleven verses and pick the one that made you ask “what is that?”

Shopping from outside the US? Our store is US only, but you can shop us on Etsy.

Wrap up

Eutychus fell asleep, fell out of a window and was taken up dead. Paul went down, and the young man lived. Then everyone went back upstairs, ate, and kept going until sunrise. It is a surprising line, and that is why it sticks. Some of the best Christian gifts are the ones that make a person say, “Wait, what is that?” and then give them a good answer.

Now you’ve been Manna’d.

See all eleven verses