To better understand Acts 13 it would help if we recount what has taken place in the previous verses. God has worked in such a way that the gospel has now been shared with the Gentiles. In Antioch there is even now a church where Jews and Gentiles worship together. This would have been unthinkable up until this time, but through the work of the Holy Spirit those that were divided were now reconciled to one another.
As the Antioch church matured in their faith God called them to send out Barnabas and Paul to start churches. Acts 13:3 then says, “3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
The early church had no previous models to follow or church books to read. There only option was to remember the example of Jesus and to rely on the Holy Spirit as they looked forward.
Acts 13:4 then continued. Follow along on this map starting at the yellow point and following the red line.
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.
Antioch was on the Orontes River, 15 miles upriver from the Mediterranean Sea. Seleucia was the city actually on the water with a port. Barnabas and Saul sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus.
This was a logical first destination. Barnabas was from Cyprus. Because of so much trade and commerce at the port cities, Cyprus was a multicultural island and Barnabas was a good guide as the group began their mission work.
When they arrived in Salamis they first preached in the Jewish synagogue. This became Paul’s pattern. Paul would often enter cities for the first time and go to the synagogues. Because the Jews already believed the prophecies, the Old Testament scriptures, and in Yahweh, they at times were more primed to put their faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah than those who believed in pagan gods or superstition.
The Jews had been God’s chosen people for over a millennia. God had needed a context in which to show Himself to the world, revealing His character, His power, His laws, His works, His ways, His prophecies and His plan. This was the purpose of the nation of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament God worked in and through them, telling the story of God as He related to Israel. It required that God have a chosen people so He could reveal Himself to the watching world. Israel had a special role to play, but they were not the final objective.
God’s glory, through the salvation of people from every nation was the end goal. God’s plan required a chosen people through which the Messiah would come. Israel was that people and the Jews who were truly seeking God were the most likely to come to faith in Jesus.
God promised to bless the nations through the descendants of Abraham. It makes sense that Paul would start with his fellow Jews as the first fruits of the gospel as the early church began.
Paul and Barnabas also had the titles and religious “resumes” that would allow them to be heard when they arrived. Paul was a Pharisee who had studied under Gamaliel. Barnabas was a Levi. They both were very comfortable with people of different ethnicities and came to the synagogues as teachers who were often allowed the opportunity to speak.
On a number of occasions, Paul and Barnabas received mixed responses. At times crowds came to hear them teach and would believe, and at other times others the Jews would be infuriated and resort to physical abuse towards Paul and those with him.
None the less, Paul continued to begin
Acts 13:6-12 then continued,
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.
(different manners of people coming to belief believing power encounter)
Barnabas and Paul came to Paphos which was the capital of the island of Cyprus. Here we find another pattern of Paul’s ministry. The Holy Spirit often led Paul to focus on a capital or main city in a given region. The strategy was that once a church or churches had been established in a main city, this first church would lay the foundation for other churches to be started in the surrounding area.
Even though Paphos was an important city, in some ways it was not an ideal place to start a church. It was famous for its worship of Venus, the goddess of love. The people in Paphos were also often superstitious. We see an example here. Sergius Paulus, like most wealthy men of his day, kept private sorcerers, fortune tellers and wizards who supposedly dealt in spells and magic.
This is what Barnabas and Saul encountered in these verses. Sergius Paulus, the proconsul was attended by a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus who tried to turn Sergius Paulus away from faith in Jesus. Saul identified Bar-Jesus as a “child of the devil” and an enemy of everything that is right. The hand of the Lord then came against this sorcerer and caused him to go blind.
We see God working in a combination of ways here to bring the proconsul to faith in Jesus. Verse 12 says that “When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed.” That makes it sound like the source of his belief was Bar-Jesus’ blindness, but it then follows the account of his believing with the words, “for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” Somehow the miraculous blindness had prepared the way for the teaching of the Lord to break through and grant Sergius Paulus faith.
We are reminded here again of the essential role of God’s Word in salvation. As we read in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”
Whether we are praying for or caring for the non-believers around us, eventually the truth of the gospel will be part of their coming to faith in Jesus. It maybe you who shares the truths of the gospel with them or maybe you will invite them to church and they will hear the gospel here, but either way the teaching about the Lord will be necessary.
Another interesting transition is found in the details in this portion of the story. It is in these verses that Saul begins to be referred to as Paul
When Paul stated his name he was reminded of who he is in contrast to who he was. Though it is likely that Paul had always had two names (Acts 13:9), the name Saul was his Jewish name. It was the name that he had used as he had climbed in prestige in the midst of the Jews of Jerusalem. It was the name he had used when persecuting the Christians and clinging to the Jewish law. In contrast, Paul was his Roman name. Paul was a Roman citizen. Christ had called him to be the “apostle to the Gentiles.”(Romans 11:13). It made sense that to use the name Paul in a Gentile context would be more advantageous. Referring to Himself as Paul was a constant reminder of the grace he had been given and the gospel mission on which he had been sent. One other note of interest is that the name Saul had a regal connotation to it since Saul had been the name of Israel´s first king. In contrast the name Paul in Latin meant “small” or “humble.” When he introduced himself as Paul instead of Saul it was a display of the humility that had replaced the pride which had previously dominated Paul´s life.
It is also in this story that “Barnabas and Paul” became “Paul and Barnabas.” Barnabas had been the discipler, the spiritual leader. Barnabas had been the one to introduce Paul to the church in Jerusalem when no one else believed that Paul, the persecutor, had truly become Paul, the believer. Barnabas was also the one who, after arriving in Antioch and witnessing God’s work there, went to Tarsus to get Paul to come minister alongside him in Antioch. Barnabas, throughout scripture was known as a discipler and here once again we are seeing his fruitfulness. That is the goal of a discipler. To usher another person to their full spiritual potential, even when they surpass that of the discipler. Barnabas must have gloried in God as he saw Paul begin to take his God-given place as a spiritual leader and missionary.
