Sunday, December 12, 2021
Acts 13:13-43
“Promised Joy”
Service Overview: For centuries, Israel looked forward to a promise that God was going to make good on; and this promise was completely fulfilled in Jesus. The message and hope we have in Jesus leads to joy as we realize the implications of that message.
Memory Verse for the Week: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (NIV)
Background Information:
- Pisidian Antioch stood on a plateau 3,600 feet above sea-level. To get to it Paul and Barnabas would have to cross the Taurus range of mountains by one of the hardest roads in Asia Minor, a road which was also notorious for robbers and brigands. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 102)
- The Antioch to which they came now is called in the New Testament Pisidium Antioch, which is in the interior of Asia Minor. In fact, if we look carefully at a map of that time, we would see that just a little bit north of this Antioch, there was yet another Antioch. The term “Antioch” is used for at least three different cities that we encounter in the New Testament. The reason for that is the widespread power and authority of one of the heirs to the empire left by Alexander the Great. Out of the Seleucid Empire came one known as Antiochus the Great. There were at least three cities named after him, just as we find many places in America named Lincoln or Washington or Jefferson. The Antioch before us now was in Pisidia, which was inland from the coast. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
- The synagogues of the diaspora were an open door for these early gospel preachers, most of whom were Jews. They were places of regular worship and were open to strangers, God—fearing Gentiles as well as Jews. It was the custom on a normal Sabbath to have two readings of the Scriptures: one from the law, the other from the prophets. After that people could give extemporaneous expositions. This opportunity had been given to Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 236)
- In the Sabbath service it was customary to read two portions of the Old Testament-one from the law (the Pentateuch) and one from the Prophets. ”The Law and the Prophets” means the entire Old Testament (cf. Matt. 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; Luke 16:16; Acts 24:14; 28:23; Rom. 3:21). Evidently Paul and Barnabas had made themselves known to the rulers of the synagogue before the meeting. After the Scripture reading they were invited to share a message of encouragement for the people. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 389)
- (v. 25) In the provinces, away from Jerusalem, John the Baptist was regarded as a great prophet. Here Paul quotes John’s testimony regarding Jesus: “He who is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie, is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” That is the first movement of Paul’s sweeping argument. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 179)
- This is an extremely important passage because it is the only full-length report of a sermon by Paul that we possess. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 103)
The question to be answered is…
Why would Paul make the effort to share the truth of the gospel with a people who have only rejected it thus far?
Answer…
The “good news that will cause great joy”, was for “all the people”; first for the Jew, then the Gentile.
The word of the day is… Joy
What’s vital to know about what Paul proclaims here?
- God’s love for his chosen people served as the basis of their protection, prosperity, and promise.
(vv. 17-22 | Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalm 86:15; Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3; Zephaniah 3:17)
Paul’s history lesson is leading in a specific direction—to David. David ushered in the golden age of Israel. He expanded Israel’s boundaries from Dan to Beersheba and established the most prosperous period in all of its history. David became the great king—a warrior king, a shepherd king, and a poet king—and was also a prophet through whom God gave a new covenant. The covenant He made with David was the promise that from his seed would come God’s Son, who would also be David’s Lord and Savior. Paul was preaching his way through redemptive history to David. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 199)
- God’s promises found their fulfillment in the life, death, and resurrection of the promised messiah, Jesus.
(vv. 23-33 | Genesis 3:15; Psalm 2:7; 22:16-18; 16:10; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 11:1; 53:3, 9; 55:3; Micah 5:2; Malachi 3:1; Habakkuk 1:5; Zechariah 9:9; 12:10; Luke 24:44)
Not only did God raise Jesus up to be his people’s Messiah; he raised him up in a further sense when he brought him back from death; and this too was a fulfilment of prophetic scripture. The promises made to David and his posterity could not have been realized apart from the resurrection of the crucified Messiah. Centuries after the promises were made to David himself, God renewed them at the time of restoration after exile by assuring his people that he would yet give them the pledged tokens of his “steadfast, sure love for David” (Isa. 55:3). (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 279)
- The good news of great joy then is that there is now forgiveness, freedom, and justification for those who believe.
(vv. 34-39 | Romans 3:28; 4:25; 5:1; Galatians 2:16; 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:9)
The final part of this sermon (13:38–41) gives a challenge. “Through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed [preached, announced] to you.” By this One also all believers are “justified”— made righteous, acquitted, treated as if they had never sinned, and therefore freed from the guilt and punishment of their sin. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5563-5565)
God does not wink at sin. He placed our guilt upon His own Son, Jesus paid the price of our sin so that we could go free. (Stedman, Acts, 182)
Conclusion…How can a text like this cultivate joy in God’s people today?
