Acts 13 (English Standard Version)

Acts 13

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

  1Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2While 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." 3Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.



A first glance this seems like a new story but it is actually a stepping off place in our story. From here the gospel will be preached to the entire world. Note that Saul (Paul) and Barnabas both are called “prophets and teachers.” For whatever reason Saul is last on this list. We are not told who was a prophet and who was a teacher but the “Holy Spirit” spoke to Simeon, Jucius, and Manaen and asked that Saul and Barnabas be set aside.

Here is a summary.

  1. There must be men qualified who are already busy doing the Lord's work.

  2. They must think and realize that God has called them to this task.

  3. The local congregation directed by elders sets them aside.

  4. Fasting and prayer are to precede the setting aside.

  5. The hands of the elders, in this case called “teachers” are laid on their heads. (This was ceremonial__since it was not the hands of the apostles).

  6. They are sent away to do a definite work.



Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus

 At Seleucia 13:4

4So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus

Since this entire affair was directed by the Holy Spirit it is proper to say they were “sent by the Holy Spirit.” They were to leave Syria, hence their first stop was the seaport of Antioch called Seleucia. This was about 15 or 16 miles.

In Salamis___13:5

5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.

Salamis was on the coast of Cyprus. The town had a substantial number of Jews and synagogues were found throughout the city. It must be noticed that the Lord's church started in the Synagogues for the most part. We are not told of the response they received here.

At Paphos. 13:6-12

6When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.8But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith 9But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. He summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.



(6)The next move of the preachers took them on a journey of about 100 miles. Like the work of Philip among the Samaritans, the first fact made known to us is opposition to the gospel. It was from Bar Jesus__the sorcerer.

(7-8) This sorcerer was a Jew for when Sergius Paulus heard that two Jews came preaching a message that was supposed to be the “Word of God” he was naturally interested since he must have known about the Jewish religion from Elymas. Elymas was in danger of losing his influence so he tried to derail the conversation.

(9-12) It is now that “Saul” takes the lead. Speaking of Elymas he says____

  1. This one is full of 'guile and cunning deceit.”

  2. He is full of “villainy.” His purpose is evil.

  3. His name is Bar-Jesus__i.e. “Son of Jesus” or “son of salvation,” but in reality he is the “son of the devil.”

  4. He is the enemy of all righteousness.

  5. All these wicked attributes were directed toward the perversion of “the right ways of the Lord.”

 The sorcerer sought to place a false construction on things that Paul was saying thus perverting the truth.

Why such a strong rebuke by Paul? I think this individual was sinning against his own conscience but the end purpose was salvation for Sergius Paulus.

We cannot leave this section without a comment on Saul's name change. 1. First, Saul was the Hebrew name used up until this time. Now the name “Paul” (a Roman name) more nearly represents his mission to the Gentiles.

2. The occurrence of the preaching before Sergius Paulus, attended as it was with its good results, gave to Saul the name of the proconsul “Sergius Paulus.” I must admit this is pure conjecture, but it is not unusual for a person to be named after some great event in his/her life.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

  13Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem.

No one knows for sure why John Mark left, but this incident displease Paul and formed the basis for a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas at a later time (15:37-40).

There are a great many ideas as to why John Mark left, ranging from homesickness to divine unction. It does seem that since Paul says:” He would not go with us to work” that the reason was somewhere in the work that was to be done. We just have no way of knowing for sure. We must not leave the work of John Mark here since later he is accepted back into the favor of Paul as a man to be received and heeded. (Col.4:10; II Tim. 4:11). He labored in the gospel with Barnabas (15:40) and wrote second gospel which bears his name.

At Antioch of Pisidia. 13:14-52___

In the Synagogue and Paul's first Sermon.

14but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." 16So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

   

    "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.'

  26"Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.27For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

    "'You are my Son,
   today I have begotten you.'

 34And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

   "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'

 35Therefore he says also in another psalm,

    "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.'

  36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
 41 "'Look, you scoffers,
   be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
   a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"

 42As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 43And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.

  44The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

    "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
   that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

  48And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.



The synagogues offered the starting place for Christianity. The “Word of God” was to be taken first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. Devout, God fearing Jews were found in the synagogues.

The order of the synagogue service is given in informal detail in verse 15a. It was customary for the law and the prophets or the psalms to be read and following this the application of the verses were given. It does appear that on this occasion prior arrangements had been made for Paul and Barnabas to give “the word of exhortation.” The rulers of the synagogue sent word that it was their time to speak.

It was customary to ask visiting Jews to address the people, since since they might inform their Jewish brethren of events elsewhere. Paul and Barnabas were from the “holy city” and those of Antioch were probably eager to hear from them.

Saul used the same approach that Stephen used (which cost him his life). He used the Old Testament to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.



The Introduction___

  1. Paul calls for the attention of both the Jews and the proselytes (i.e. “Men of Israel” and “ ye that fear God.”) 16b.

  2. The power of Israel's God as shown in the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. __17

  3. God's love for Israel in the wilderness___18.

  4. The God of Israel fights for His people. Compare Deut. 7:1 for a list of seven nations conquered from the departure out of Egypt to the reign of David. __19.

  5. Judges given until Samuel the prophet. 20

  6. The request for a king granted in Saul, son of Kish, who ruled for forty years. 21

  7. Saul removed to make room for David, the man after the heart of God. The statement concerning David is from two different sources 1st Sam.13:14 and Psa. 89:20.

The transition from the sermon introduction to the 1st point of the sermon is marked by verse 23.

 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

Paul has just made the claim that Jesus was the seed of David and now he will launch into the main part of his sermon. Since Jesus was the Seed of David, Jesus was the Messiah_____________!



