Chapter 13

(Acts 13:1-51) Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. {2} As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 

We don’t know how the Holy Spirit said this to them. It is not like other accounts where an angel speaks with a voice. It may well be that the spirit moving in this group of men made this plain to all of them. To be sure, Paul knew what his commission was from his own conversion experience. Whatever the case, the spirit made a move in Antioch on this day. It was not in Jerusalem, which seems to be a relatively important point. Saul, also known as Paul, had been called of Jesus Himself, apart from any involvement of the apostles or the Jerusalem church. Now, the commission to get out and preach the gospel elsewhere comes directly from God to Antioch, once again without involving Jerusalem. God does not work through one narrow channel, a fact that some people find rather disconcerting.

The very first Christian missionaries in all history were Saul of Tarsus and Barnabas. They had no pattern to go by, no methodology. All they had was as set of very simple instructions: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the gentiles, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:19-20).

They had that, and they had a story–a story pretty much memorized by all the disciples of Jesus. It was the story of the ministry, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus. And they had a theology–a very simple theology. It is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we can be saved, we can have our sins forgiven, and we can be reconciled to God. They were to take this story to the nations–which included the Gentiles.

So they were sent on their way by the church in Antioch of Syria. I presume they were given funds, prayers and maybe a box lunch for the first day out. After that they were on their own. You can’t help wondering what they expected, but almost certainly they did not expect what actually happened. Everywhere Paul went, he went to the Jews first. He was clear enough on the principle, "to the Jew first, but also to the Gentile."

{3} And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. {4} So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. {5} And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. 

This was always their starting point. And there is a certain logic to it, because there was a background in the Bible here, and it seems to have been necessary to take the Gospel to the Jew first. Since there were Gentiles in most synagogues, they made their first inroads to the gentiles in the synagogues.

{6} And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: {7} Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. {8} But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. {9} Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, {10} And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? {11} And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. {12} Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. {13} Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. {14} But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. {15} And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 

Now we get a sample of the message Paul preached when he was speaking to a Jewish audience. He gives a historical lead in, heading straight to their own expectations of a Messiah.

{16} Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. {17} The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. {18} And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. {19} And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. {20} And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. {21} And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. {22} And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 

There is a lot of history in his message, as was usually the case, but the thrust of the History was to bring his audience to King David. Why? Because every Jew knew that the Messiah was to be a "son of David."

Paul did not take long at all to get to the point. God’s promise of a messiah of the seed of David has been fulfilled in Jesus. It seems the audience knew about John the Baptist, because Paul shifts to him without transition.

{23} Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: {24} When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. {25} And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. {26} Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. {27} For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. {28} And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. {29} And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. {30} But God raised him from the dead: {31} And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. 

This may have fallen strangely on their ears, but maybe not. for a long time, scholars thought the idea of a suffering and dying Messiah was foreign to first century Jews, but we now know better. At least in the Qumran community, there were those who expected a suffering Messiah.

{32} And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, {33} God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. {34} And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. {35} Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. {36} For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: {37} But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 

Now comes the gospel–the truly good news.

{38} Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: {39} And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

The law could never justify. This was an accepted fact. Take note of it, because a lot of Bible readers assume that salvation was by the law in the Old Testament and by Grace in the New Testament. Not so. Notice what Paul says to this group of Jews as though it were a self evident fact.

{40} Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; {41} Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. 

So, that is the gospel. Simple, isn’t it. And when Paul was finished, the synagogue services adjourned.

{42} And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. {43} Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. {44} And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. 

One of the interesting things about this is that all this preaching was going on, not on Sunday, but on the Sabbath. Paul did not tell the Gentiles who asked to hear him the next Sabbath that they could come back tomorrow, on Sunday. They did not assemble again with the gentiles until the next Sabbath day. At this early time, the church had made no transition to Sunday. That would have been a far, far greater controversy than anything else they could have done. They were still observing the Sabbath on the seventh day right along with the Jews. In fact, up until the establishment of the church in Antioch, the church was 99 % Jewish.

Now the question you have a right to ask and have answered is, when did that change? It was not until after the New Testament writings were all finished, because there is not a word of it in the New Testament. You also have to ask whether the change, when it came, was justified or whether it was heresy.

{45} But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. 

This is one of the greatest tragedies of the New Testament, and one that Paul never did seem to accept. Much later in his ministry he would agonize over the continual rejection of the Jews.

The Salvation of the gentiles was not a new idea. It was God’s plan all along: "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isa 49:6).

{46} Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. {47} For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. {48} And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. {49} And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. {50} But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. {51} But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

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