A. As it strengthens the assurance we have that God’s promises are both true and kept.
(Ps. 89:34; Is. 54:10; Rom.15:8; 2 Cor. 1:20; Heb. 6:13; 10:23; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:3-4; 3:9)
God’s promises do not depend upon my feelings; they rest upon His integrity. I may fail in my promises, but He does not break His. (R.C. Sproul, One Holy Passion, 38)
Clues for how God will work in the future are found in how he has worked in the past. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 222)
No promise of the covenant of grace belongs to any man, until he has first believed in Christ. (Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, c. 1750, p.122)
B. As it drives us to Jesus, knowing that in him is forgiveness and freedom.
(Is. 61:1; John 8:36; Romans 6:18, 22; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1, 13; 1 Peter 2:16)
When considering if Christianity is true, it all boils down to whether Jesus rose from the dead. The lives of Christians today demonstrate that the resurrection is still changing people. It changes fear into love, despair into joy. The resurrection changes people from being spiritually dead to being alive to God. It changes guilty condemnation into a celebration of forgiveness and freedom. It changes anxiety into a hope that goes beyond the grave. It can change our sinful hearts so they want to follow the Lord Jesus, and the power of the resurrection is relentlessly killing sin in every true Christian. (Adrian Warnock, Raised With Christ, 13)
Everything that has been said up to this point leads to an announcement of the gospel and a plea for personal response: “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses” (vv. 38—39). (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 240)
C. As it dispels guilt, trusting God’s word that we are justified in Christ Jesus.
(Is. 6:7; Rom. 3:28; 5:1; 8:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:7; 1 John 2:1)
Just as breakfast cannot suffice for the hunger of noontime or our present breath for the next, our continuing freedom is dependent on a consistent rediscovery of our forgiveness, that we are loved unconditionally, and that there is no need to justify ourselves. That alone is the source of an artesian joy which flows from the limitless grace of our Lord. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 217)
Someone has pointed out that “justification” means “just as if I’d never sinned.” That is exactly right. It is not that you and I have never sinned, because we have. It is rather that because of the work of Jesus Christ, who bore the punishment of our sin in our place, we can now stand before God as if we had never sinned. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 240)
Gospel Application…
In Christ alone is forgiveness of sin, freedom from it, and justification to enjoy in light of God’s covenant promises.
(vv. 38-39 | John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
Because we have been justified by faith, we don’t have to focus on keeping the Law, hoping against hope that we can somehow be good enough to be accepted by God. Instead, we can accept the free gift of justification and live a life of gratitude for His love and forgiveness. (Stedman, Acts, 182)
This is the good news of the gospel: that forgiveness of sins and freedom from guilt are available through faith in Christ to all who believe—including you (13:37-39). Justification is the act whereby God declares people “not guilty!” (because of what Christ has done) the moment they put their faith in him. Have you received this forgiveness? Are you refreshed by it each day? (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 227)
Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ. It has to do with the believer’s standing before the throne of God. The Jews were taught that God justified the righteous and punished the wicked (2 Chron. 6:22–23). But God justifies the ungodly who will put their faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 4:1–8). (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Re-read Acts 13:13-52. How do you see God’s grace emphasized in Paul’s history of Israel?
- In Paul’s message he jumps from David to the promised Savior, Jesus. What truth about Jesus does he proclaim? Why was this important to proclaim?
- When was the last time you pondered deeply the fact of the empty tomb? What does the empty tomb mean for those who believe?
- What might you learn from Paul and Barnabas about interacting with those who are hostile to the gospel?
Quotes to note…
Most commentators agree that in all probability the reason John Mark resigned his role was that there was a management change. We tend to think of the first-century Christian community as a group of plastic saints, people who never had disagreements among themselves, but they were no different from Christians in every age. When an organization undergoes a management change, people get nervous. The security they have known can be jeopardized by new management, as can the familiarity of routine. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
Everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition.)