  1. The testimony of John the Baptist and the prophets__24-29

    1. John's Testimony. 24-26

    a. John was well known by these Jews and hence carried weight.

    b. A word of exhortation is given to receive the evident fulfillment of that which had been written.

2. Testimony of the Prophets. 27-29_______

The trial and burial of Jesus were all in fulfillment of that which had been written.

    1. The testimony of the resurrection____30-37

      1. God raised Him from the dead and allowed Him to be seen many days by His disciples. 30,31.

      2. This was all done in fulfillment of prophecy respecting the blessings promised David. 32-37

I. The Conclusion___

  1. Through this one is found remission of sins. 38

  2. Thus it could be said that there was found in Christ that which was not found in the law “justification.”

  3. The warning. 40, 41___

    Evidently the reception of the message was such that Paul saw they were in danger of stubbornly resisting the truth.  He quotes an appropriate prophetic word at this point.

  4. They desire to hear more next Sabbath___42.

  5. In 43___we find interest in the message. No only the Jews but the proselytes.

6. 44 & 45__The next Sabbath comes around. The entire city was gathered together to hear the Word of God. But the Jews were Jealous and contradicted Paul. It apparently was fine for these two men to bring a new doctrine to town as long as it did not hinder the prestige of the rulers.

  1. A Turn the Gentiles with Good Results___46-48___

    “Where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly.” God's grace is always sufficient for every accusation of the “ great accuser of our brethren.” Paul tells the Jews that they are the recipients of a “privilege.” It was necessary that the “Word of God” be spoken to the Jews first but since they reject it, we turn to the Gentiles.

The latter part of verse 48 has been the subject of a great deal of controversy simply because of a bad translation.

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. KJV______



 48And the nations hearing were glad, and were glorifying the word of the Lord, and did believe -- as many as were appointed to life age-during;

Young's Literal Translation Acts 13:48

The Word Ordained (appointed)

short definition about

τάσσω (tassō 5021)

1. appoint -ed

(a) to arrange, put in order, especially in military sense, to draw up soldiers, array; (b) middle to appoint or order any thing to be done. Reference(s)

2. ordain -ed

to arrange, put in order or ranks, especially in a military sense, to draw up soldiers, array; then, middle, to order anything to be done, to appoint.Reference(s)

3. addict -ed

to order, set in a certain order, to appoint. Reference(s)

4. determine -ed

to order, set in order, arrange (as soldiers); hence, to appoint. Reference(s)

5. set -eth, -ing

to rank, to order, set in order, arrange, especially of soldiers in ranks, etc. Reference(s)

 

long definition about

τάσσω (tassō, 5021): 1 aor. ἔταξα; pf. inf. τεταχέναι(Acts xviii. 2 Τ Tr mrg.); Pass., pres. ptcp. τασσόμενος;pf. 3 pers. sing. τέτακται, ptcp. τεταγμένος; 1 aor. mid.ἐταξάμην; fr. [Pind., Aeschyl.], Hdt. down; Sept. for שׂוּם, and occasionally for נָתַן, צִוָּה, שׁוּת, etc.; to put in place; to station;

a. to place in a certain order (Xen. mem. 3, 7 [9]), to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint: τινά, pass. αἱἐξουσίαι ὑπὸ θεοῦ τεταγμένοι εἰσίν [Α. V. or dained],Ro. xiii. 1; [καιρούς, Acts xvii. 26 Lchm.]; ἑαυτὸν εἰς διακονίαν τινί, to consecrate [R. V. set] one's self to minister unto one, 1 Co. xvi. 15 (ἐπὶ τὴν διακονίαν,Plat. de rep. 2 p. 371 c.; εἰς τὴν δουλείαν, Xen. mem. 2, 1, 11); ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, as many as were appointed [A. V. ordained] (by God) to obtain eternal life, or to whom God had decreed eternal life, Acts xiii. 48; τινὰ ὑπό τινα, to put one under another's control [A. V. set under], pass., Mt. viii. 9 L WH in br., cod. Sin.; Lk. vii. 8, (ὑπό τινα, Polyb. 3, 16, 3; 5, 65, 7; Diod. 26, 8; 4, 9, 5); τινί τι, to assign(appoint) a thing to one, pass. Acts xxii. 10 (Xen. de rep. Lac. 11, 6).

b. to appoint, ordain, order: foll. by the acc. with inf., Acts xv. 2; [xviii. 2 Τ Tr mrg.]; (foll. by an inf., Xen. Hier. 10, 4; Cyr. 4, 5, 11). Mid. (as often in Grk. writ.) prop. to appoint on one's own responsibility orauthority: οὗ ἐτάξατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς sc. πορεύεσθαι,Mt. xxviii. 16; to appoint mutually, i. e. agree upon:ἡμέραν (Polyb. 18, 19, 1, etc.), Acts xxviii. 23. [Comp.:ἀνα- (μαι), ἀντι-, ἀπο-, δια-, ἐπι-δια-(-μαι), ἐπι-, προ-, προσ-, συν-, ὑπο- τάσσω· Syn. see κελεύω, fin.] [This definition cites every instance of this word in the Greek NT.]

Briefly stated, as many as who had put their affairs in order had prospects for eternal life.

    1. The Spread of the Word of God ___v.49_

        1. Paul was not content to preach the Word of God only in the city where he visited but he wanted the entire region to hear.

        2. The persecution as they leave the city___50,51__

          The rulers of the Synagogues were the men of real authority. In this case it was women who promoted the persecution.

        3. Verse 50___When we are rejected, we shake the dust off our feet and move on.

By Lane Rogers________________________________-