Acts 13 then continued in verses 13-15.
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.
Paul and his companions traveled from the island of Cyprus to the port city of Perga and then traveled from there to Pisidian Antioch. It was named Pisidian Antioch to distinguish it from Antioch of Syria which was the city where Paul and Barnabas had been sent out from.
The journey from Perga to Pisidian Antioch was 100 miles long and rose from the waters edge to 3,600 feet above sea level.
It contained one of the most difficult and treacherous roads in the world at that time. It passed through the Taurus Mountains.
To put it in perspective, historians have said that years earlier the “Taurus Mountains were the most challenging part of Alexander the Great’s campaigns to conquer the world. Alexander mentioned not only how challenging it was to navigate through these mountains, but also how hard it was to defend off the brutal tribesmen living in the mountains who would steal and kill his people.”
To make matters worse, Galatians 4:13 tells us how it was because of an illness that Paul first preached in Galatia.
Antioch was an important city in Galatia. It had been founded by Augustus and was considered the chief military and political center in southern Galatia. It was also known for having a large population of Jews.
Acts 13:14-15 then speak of their visit to the synagogue.
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.”
Dr. Thomas Constable, a respected scholar in the realm of biblical scholarship and education explains the following,
“Normally, a synagogue service began with the Shema from Deuteronomy 6 (“Hear, O Israel, . . .”) and the Shemoneh Esreh (a liturgy of benedictions, blessings, and prayers). Then the leaders would read two passages from the Old Testament aloud, one from the Mosaic “Law,” and a related passage from the “Prophets” section of the Hebrew Bible. Then some competent person whom the synagogue rulers designated would give an address. The service would conclude with a benediction. On this occasion the synagogue leaders, who were local Jewish laymen, invited Paul and Barnabas to give an address if they had some encouraging word to share.”
At this point Paul stood and began to share. He started by addressing both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who were present in the service. Paul then proceeded to explain God’s working throughout the Old Testament.
God chose Abraham and the patriarchs. He blessed the people of Israel even in the midst of slavery. God led them out of slavery, endured their conduct for forty years in the wilderness, and gave them the Promised Land.
After this God provided them with judges and kings, most notably, King David, “a man after God’s own heart, who would do whatever God wanted him to do.”
From King David’s descendants “God has finally brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.”
Paul then referenced John the Baptism with whom most of the Jews would have been familiar. John had declared, “There is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior who has come. Paul then told them how the leaders in Jerusalem had not recognized Jesus. They had condemned Jesus unjustly, at the same time fulfilling the prophecies about him. Jesus was put to death, and buried, but God raised Jesus from the dead. For many days there were many who walked with Jesus after His resurrection and now they were witnesses to the Jews.
Paul continued to preach, connecting the truth to the prophecies of the Old Testament. “God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay.” (Psalm 16:10) “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’”(Isaiah 55:3)
Paul concluded by declaring that “through Jesus the forgiveness of sin is proclaimed to you.” That everyone who believes is set free from every sin.” This was a justification that was never possible through good works. A person could never be good enough to earn God’s favor. To those who daily bore the burden of the heavy weight of Jewish law, forgiveness must have been a beautiful idea, a righteousness given by Christ through His death and resurrection.
The coming of Jesus is the culmination of centuries of God’s plan coming together. The long wait is over, Christ the Savior has come.
The story then continues in Acts 13:42
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. (Expect the Word of God to bring chastisement)
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[f] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[g] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[h]”
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.
It is exciting that so many came to hear God’s Word being taught, and that so many believed. This kind of moving of God is exhilarating, but it will not go unnoticed by the evil one. As quickly as some began to believe others began to be filled with jealousy. They heaped abuse on them but in response Paul and Barnabas then turned to the Gentiles and all “who were appointed for eternal life believed.”
“The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” But the Jewish leaders “stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from the region. So they shook the dust off of their feet as a warning and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with Joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Paul and Barnabas went 90 miles further on to Iconium. The pattern repeated itself. They spoke in the synagogue and a great number believed. The Jews who refused to believe poisoned the minds of the others against them. Persecution began, threatening physical abuse and possibly even death. Paul and Barnabas fled and kept preaching about Jesus.
They then moved on to Lystra, about 20 miles away. God did miracles through Paul and Barnabas, but instead of putting their faith in God, they believed that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes. Paul and Barnabas did all they could to turn their worship from them to the one true God.
At this time some problematic Jews from Antioch and Iconium came to Lystra to persecute Paul and Barnabas. They won the crowd over and Paul was stoned, dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. The disciples gathered around Paul and he got up and went back into town.
The next day he and Barnabas went to a city named Derbe. They preached the gospel and won a large number of disciples. Eventually they retraced their steps returning to each of the previous cities, strengthening the young congregations that had been started during their earlier visit.
They then returned all the way to Jerusalem to report on their travels, the numerous conversions, and certain doctrines that were needing to be clarified for the benefit of these new churches.
The truth was being put to the test. Sorcerers, persecutors, sickness, slander, abuse and threats of death, but yet the gospel continued to bear fruit and win the hearts of man.
We must cling to the truth that prevails. We are now the ones with whom God relates to show Himself to a watching world. Although some will refuse to believe and even mock us, may we find strength in Christ and continue preaching the gospel for those who are ready to believe. Be confident in the gospel of Paul. Truth Prevails.