The failure of the Jews to recognize Jesus was made all the worse by the fact that they had sat every Sabbath and had heard the prophecies read. They had been exposed to the prophecies but had missed their fulfillment (see Luke 24:46; Acts 3:18). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 224)
Paul reminded his audience of a sobering fact: It is possible to read the truth, hear the truth preached “every Sabbath,” even see the truth—and still miss it. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 225)
John the Baptist’s ministry was well known to Jews everywhere, as well as his denial of being the one to come, the promised Messiah and Savior (Luke 3: 15– 16). John’s testimony to Jesus was therefore important. For John to say that he was not worthy to take off the sandals of the one to come, a most menial service, indicates how far above him John considered Jesus (John 1: 27). (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5508-5511)
Historically, of course, Israel had been tremendously advantaged (Rom 3:1-2; 9:4-5). Paul himself had a great desire to see his nation respond positively to Christ (Rom 9:1-3; 10:1). But while the synagogues were appropriate for beginning his ministry in the various cities, offering as they did an audience of both Jews and Gentiles theologically prepared for his message, the synagogues were not the exclusive sphere of Paul’s activity. Since Jews and Gentiles stood before God on an equal footing, they could be appealed to separately if need be. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 422)
Paul’s final message in the synagogue declared that God had sent the Word to the Jews first (Acts 3:26; Rom. 1:16), but they had now rejected it. Therefore, Paul would now take the good news to the Gentiles, and he quoted Isaiah 49:6 to back up his decision. (Note also Luke 2:29–32.) He was ready to go to the ends of the earth to win souls to Christ! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
Without his name even being mentioned this verse pays the greatest of all tributes to Barnabas. So far the order has always been Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2). It was Barnabas who had set out as the leader of this expedition. But now it is Paul and Barnabas. Paul has assumed the leadership of the expedition; and the lovely thing about Barnabas is that there is from him no word of complaint. He was a man prepared to take the second place so long as God’s work was done. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 101)
The gospel affects the heart, awakens the slumbering spirit, and forces human beings to choose sides. You must decide for Jesus or against Him. There is no neutrality, because to ignore Him is to reject Him. Some people, when confronted by the gospel, cry out to Him for forgiveness. Others continue on to destruction. That’s what we see here. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 185)
Psalms that predict and speak of the Messiah.
The text before us now contains the first recorded sermon of the Apostle Paul. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
Paphos, on the coast of Cyprus from which they were leaving, was noted in that day for its temple to Venus, the goddess of love. The way in which Venus was worshiped involved temple prostitution. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
In Perga was a temple established to the goddess Diana. It was not as extensive or as famous as the one in Ephesus, which we will read about later, but the point is that they went from one pagan religious center in Paphos to another in Perga. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
Luke does not tell us here why John Mark left, but we get a clue a bit later in the book when Paul and Barnabas split up before the second missionary journey. They split because Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark back onto the team, but Paul did not. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196)
We hear no complaint from Barnabas about his loss in status, but obviously there was a complaint from John Mark. John Mark did not appreciate that Paul had been given the leadership position over his Uncle Barnabas. That is somewhat speculative; nevertheless, Paul (as we will see in Acts 15) saw John Mark’s departure as an act of desertion from the mission. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 196-197)
What we know about this part of the world in antiquity is that this stretch of land between Perga and Pisidium Antioch was notoriously troubled by bandits and outlaws who lay in wait for travelers who dared to venture into their territory. The bandits would fall upon the travelers, beat and rob them, and often leave them for dead. Fear of that is another possible reason why John Mark left Paul and Barnabas. This was obviously a very perilous place, and Paul had to transverse it in order to continue his ministry. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 197)
Paul, probably already known there due to his credentials as a student of Gamaliel, was invited to give an exposition of the text, very much like Jesus had been invited to speak at Capernaum early in His public ministry. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 197)
God took a people who were no people and called them His people. Paul gave a historical reconnaissance, a brief overview, of the whole history of redemption. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 198)
(v. 22). David was one of the most bloodthirsty, ruthless, barbaric leaders of all time. He was the chief of sinners of Old Testament leaders. Yet there was something about David that delighted God. He looked beyond David’s sin and ruthlessness and saw the heart of David. A man or woman after God’s own heart is one who wants to know God more than just superficially. This is someone who wants more than a casual awareness or understanding of God. This is a person who loves to do God’s will. Because David is described this way by God in the Old Testament, the people looked to him, despite his sin and failures, as the model of the One who would come, the beloved of the Father, who would reveal the Father’s heart. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 199)
