1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
On Cyprus
4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.
6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
In Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
“‘You are my son;
today I have become your father.’
34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35 So it is also stated elsewhere:
“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’
36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
wonder and perish,
for I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe,
even if someone told you.’”
42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Commentary/Significant points of discussion:
- Luke listed the leaders of 'the church at Antioch' [v.1], all of whom were 'prophets and teachers'; since the early church did not have the New Testament writings, prophets and teachers were absolutely essential to the church
- Barnabas' name is mentioned first and Saul's name last; Barnabas at this point was the more known figure as leader of the church and Saul was kind of considered to be "The Rookie", "Greenhorn" or "The New Guy"
- The calling of Barnabas and Saul came through the Holy Spirit as 'they were worshiping the Lord and fasting' [v.2]; they were going about their normal business of giving service to the Lord through worship and hungering for God through fasting
- This revelation from the Holy Spirit most likely came through one of the prophets in the church; God uses our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to reveal our calling to us
- [See v.2] ' "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul" '- if we want to be set apart for God to use us, we must also be set apart from the things in this world that keep us from pursuing our calling
- [See v.3] 'fasted and prayed'- since it wasn't clear what kind of 'work' [v.2] to which Barnabas and Saul had been called to, the leaders of the church fast and pray to seek the Lord's will for them
- 'sent them off'- with a clear sense of direction from God, the leaders of the church lay their hands on Barnabas and Saul, indicating that God was with them, and send them off to pursue their calls as missionaries
- [See v.4] 'sent on their way by the Holy Spirit'- Barnabas and Saul are led by the Spirit and not by their own efforts or wisdom; having confidence that God was leading them, they took the step of faith to live out God's will for them
- So many Christians today think of faith as believing that God can do something and playing the waiting game, but how can you have faith when you don't even know God's will? We cannot have faith without knowing and living God's will!
- This was the first planned mission of the early church to save the lives of others and not to save their own lives as before when they had to flee in the face of persecution; God doesn't have to use persecution to get us to our feet when we know His will and are willing to act on it
- [See v.4-5] 'went down to Seleucia...sailed from there to Cyprus'- this was an overseas mission that required Barnabas and Saul to sail a hundred miles across the Mediterranean Sea from the port city of Seleucia near Antioch to the island of Cyprus, which happened to be Barnabas' birthplace and hometown
- 'John was with them as their helper'- accompanying Barnabas and Saul was John Mark, the same "Mark" who would later write one of the four gospels; having grown up in Jerusalem, he witnessed many of the events in Jesus' life and would be able to powerfully relate to others who were being preached to
- [See v.6] 'traveled through the whole island'- they started out proclaiming the word of God in the synagogues at Salamis and went from east to west, preaching the word of God in cities where there was a synagogue
- 'came to Paphos'- Paphos, on the western part of the island, was a spiritually dark place and was especially infamous for its worship of Venus, the goddess of love
- [See v.6-7] 'Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul'- Sergius Paulus, the proconsul ruling over the Roman province, kept around Bar-Jesus (who was a Jew) because he wanted to learn about the Jewish faith which he suspected would lead to salvation
- [See v.7] 'wanted to hear the word of God'- one could see why Sergius Paulus would be so curious to find out more about the Jewish faith and saw a golden opportunity with Barnabas and Saul in town; what he didn't know was that Barnabas and Saul weren't going to tell him about the Jewish faith but about Jesus Christ the savior of men
- The name Bar-Jesus itself reveals a lot about who this man was; Bar-Jesus meant "son of Jesus", as if Elymas (Bar-Jesus' Gentile name) was supposed to represent the truth, when in reality he was a 'false prophet' [v.6] who mixed magic and Judaism together
- The farther one went from Jerusalem and Israel, the more one would find Jews who claimed to represent Judaism but merged it with pagan doctrines and practices
