Acts 20:2

‘And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece.'

Paul now visits the churches in Macedonia, exhorting and encouraging the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, among others, for we know that more churches have been established through their witness (1 Thessalonians 1:8). Yet this all passes in a sentence. During this period he will have exhorted them also to make ready the Collection for him to take to Jerusalem, and will have written 2 Corinthians. But Luke does not want to interfere with his picture of the inevitable ongoing flow of God's purposes which will result in Apostolic testimony in Rome, and all this is dismissed without a word.

Then Paul moves on to Greece (the only mention of ‘Greece' as such in the New Testament, which suggests that here it means more than just Corinth). Here he spends three months, probably mainly at Corinth where he has a joyful reconciliation, although he may also have visited Athens. Again he was here, not only for joyful reconciliation, but in order to accept their contribution towards the Collection for him to take to Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1; 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians 8-9), and here he would write his letter to the Romans in preparation for his coming expected visit in which he expressed his hopes concerning the Collection (Romans 15:31), hopes which were to be only partially fulfilled.

But why does Luke not mention the Collection here? He certainly knew of it (Acts 24:17). Probably it was because as far as he was concerned he does not wish to draw attention to Jerusalem as any other than the place towards which Paul was going in order to suffer. As far as he was concerned Jerusalem was no longer important in the forward moving of the work of God. Its sole purpose now was as the fulfiller of God's will by its treatment of His messenger, just as it had done when it had crucified Jesus. It had rejected its Messiah twice (by crucifixion and in chapter 12), now it would reject Paul.

Paul probably had great hopes for the Collection, monies that were to help a famine ridden Judaea, and were to be an example of the wealth of the Gentiles coming to the Jews in true Biblical fashion (Isaiah 60:9). He probably also hoped, with his great love for his people in spite of the contretemps he had had with them, that it would make at least some of them feel more friendly both towards him and the Gentiles.