Paul was burdened for his Jewish kinsmen, people that he loved with all his heart. There wasn’t an ounce of anti-Semitism in Jesus or in the Apostle Paul. To the contrary, Paul was driven by a love for his kinsmen, which is why he came to plead the case of the One crucified in Jerusalem by the elders who rejected the Messiah. Paul pleads with those in Pisidium Antioch not to make the same mistake that the leaders in Jerusalem had made. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 202)
(v. 28). The leaders in Jerusalem were so adamant in their rejection of the claims of Jesus that they fulfilled the claims of Jesus inadvertently by doing exactly what the Scriptures had predicted thousands of years before that they would do. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 202)
Everyone already has a personal relationship with Jesus. It may be a negative one, but everyone alive today is in a personal relationship with Jesus whether they want to be or not. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 203)
Jesus proclaimed that the breakthrough of the kingdom of God was at hand. God has always been King. God has always been sovereign over all He has created, so there is nothing new about the fact that the Lord God omnipotent reigns. The concept of the kingdom of God as set forth in the Old Testament depicts a kingdom that was to come into this world by virtue of God the Father anointing His King. So when Christ came into the world, He proclaimed that the kingdom had come in the sense that He, the King, had arrived. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 203)
(v. 7). The term “begotten” was used here in a metaphorical way. I agree with just about every commentator on Acts, that when Paul made this appeal to Psalm 2, he was not talking about a moment when Jesus was begotten. The begottenness of this psalm was fulfilled at the resurrection, where in a sense “begottenness” became a synonym for exaltation. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 204)
Jesus was not the first person in human history to be raised from the dead. There were rare instances in the Old Testament of people being raised from the dead. Jesus during His own ministry raised some from the dead. As astonishing as those occasions were, each person whom Jesus raised from the dead died again later. Though their souls were taken to heaven, their bodies underwent corruption. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 205)
We look for the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting because it means that sin has been vanquished and forgiven through the atonement that was perfectly offered once and for all by Jesus on the cross. It is because of the cross that there is a resurrection. It is because of the cross that our souls will not rot in the grave. It is because of the cross and the resurrection of Christ that He was appointed the firstborn of all creation, so that all who put their trust in Him will live forever without corruption. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 206)
Through the first part of the sermon, he had seemingly done so well at helping the Jews to move toward acceptance. Here, he appears to have blown it. He bluntly announced that the Jewish law was inadequate. If that wasn’t enough, he slammed them with the word that God’s new promise extended far beyond their favored circle. Then, without giving his hearers a chance to respond, he came close to calling them scoffers, warning them not to reject the unbelievable truth he had just proclaimed (13:41). (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition.)
For an unknown reason, John Mark abruptly left the venture at that time and returned to Jerusalem. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 218)
Paul implicitly accused John Mark of lacking commitment, and, therefore, Paul refused to take Mark along on another journey (see 15:37-38). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 219)
He was restored completely to usefulness even in the ministry of Paul; he is a great inspiration for believers of moving beyond failures to faithfulness. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 219)
This is Antioch of Pisidia, not Antioch of Syria, home of the sending church where the ministry was flourishing (11:26). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 219)
This Antioch, in the region of Pisidia, was a hub of good roads and trade and had a large Jewish population. It had been founded in 281 B.C. by Seleucius I, and he had named it after his father, Antiocus. It had been declared a Roman colony city and became the most important city of southern Galatia. It had a mix of Romans, Greeks, Orientals, and Phrygians. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 219)
They would go on the Sabbath, taking advantage of the Jewish custom of inviting itinerant teachers to speak (Jesus also did this—see, for example, Luke 4:16). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 219)
John Mark’s failure early on in ministry did not ruin him. He later on became quite useful to the church, possibly to Peter (see 1 Peter 5:13), and certainly to Paul (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11). His life is an illustration that, in the words of baseball sage Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” John Mark could have easily called it quits. He had the reputation of a loser, a quitter—at least in the eyes of Paul, the new leader of the missionary movement of the whole church! But he didn’t quit. He made the long journey back and became an effective worker for God. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 220)
Have you failed someone or somewhere? What you do from this point on will determine whether that failure becomes the story of your life, or whether your return from it brings glory to God. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 220)
Since it was customary for the synagogue leader to invite visiting rabbis to speak, Paul and Barnabas usually would have an open door when they went go to a synagogue. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 220)
