Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ACTS 13
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.
49The 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.
Application Notes
13:1 Who were these men? They were of different races and economic standing: Greek, African, Roman, and Jewish. Lucius was from Libya in North Africa; Simeon was a man of African descent; Paul was both Roman and Jewish; Barnabas was Greek and Jewish; Manaen was brought up with King Herod. The common thread among these five men was their deep faith in Jesus Christ. As in the early church, if believers today do their part to reach out to all who are lost, churches will resemble the heavenly congregation, consisting of all races, income levels, education levels, and language backgrounds. The men mentioned here represent the social, geographic, and racial diversity in the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit moved through them all to appoint Barnabas and Paul to their next mission. When we exclude people or treat them differently because they are not like us, we are not representing the teachings of Jesus. Clearly, at the root of these tendencies is the ugly sin of prejudice. The more we understand the gospel and embrace God's vision for the body of Christ, the more we will begin to appreciate and understand these differences but not allow them to divide us. More than merely getting along, we will be able to authentically say from our hearts that we love each other.
13:2-3 When the Holy Spirit prompted them, the church "set apart" (dedicated) Barnabas and Saul to the work God had for them. We, too, should set apart our pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders for their tasks. We can also dedicate our time, money, and talents to be used for God's work. Ask God what he wants you to set apart for him.
13:2-3 This was the beginning of Saul's (Paul's; see 13:9) first missionary journey. The church was involved in sending Paul and Barnabas, but it was God's plan. Why did Paul and Barnabas go where they did? (1)The Holy Spirit led them. (2) They followed the communication routes of the Roman Empire, which made travel easier. (3) They visited key population and cultural centres to reach as many people as possible. (4)They went to cities with synagogues, speaking first to the Jews in hopes that they would see Jesus as the Messiah and help spread the Good News to everyone.
13:4 Located in the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus, with a large Jewish population, was Barnabas's home. Their first stop was in familiar territory.
13:6-7 Sergius Paulus was a proconsul, a high Roman official; here he functioned as the governor of the island. Such leaders often kept private sorcerers. Bar-Jesus realised that if Sergius Paulus believed in Jesus, he would soon be out of a job.
13:9-10 Here, Luke refers to Saul as Paul for the first time. It is possible that this change from a Jewish to a Greek name could signal a shift in Paul's calling to focus primarily on reaching the Gentiles. This focus becomes more and more pronounced as the book of Acts progresses.
13:10 The Holy Spirit led Paul to confront Bar-Jesus with his sin. There is a time to be nice and a time to confront. Ask God to show you the difference and to give you the courage to do what is right.
13:11 Ironically, God struck Bar-Jesus blind. The sorcerer, who supposedly helped the proconsul see wisdom and have insight, quite literally could no longer see.
13:13 Luke does not judge John Mark for leaving Paul and Barnabas, but other references in Scripture point to some possibilities for why he left them: (1) He was homesick, (2) he resented the change in leadership from Barnabas (his cousin) to Paul, (3) he became ill (an illness that may have affected all of them--see Galatians 4:13), (4) he was unable to withstand the rigors and dangers of the missionary journey, or (5) he may have planned to go only that far but had not communicated this to Paul and Barnabas. After this, Paul implicitly accused John Mark of lacking courage and commitment, refusing to take him along on another journey (see Acts 15:37-38). Paul's later letters reveal, however, that he grew to respect Mark (Colossians 4:10) and that he found Mark to be helpful in his work (2 Timothy 4:11).
13:14-15 What happened in a synagogue service? First, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which Jews would repeat several times daily) would be recited. Then, certain prayers would be spoken and there would be a reading from the Law (the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy), a reading from the Prophets intending to illustrate it, and a sermon. The synagogue leaders decided who would lead the service and give the sermon. A different person would be chosen to lead each week. Since it was customary for the synagogue leaders to invite visiting rabbis to speak, Paul and Barnabas usually had an open door when they first went to a synagogue. But as soon as they spoke about Jesus as the Messiah, the door would often slam shut They were usually not invited back, and sometimes they would be thrown out of town.