- [See v.8] 'opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith'- Elymas senses the threat of Barnabas and Saul preaching the truth to the proconsul, knowing that the proconsul was 'an intelligent man' [v.7] who would be able to see the contradictions of Elymas' false teachings against the word of God
- Opposition against the word of God is nothing new in the book of Acts with relentless persecution against the church, but here we find a new kind of opposition, one that is not trying to physically eliminate the ones who are spreading the gospel but trying to lead people spiritually astray through erroneous teachings
- Satan's new strategy is to pose as the ones who are spreading the gospel when in fact they are the ones out to deceive many by twisting and perverting the truth; one can easily appear to be righteous but one's words must teach righteousness if one is truly a "son of God" and not a 'child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right' [v.10]
- [See v.9] 'Saul, who was also called Paul'- because Saul had been born with all the rights of a Roman citizen, he had also been given a Roman name, Paul, along with his Jewish name, Saul
- 'filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas'- Paul uses his gift of spiritual discernment (supernatural ability to discern good and evil spirits) by staring directly at Elymas and exposing his 'deceit and trickery' [v.10] in front of the proconsul
- Discernment allows us to see what is true and false whereas a lack of discernment leaves us vulnerable to simply going along with everything and "respecting" everyone's opinions; Paul did the exact opposite, sharply rebuking Elymas with a boldness that reflected his unshakable belief in the truth
- 1 Corinthians 2:15 says, "One who is spiritual discerns all things"; Paul made a judgment about Elymas, specifically God's judgment through the Spirit and not by his own wisdom, and was able to access what God was doing in the Spirit by being spiritually alive
- [See v.11] 'hand of the Lord is against you'- Paul not only rebukes Elymas but pronounces God's curse of blindness (physical but representing his spiritual blindness) on him; it's one thing not to believe yourself, but to try to deceive others into not believing is equal to standing between God and man, and one that will bring the hand of the Lord against you
- While it may seem harsh, this was actually God's grace providing Elymas a chance to repent and turn from his sins the same way that Paul was given a second chance when he was blind for three days
- [See v.12] 'When the proconsul saw...he believed'- if it wasn't already enough that Paul had exposed Elymas as a deceiver and a fraud, he had to be convinced after God's power was demonstrated through Paul
- Paul knew what was at stake and was the reason he defended this man's faith from being twisted in order that he may be saved and have eternal life; we are called not only to spread the gospel but to protect "the sheep" that God has made us shepherds over
- [See v.13] 'sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them'- the three missionaries continue on their journey and leave the island of Cyprus to arrive at Perga in what is modern day Turkey; however, John Mark decides to cut his journey short and desert his fellow missionaries for reasons not clearly stated or explained
- The author no longer uses 'Barnabas and Saul' but now uses 'Paul and his companions'; God has moved Paul from being a follower to a leader
- [See v.16] ' "Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles" '- Paul addresses the crowd in the synagogue who are a mix of Jews and Gentiles who were interested in the Jewish faith but did not consider themselves true believers in Judaism
- [See v.17-23] Paul begins his sermon with a survey of Israel's history including the divine selection of the patriarchs, God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, the forty years in the wilderness where the Israelites tested the Lord, God's fulfillment of His promise to their forefathers to give them the land of Canaan, the time of the judges, the creation of a monarchy (king as ruler) and finally the coming of Jesus Christ as Savior
- Paul's emphasis is on giving credit to God for Israel's glorious history; it was by God's sovereign hand that the Israelites were able to escape slavery, survive in the wilderness on God's manna, inherit Canaan, etc.
- The Israelites did nothing but grumble against and disobey the Lord; surely we can see God's love and grace in enduring the Israelites' sinful and rebellious acts against Him and still remaining true to His promises
- Israel wanted a king but the wrong kind of king who was not after God's heart; God gave Israel king Saul so that the Israelites might learn from their sin, and after ruling 40 years, God removed king Saul and replaced him with king David who was after God's heart but still a sinner
- When God finally gave Israel their king, the king of kings in Jesus Christ, they rejected him even though he was the one who fulfilled all the messianic prophecies in the Scriptures that they read in the synagogue every Sabbath!