encouragement is that process whereby we enter the lives of others and give them what they most need—a kind word of challenge or a compassionate word of hope. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 221)
Paul began his message by emphasizing God’s covenant with Israel (God . . . chose our ancestors). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 221)
This was a common form of address known as an “historical retrospect”—a sketch of the course of God’s work in the nation’s history. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 222)
Paul began where his listeners were and then introduced them to Christ. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 223)
When you share the Good News, begin where your audience is—then tell them about Christ. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 223)
“Repentance” means turning away from sin and to God—an about-face from a sinful life to a life lived for God. Baptism with water was a way of publicly showing one’s commitment to turn away from sin and toward God. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 224)
To support this statement, Paul quoted from three Old Testament texts already considered by most Jews to have been referring to the Messiah—Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 55:3; and Psalm 16:10. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 225)
Psalm 16:10 also offers proof of the promised Resurrection. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 226)
this psalm must have been one of the strongest cases to the Jewish audience for the necessity of the resurrection of the Messiah. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 226)
Unlike many modern-day believers who seem to have a “ho-hum” attitude concerning the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection, the apostles were utterly transformed by this truth. It was central to their faith, and it dominated their preaching. When was the last time you pondered deeply the fact of the empty tomb? The implications of this historical reality are life changing! (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 227)
justification is God’s approval, given to people only on the basis of what Christ did. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 227)
In the same way that their ancestors had failed to recognize what God was doing among them, Paul’s audience was about to miss what God was doing in its day. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 228)
The simple message from these two missionaries was to urge them to continue to rely on the grace of God. That is, they should continue in the direction they were headed. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 228)
Paul’s sermon at Pisidian Antioch is given in considerable detail. Luke records it here as an example of the kind of missionary preaching Paul did in the Jewish synagogues. His sermon shows he usually surveyed Israel’s history, proclaimed the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and applied the message to his audience. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5468-5471)
The “about 450 years” of verse 20 refers not merely to the time of the Book of Judges, but to the whole time after the people of Israel entered the land up to the beginning of David’s reign. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5491-5492)
The climax of this historical account is reached when Paul says God bore witness to David as a man after His own heart, who would do “everything I want him to do” (see 1 Sam. 13: 14; Ps. 89: 20). The purpose and desire to do all God’s will is, of course, the thing that made David a man after God’s own heart. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5496-5499)
It is important to notice here that Paul didn’t blame Jesus’ death on the Jews in general, but only on those in Jerusalem who were actually involved. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5521-5522)
Paul was not preaching his own ideas. All believers have a responsibility to proclaim the facts of God’s saving acts. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5559-5560)
Jesus is indeed the Savior everyone needs. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5567-5568)
Paul wanted his audience to be on their guard, for fear that if they rejected the fulfillments of prophecy in Jesus’ death and resurrection, an even greater judgment would come on them than came on the rebels addressed by Habakkuk. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5572-5574)
According to their custom Paul and Barnabas attended the sabbath synagogue service. The elders or rulers were in charge of the public worship. This consisted of the recital of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-9), prayers, the reading of an assigned portion from the Law (the Pentateuch), another assigned portion from the Prophets, and, if someone was qualified to do so, an exhortation or sermon to the congregation. It was customary to invite learned visitors to speak. It would be a special occasion to have present two distinguished rabbis from Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas, sitting in the congregation, were politely invited to address them. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 148)
Barnabas’ greatness is displayed by his willingness to let Paul be the leader. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 388)
What caused Mark to desert is open to speculation:
(1) Perhaps he was disillusioned with the change in leadership. After all, Barnabas, the original leader, was John Mark’s cousin.
(2) The new emphasis on Gentiles may have. been too much of an adjustment for a Palestinian Jew like Mark.
(3) Possibly he was afraid of the dangerous road over the Taurus Mountains to Antioch which Paul was determined to travel.
(4) There is some evidence Paul became quite ill in Perga, possibly with malaria, as the city of Perga was subject to malarial infections. Furthermore, Paul preached to the people of Galatia “because of an illness” (Gal. 4:13). The missionary party may have gone inland to higher ground to avoid the ravages of malaria and Mark in discouragement over this may have returned home.