13:14 Pisidian Antioch was a different city from Syrian Antioch, where there was already a flourishing church (11:26). This Antioch, in the region of Pisidia, was a hub of good roads and trade and had a large Jewish population.
13:14 When they went to a new city to witness about Jesus, Paul and Barnabas would go first to the synagogue. The Jews who were there believed in God and diligently studied the Scriptures. Tragically, however, many could not accept Jesus as the promised Messiah because they had the wrong idea of what the Messiah should be. He was not, as they desired, a military king who would overthrow Rome's control but a servant-king who would defeat sin in people's hearts. (Only later, when Jesus returns, will he judge the nations of the world.) Paul and Barnabas did not separate themselves from the synagogues but tried to show clearly that the very Scriptures the Jews studied pointed to Jesus.
13:16-52 Paul's message to the Jews in the synagogue in Antioch began with an emphasis on God's covenant with Israel. This was a point of agreement, because all Jews were proud to be God's chosen people. Then Paul explained how the gospel fulfilled the covenant from the time of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph to the resurrection of Jesus. Some Jews found this message hard to accept. Paul also explained very simply how Scripture had been fulfilled and how Gentiles are part of God's plan. Some people still find this message difficult to understand today. God's plan includes all who receive the salvation offered by Jesus regardless of race, gender, nationality, past crimes, and previous beliefs.
13:23-31 Paul often began where his listeners were and then introduced them to Jesus. Because Paul was speaking to devout Jews, he began by reminding them about God's covenant with Israel and the great ancestors of the faith, like Abraham and David. Later, when speaking to the Greek philosophers in Athens (17:22-32), he began by talking about what he had observed in their city. In both cases, however, he centred the sermon around Jesus and emphasised the crux of the Christian faith--the Resurretion. When you share the gospel, begin with what most interests your audience. Then tell them about Jesus. He meets people at their point of need and shows them how much they need him.
13:38-39 Forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt are available through faith in Jesus to all people-including you. Have you received this forgiveness? Are you refreshed each day by the thought that you are right with God?
13:42-45 The Jewish leaders undoubtedly brought theological arguments against Paul and Barnabas, but Luke tells us that the real reason for their hostility was that "they were filled with jealousy." When we see others succeeding where we haven't or receiving the affirmation we crave, it is hard to rejoice with them. Jealousy is a natural reaction. But how tragic when our jealous feelings cause us to try to stop God's work. If you find yourself feeling jealous, seek forgiveness. Ask God to change your heart and give you the right perspective as one of his children--and not the most important one. If a work is God's work, rejoice in it--no matter who is doing it.
13:46 Why was it necessary for the gospel to go first to the Jews? God planned that through the Jewish people all the world would be blessed to know about God (Genesis 12:3). Paul, a Jew himself, loved his people (R n1an 9:1-5) and wanted to give them every opportunity to join him in proclaiming God's salvation. Unfortunately, many Jews did not recognise Jesus as the Messiah, and they did not understand that God was offering salvation to anyone--Jew or Gentile--who comes to him through faith in Christ.
13:47 God planned for Israel to be this light (Isaiah 49:6). Through Israel came Jesus, the light of the nations (Luke 2:32). This light would spread out and enlighten the Gentiles.
13:50 Instead of accepting the truth, the Jewish leaders stirred up opposition and ran Paul and Barnabas out of town. When confronted by a disturbing truth, people often turn away and refuse to listen. When God's Spirit points out needed changes in our lives, we must listen to him. Otherwise we may be pushing the truth so far away that it no longer affects us.
13:51 Often Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile town on the way back to their own land. This symbolised cleansing themselves from the contamination of those who did not worship God. For Paul and Barnabas to do this to Jews· demonstrated that Jews who rejected the gospel were not part of the true Israel and were no better than pagans. Jesus had told his disciples to shake from their feet the dust of any town that would not accept or listen to them (Mark 6:11). The disciples were not to blame if the message was rejected as long as they had faithfully presented it. When we share Christ carefully and sensitively, God does not hold us responsible for our listeners' decisions. Be careful not to misapply this action. "Shaking the dust off your feet" is not the way to respond to insults, disagreements, or people who simply annoy you. This was a specific judgment on a group of people who heard the gospel and understood it but rejected it.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)