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The Acts of the Apostles - Chapter 13

Paul now starts his first missionary journey. Just as Luke was careful to show how Peter’s experience, actions and teachings paralleled those of Jesus, and were in continuity with Jesus and the earlier promises God made to Israel, so Luke now shows similar parallelism between Paul and Peter and Jesus, aimed at fulfilling his goal of providing “security” to Gentile readers: commissioning (Jesus Baptism, Lk 3:21), contending with devilish powers (Lk 4), preaching the fulfillment of the scriptures in a synagogue (Lk 4:16..), initially favourable response (Lk 4:22), followed by rejection by his countrymen (Lk 4:23-30). This is no renegade apostle, abandoning Israel and delivering a suspect gospel, but an apostle whose divine commission is confirmed by prophetic election, whose activities and teachings mirror those of Jesus and Peter, and who remains constantly in touch with Jerusalem and tries to convert the Jews right up to the end.
1 The leaders of the Antioch Church are from a wide geographic and social range - black and white from Africa, Cyprus, someone brought up with Herod, and a pharisee instructed by Gamaliel. And we should probably understand that there were a number of local Churches in the Antioch community.
2 The Greek leitourgeo originates as the support and participation in religious and public activities of the Greek city-states. In the LXX it is used primarily for the service of the Lord in worship, the sense in which Luke uses it. There is some indication that these services were led by prophets - there were as yet no formal ministers for liturgy. Note the importance of prayer and fasting before making decisions - common in Jewish services (Jer 14:12, Neh 1:4, Matt 6:5,16), and fasting is right now that the bridegroom is no longer with them. Perhaps this practice should be revived! Barnabas and Saul have been thoroughly immersed teaching in the community, validating their knowledge. And now they are sent out by this community, at the express wish of the Holy Spirit, doubly validating their commission.
3 The community, or at least its leaders lay their hands on those sent to confirm that they go with the blessing and authority of the Antioch Church - to which they will report back their results. Note further fasting and praying - this matter is gravely important.
4 Seleucia is the port about 16 miles from Antioch. Cyprus is a natural first stop, to get their eye in, as it were - Barnabas comes from there and presumably can introduce the missionaries and help find their way around.
5 Salamis is at the eastern end of the island. The added significance of starting in an island may come from the importance the Jews placed on islands in their literature: like mountains, islands stick up above the surrounding area, and islands were seen as the habitats of Gentile nations: “Listen to me, you islands, pay attention you nations” (Is 49:1). The Good News is proclaimed first in the synagogues. John Mark is with them.
6 Going through the whole island to Paphos at the western end, stopping for a few weeks in each town, probably took several months. Now, like Jesus and Philip, Paul has to contend with a magician, confusingly named son of Jesus and also Elymas, which does not appear to be a translation of anything!
7 The proconsul’s second name is Paulus, as is Saul’s. We are told he was an intelligent man, ie fair-minded and willing to listen. As a good ruler he probably wants to know more about what this new group are teaching, since it appears to be causing a stir among the people he is responsible for.
8 The magician tries to deflect the proconsul’s interest in what Paul has to say, but Paul is a match for him.
9 This change of name is not like Peter’s re-naming by Jesus: Saul is the Hebrew, Paul is the Roman form. Now that Paul is entering public life among the Romans, he adopts Paul, and Luke marks this by the name change in the narrative. Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit, and looks intently at the magician, seeing into his heart, as Jesus and Peter before him.
10 Paul identifies the magician as a son of the devil, who tries to make crooked the ways of the Lord - the opposite of what Isaiah and the Baptist sought to do.
11 A sign that God’s power will overcome the devil’s, the magician is struck blind for a while, and like Paul, has to be led by the hand. Not permanent - he has an opportunity to “see” the right path, and may yet be converted, like the magician converted by Philip (8:13).
12 The proconsul was convinced by Paul’s teaching about the Lord - although the miracle may have helped! So another high-ranking member of society is converted - the Good News appeals to all strata of society. The representatives of the Roman empire will not always be so ready to convert, but they are shown to be fair-minded, and not automatically an enemy to the Christians.
13 Perga is about 10 miles up a river, so they may have disembarked at Attalia. John Mark leaves them - Luke uses a verb which implies deserting or abandoning them, and Paul clearly feels let down, for this becomes the reason for his later quarrel with Barnabas, These men are very human! It is about 1,000 miles back to Jerusalem, so John Mark must have felt strongly.