(5) Some think Mark was homesick. His mother may have been a widow (Acts 12:12); perhaps Mark became lonesome for her and home. Whatever the reason, Paul considered it a defection and a fault (cf. 15:38). (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 389)
This Antioch was actually in Phrygia but was known as Pisidian Antioch because it was so near Pisidia. Like other cities-such as Lystra, Troas, Philippi, and Corinth-Antioch was a Roman colony. Paul visited these cities because they were located at strategic points. (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 389)
The message may be divided into three parts by the three occurrences of direct address (13:16, 26, 38) and outlined as follows:
(1) the anticipation of and preparation for the coming of the Messiah (vv. 16-25),
(2) the rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus (vv. 26-37), and
(3) the application and appeal (w. 38-41). (John F. Walvoord, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, 389)
Pisidian Antioch was in reality not in Pisidia but in Phrygia near Pisidia (cf. Strabo Geography 12. 577). But to distinguish it from the other Antioch in Phrygia it was popularly called “Antioch of Pisidia.” It was founded by Seleucus I Nicator about 281 B.C. as one of the sixteen cities he named in honor of either his father or his son, both of whom bore the name Antiochus. (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 422)
17-22 Paul’s exhortation begins with a resume of Israel’s history that emphasizes the pattern of God’s redemptive activity from Abraham to David. It is an approach in line with Jewish interests and practices and can be paralleled by Stephen’s defense before the Sanhedrin, by the argument of the Letter to the Hebrews, and by the underlying structure of Matthew’s Gospel (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 425)
By anchoring Israel’s kerygma in the messianically relevant “son” passage of 2 Samuel 7, Paul has begun to build a textual bridge for the Christian kerygma-which kerygma he will root in the messianic “son” passage of Psalm 2:7 (Richard N. Longenecker, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, John and Acts, 425)
Having evangelized part of Cyprus, the missionaries now sailed to the south coast of Asia Minor. Perga stood near the river Cestrus (modern Aksu); one could reach it from the sea, Strabo tells us, by sailing some seven miles up the river. The city (the impressive ruins of which are a tourist attraction today) stands on a flat-topped hill about three miles from the nearest point on the Cestrus, where it presumably had a landing stage and port facilities. Perga, as its name indicates, was a pre-Greek foundation, but it was colonized by Greeks from the late Mycenaean age on, and after the conquests of Alexander the Great it became thoroughly hellenized. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 272)
There was a Jewish colony in Pisidian Antioch, and therefore a synagogue. On the first sabbath after their arrival the two missionaries made their way to the synagogue and took their places among the congregation. After the call to worship and the recitation of the appropriate prayers the scripture lessons were read—One from the Pentateuch and one from the Prophets. (The Pentateuch was read in sequence according to a triennial lectionary; the lesson from the Prophets was normally selected because of some relation to the Pentateuchal lesson.) Then an address was usually delivered by some suitable member of the congregation. It was part of the duties of the ruler or rulers of the synagogue to appoint someone to deliver the address. In the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch there was more than one such official. They sent an attendant to approach the two visitors and invite them to speak a “word of exhortation” to the gathering. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 273)
Paul’s exhortation takes the form of a historical retrospect, as Stephen’s defense did. Paul’s retrospect surveys the course of God’s dealings with his people Israel from his election of the patriarchs and deliverance of the nation from Egypt on to the accession of David and the establishment of his dynasty; it then moves directly from David to Christ, as the one in whom the divine promises given to David for himself and his posterity were fulfilled. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 274)
These events, in fact, constitute an Old Testament kerygma which is summarized in Paul’s address as a prelude to the New Testament kerygma: the events proclaimed in the apostolic preaching are shown to have taken place as the inevitable sequel to God’s dealings with his people in ancient days. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 275)
In later days, however, when the sovereignty of the house of David seemed to have passed away forever, so far as human agency was concerned, it came to be recognized that the promises made to David would be fulfilled and indeed surpassed in a ruler of David’s line whom God would raise up. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 276)
32–33 Here then is great good news. The promise made by God to the patriarchs has now been confirmed to their children—and not only to them, the historical Paul would have said, for believing Gentiles as well as believing Jews are blessed with believing Abraham (Gal. 3:8–9). (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 279)
As these words of Habakkuk were reminiscent of warnings uttered earlier by Isaiah in the days of the Assyrian peril (Isa. 28:21–22; 29:14), so Paul now takes them up (in the Septuagint version, which makes the application more pointed) and applies them to the new situation in which God is offering deliverance through the greatest of all his mighty works. Great as was the disaster that overtook those who ignored the prophetic warnings, an even greater disaster will befall those who refuse the gospel. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 282)
Since Paul was addressing a synagogue congregation, he used the Old Testament Scriptures to support his argument. In Acts 13:33, Psalm 2:7 is quoted; note that it refers to the resurrection of Christ, not to the birth of Christ. The “virgin tomb” (John 19:41) was like a “womb” that gave birth to Jesus Christ in resurrection glory (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