- [See v.24-29] Paul contrasts John the Baptist and how he received Jesus with the rulers of Jerusalem who rejected Jesus; John the Baptist was so humbled that he thought himself 'not worthy to untie' [v.25] the sandals of Jesus while the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem couldn't wait to get their hands on Jesus and execute him by hanging him on a cross
- [See v.30-37] Paul preaches about how God resurrected Jesus and how 'he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jersusalem' [v.31]; man's best efforts to resist God and interrupt His plans and purposes were futile as the Lord overcame sin and death
- Even when there seems there is no way, God makes a way when we choose to follow Him; in the case of Jesus we might think that his death would have been the end of it all- God's plan and everything- but no, God made a way and raised Jesus to life so that he would be king over Israel
- [See v.38-41] Paul proclaims the forgiveness of sins through Jesus by God's grace and not our own 'justification' [v.39]; salvation is not made or earned by us but it is given to us freely because of God's grace
- The Jews had it all wrong-- they thought that by being of Jewish descent and by keeping the Old Testament laws and being righteous they were destined for God's kingdom
- How blind were the Jews to think that they would be rewarded for causing God so much pain and suffering as their history had shown?
- The Israelites proved that they fell way short of obeying God's laws; it was time for them to accept God's righteousness in the person of Jesus and not their own righteousness
- God was offering Israel freedom from its sinful past so that they could move on and put their wicked ways behind them to find new life in Christ
- How God longs for His people to be free from the things that destroy us-- so much so that God gave His only son, Jesus, to take our burdens as He watched him die on the cross; when Jesus asked Him, "Why have you abandoned me?", God was in so much pain that He could not say anything in return- how God feels our pain with silent tears of love!
- Despite the good news, Paul gives a stern warning that those who do not accept and embrace the person and work of Jesus Christ will 'perish' [v.41]
- [See v.42] 'invited them to speak further'- Paul's has partly accomplished his mission as many in the congregation are interested in knowing more about God's message of salvation
- [See v.43] 'urged them to continue in the grace of God'- yet Paul stresses that the walk of faith is not something we just do one time and then we are done for good; we have to continue at it and work at it
- [See v.45] 'when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy'- as Paul is preparing to preach to the entire city on the next Sabbath, the leaders of the synagogue become envious of the attention that Paul is garnering
- The leaders of the synagogue feel like they are no longer in charge and seem to be more concerned about losing their popularity than serving God; it is important to examine our faiths to see that we are not doing things for any other motive than to seek, serve and please God
- 'began to contradict what Paul was saying...heaped abuse on him'- the Jews bitterly oppose Paul's preaching and blaspheme God and Jesus, unable to accept the message that the Gentiles were to receive the same grace from God; to the Jews, the Gentiles were inferior beings who didn't belong in the same class
- If not already upset by the sea of Gentiles around them in the synagogue, the Jews are furious that their "assigned" seats are now being taken by the Gentiles
- This fear of having to change our relationships with people is what keeps people from becoming Christians; even many Christians today want to believe in Jesus but are not willing to let Jesus change their relationships because they want to "preserve" their identity, but how can our hearts be radically changed if we still think and act the same way as we did before?
- [See v.46] ' "we now turn to the Gentiles" '- Paul chooses to be wise in not wasting his time trying to convince the hardened hearts of the Jews but preaching to the Gentiles who had open hearts; the enemy can use others around us to try to distract us and steal away the precious time that God has given us
- [See v.50] 'stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas...expelled them'-just as the 'word of the Lord spread through the whole region' [v.49], persecution comes and the missionaries are forced to leave by the Jewish leaders who resort to political means to gain the support of prominent Gentile women and political leaders of the city
- [See v.51] 'shook the dust off their feet'- this was equivalent to "I don't want any part of you, you are not worthy to hear the gospel you Jesus haters"; how ironic that the very law that the Jews set up is now being applied against them- they are the "unclean" who the bearers of the gospel must now separate from to be "clean"
- [See v.52] 'disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit'- despite the adverse circumstances and the hostile atmosphere that the disciples just endured, they were content and happy because they were filled with the Holy Spirit