14 Perga is at the foot of the mountains, Antioch in Pisidia about 160 very mountainous miles north. Again they start on the sabbath and in the synagogue.
15 The whole of the Jewish scriptures is fulfilled in Jesus - not just the law, but the prophets and psalms too. The disciples are invited warmly - “brothers” - to speak: a normal part of the Jewish service, after the readings someone comments on or explains them.
16 Paul addresses those gathered, standing and with usual Greek hand gestures, and speaking to both Jews and “those who fear God” - ie those who accept the Jewish teachings and moral codes, but have not been circumcised.
17 Although addressed to Jews and God-fearers, Paul’s speech to Diaspora Jews differs from Stephen’s in placing more emphasis on Israelites as a people bound together by a common inheritance, given them by God, and under benevolent Roman rule, instead of pointing out how their corrupt temple leaders had lost the plot. We should perhaps see this speech as a distillation by Luke of the many speeches Paul made to Jews. It contains many scripture references, which would be well understood by his hearers, and may also indicate the way Jews normally prayed, by pulling together scriptural quotations to encapsulate their concerns. (As well as singing the psalms).
21 The only time King Saul is mentioned in Acts - presumably to draw the parallel between Saul who tried to kill David and Saul who persecuted Christians before his conversion.
22 God “raised up” David as a King for them - as Jesus was raised up on the Cross and at the Resurrection. The parallel is drawn between David, “who will carry out all my wishes” and Jesus, to emphasise Jesus as son of David, and the fulfillment of the promises made to David. The only one of Paul’s missionary speeches reported with any fullness, and striking that it focusses so much on the traditional Davidic understanding of the Messiah.
23 2 Sam 7:12, 22:51; Ps 18
:50.
24 John, the last of the OT prophets, had proclaimed a baptism of repentance. John the Baptist must always be included in describing Jesus, but always in a subordinate role.
27 The prophets disclose the salvific work of Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection, and are read every week by the Jews, but they failed to recognise the Messiah when he came. The inhabitants of Jerusalem shared in procuring the death of Jesus, but, as it were, the Diaspora has a second chance.
28 Paul does not omit the difficult bit: “they killed him” - it is through the Cross that we are saved, it cannot be omitted.
30 The resurrection is crucial.
35 The Psalm says “your holy one will not see corruption” - ie of the grave. Since David did suffer corruption in the grave, the Psalm could not be referring to David
37 Jesus who was raised, did not see corruption - this was who the Psalm referred to.
38 Paul’s teaching on justification by faith described briefly: you could not be forgiven your sins, ie justified, under the law -
39 But every believer - ie who has faith - is justified in Jesus, without needing the Law. This applies to all believers, Jews and Gentiles alike, and so goes much further than Peter, who accepted that Gentiles need not adhere to the Law, but thought that Jews should still do so. It is therefore is a potential - and actual - source of much conflict
40 It was “they” in Jerusalem who killed Jesus - but now you must therefore choose -
41 Believe, like us, or continue scoffing, like them.(Hab 1:5).
42 Paul’s speech was well received, and he was invited back the following week.
43 And many Jews and God-fearers were converted and followed Paul and Barnabas. The latter continued speaking to them - presumably instructing them in more detail and encouraging them.
44 “Almost the whole city” came to hear - the word had spread, there were large crowds.
45 The Jews are distinguished from the crowds by their jealousy - they may lose their influence, so they verbally attack Paul.
46 The pattern is established for virtually all future encounters: the leading Jews reject Paul, who then takes the Good News to the Gentiles. Paul continues in every town to preach to the Jews, and would have preached also to the Gentiles anyway. The Jews are entitled to hear it first, but not exclusively.
47 The Jews should be a light to the Gentiles, but this light has to be carried by the few who believe - although it is a large “few” - many Jews were converted. A turning point reached. Is 49:6 describes the stages: restoration of the 12 tribes of Israel, preaching to the Jews in the Diaspora, and then “the light of the nations”. Because the mission to the Gentiles is largely by Paul, Luke has been at pains to emphasise that Paul’s mission is in continuity with the story begun by Jesus and continued in the restored Israel of the Spirit.
48 The Gentiles were delighted, many believed.
49 The Word spread throughout the region - not just within the city.
50 The leading Jews gathered other community leaders to expel Paul and Barnabas.
51 They shook the dust from their feet as a symbolic rejection of their persecutors, as Jesus told them to.
52 In spite of these attacks the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
See additional Notes on Chapter 13: Justification by faith, etc