Then he quoted Isaiah 55:3, referring to the covenant that God made with David, “the sure mercies of David.” God had promised David that from him the Messiah would come (2 Sam. 7:12–17). This was an “everlasting covenant” with a throne to be established forever (2 Sam. 7:13, 16). If Jesus is the Messiah, and He died and remained dead, this covenant could never be fulfilled. Therefore, Jesus had to be raised from the dead or the covenant would prove false. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
His third quotation was from Psalm 16:10, the same passage Peter quoted in his message at Pentecost (Acts 2:24–28). The Jews considered Psalm 16 to be a messianic psalm, and it was clear that this promise did not apply to David, who was dead, buried, and decayed. It had to apply to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
Paul closed his message with a note of warning taken from Habakkuk 1:5 (and see Isa. 29:14). In Habakkuk’s day, the “unbelievable work” God was doing was the raising up of the Chaldeans to chasten His people, a work so remarkable that nobody would believe it. After all, why would God use an evil pagan nation to punish His own chosen people, sinful though they might be? God was using Gentiles to punish Jews! But the “wonderful work” in Paul’s day was that God was using the Jews to save the Gentiles! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 366)
The province of Pisidia was not formed until a.d. 295. Antioch was in Phrygia. Pisidia at Paul’s time was a city in the geographical area of the Roman Empire called Phrygia. What is meant here in the Acts reference is Antioch near Pisidia the city. “Pisidian Antioch” was Luke’s way of distinguishing it from several other Antiochs of the time. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 212)
Paul went through the difficult relational problems with Mark. The young man defected the missionary team and went back home. The break also must have caused tensions with Barnabas and Paul which later, at the beginning of another journey, caused a split between them. Barnabas was a relative of Mark and his gracious nature would have caused deep grief over the departure of his young cousin. We do not know what caused the breakup. Mark’s immaturity in Christ, the strangeness of the foreign territory, the demands of travel? Or was it Paul’s rigorous and vigilant commitment to the mission? Then too, Paul was facing physical difficulties which may have made him less than patient. Whatever the cause, the breakup was painful for all three, and it had repercussions for years to come until they were reconciled late in Paul’s life. Both Mark and Paul had failed with each other, and yet I believe the failure led to a much more powerful preaching of the Gospel when Paul and Barnabas arrived at Antioch. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 213)
The key verses for exposition of this portion of Acts 13 are 38 and 39. Everything Paul had said up to that point led to the thrust of the verses, and everything that happened in Antioch was because of it. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 214)
In Christ’s death and resurrection God has established our acceptance by Him, something that the Law and the sacrificial system of Israel could not do. Here is the powerful concept of justification by faith alone which becomes Paul’s central theme and later is refined in Romans, Galatians, and Colossians. “Therefore let it he known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (13:38-39). The basic meaning is that it is by faith, and not the works of the Law of Moses, that a person is justified, acquitted, forgiven, and set free. The Law could not justify anyone, for all have broken it, but forgiveness is offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s statement does not mean that the Law justified in some things and Jesus took care of the rest. “All things” is inclusive grace. The Law was not offered to be our justification. By its very nature law cannot be acquittal, for the Law establishes the way a righteous God wants His people to live with Him and each other. (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 214)
The message at Antioch brings us back to the core of our spiritual, psychological, and interpersonal liberation. We are loved and forgiven just as we are, not for what we have been or will do. God is for us, not against us. His grace is not conditioned by our performance. But is that our working, daily, moment-by-moment security? (Lloyd J. Ogilvie, The Communicator’s Commentary: Acts, 216)
Mark was very young. His mother’s house seems to have been the centre of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 12:12) and he must always have been close to the centre of the faith. Paul and Barnabas took him with them as their helper, for he was kinsman to Barnabas; but he turned and went home. We will never know why. Perhaps he resented the deposition of Barnabas from the leadership; perhaps he was afraid of the proposed journey up into the plateau where Antioch in Pisidia stood, for it was one of the hardest and most dangerous roads in the world; perhaps, because he came from Jerusalem, he had his doubts about this preaching to the Gentiles; perhaps at this stage he was one of those many who are better at beginning things than finishing them; perhaps—as Chrysostom said long ago—the lad wanted his mother. At any rate he went. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 101)
For a time Paul found it hard to forgive. When he set out on the second missionary journey Barnabas wanted to take Mark again but Paul refused to take the one who had proved a quitter (Acts 15:38) and he and Barnabas split company for good over it. Then Mark vanishes from history, although tradition says he went to Alexandria and Egypt and founded the church there. When he re-emerges almost 20 years later he is the man who has redeemed himself. Paul, writing to the Colossians from prison in Rome, tells them to receive Mark if he comes to them. And when he writes to Timothy just before his death, he says, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful in serving me” (2 Timothy 4:11). As Fosdick put it, “No man need stay the way he is.” By the grace of God the man who was once a deserter became the writer of a gospel and the man whom, at the end, Paul wanted beside him. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 101)
Why did they leave the coast with the word unproclaimed and set out on that difficult and dangerous way? Not so very long afterwards Paul wrote a letter to the people of Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. It is the letter called the Letter to the Galatians for all these towns were in the Roman province of Galatia. In it he says, “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first” (Galatians 4:13). So when he came to Galatia he was a sick man. Now Paul had a thorn in the flesh which in spite of much prayer remained with him (2 Corinthians 12:7, 8). Many guesses have been made as to what that thorn was—or stake as it probably should be translated. The oldest tradition is that Paul suffered from prostrating headaches. And the most likely explanation is that he was the victim of a virulent recurring malaria fever which haunted the low coastal strip of Asia Minor. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 102)
In Jesus Christ men find that forgiving power which sets them free from the condemnation that should have been theirs and therefore restores real friendship with God. (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 105)
Paul’s opening section is similar to the opening section of Stephen’s message in A03 7, jusr before his death by stoning. Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin, including a young Saul of Tarsus, and recounted the history of Israel in hopes of showing the religious leaders that Jesus was the fulfillment of Israel’s longing for its Messiah. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 179)
Paul makes it devastatingly clear: You cannot apply Psalm 16:10 to David. That passage says, “You will not let your Holy One see decay,” but David died, and his body decayed. That passage can apply to only one person—to Someone who, despite undergoing death, did not undergo corruption. That person, of course, is Jesus. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 181)
If not relieved of the pressure of guilt, it will destroy us. That’s why Paul’s message had such a powerful impact in that city. He told the people that the only way to be free from guilt is by accepting the work of Another on their behalf. God’s love is poured out on that basis, and that alone. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 184)
We need not suppose that Barnabas did anything but take this [change in leadership] graciously. He seems to have been an extremely gracious man. Still it must have been a bit difficult for him. Somebody once said, “It takes more grace than I can tell to play the second fiddle well.” Barnabas had that grace, although it may not have been acquired easily. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 235)
Mark had not been called by the Holy Spirit or commissioned by the church as the others had been. Mark was related to Barnabas, and Barnabas probably just said, “Let’s take him along with us,” which is what they did. Mark was with them on Cyprus. But when they arrived in Pamphylia, for some reason Mark left the others to return to Jerusalem. We do not know why he left, though there has been a great deal of speculation about it. What we do know is that Paul did not like it. He regarded it as a desertion. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 235)
Pisidian Antioch was in the mountains at an altitude of about 3,600 feet. Since Paul mentions in the letter to the Galatians that he had a bodily affliction at this time, some scholars have supposed that Paul caught a disease, perhaps malaria, While living in Pamphylia’s lower coastal plains and that he and his party pressed on into the healthier mountain climate because of it. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 235)
If these men had trouble in their work, we should not be too shocked if we have trouble too. We sometimes talk as if everything in the Christian’s life should go smoothly, that nothing bad should happen. We expect total and unmitigated blessings. But Jesus did not promise us smooth sailing as his disciples. He promised suffering. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 236)
A person might say, “Well, yes, but I do not see a reason for these things. What was the purpose of Paul getting sick, if he did get sick? Or of John Mark leaving?” I do not know the answer to those questions, but God does. And just because we do not know the answer to why things fail to go smoothly in our lives does not mean there is no answer or God is not blessing us in spite of discouragements. These men had trouble, but in spite of their trouble they preached the gospel, people believed, and churches were established. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 236)
Stephen gave a long recital of God’s acts on behalf of the Jewish people, a review of Jewish history. Paul did the same. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 237)
Paul addresses two categories of people who were in the synagogue that day, and he calls for their attention: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me” (v. 16) . This indicates that there was a mixed worshiping community in this synagogue. There were Jews, of course. But there were also some devout Gentile God-fearers (see chapter 20 on Cornelius). By going to a synagogue like this Paul had an opportunity to preach to Jews, which he felt an obligation to do, but at the same time also to make contact with those Gentiles who had sensitivity to spiritual things. These would already have been instructed out of the Old Testament and would therefore be fertile ground for his evangelizing. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 238)
Now, embracing his Gentile audience also, which he had addressed at the beginning, Paul reminds his hearers that God is not a God of the past only or of the Jews only. God is still acting and has acted in recent times, doing something new. God established an old covenant, but now God has established a new covenant through the work of Jesus Christ. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 239)
From forgiveness anew life will spring in the believer, and as a consequence forgiveness cannot be forgotten. No longer is the Law the only disciplinarian [to lead us] to Christ, but forgiveness through Christ is the gentle disciplinarian who does not have the heart to remind us of what has been forgotten but still reminds us of it to the extent of saying: Just remember that it is forgiven. It is not forgotten but is forgotten in forgiveness. Every time you recollect the forgiveness, it is forgotten; but when you forget the forgiveness, it is not forgotten, but then the forgiveness is wasted.
Soren Kierkegaard, Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits (1847), as translated by Hong, p. 247
