Acts 13

• prophets and teachers: See “The Gift of Prophecy” Theme Note; also see 1 Corinthians 12:28–29; Ephesians 4:11.

• The name Simeon suggests a Jewish background (see Genesis 29:33; Luke 2:25; 3:30). He is also called Niger (which means "the black mane"). This suggests that he was probably African.

• Lucius is a Latin name. He came from Cyrene, the capital of Libya in North Africa. He was probably one of the preachers from Cyrene who brought the Christian message to Antioch (Acts 11:20).

• Manaen grew up with King Herod Antipas. He was probably Luke’s source for understanding Antipas’s thoughts and actions (see Luke 9:7–9).

• Barnabas and Saul play important roles in the following story.

prophets and teachers: these leaders of the church at Antioch spent a lot of time in worship and prayer. They had an intense desire to do the Lord's will, and they fasted to spiritually prepare themselves to receive guidance from God. As they prayed, the Holy Spirit spoke to them.

The church set apart Barnabas and Saul, recognizing God's clear call for them to do a special work in his name. The inner journey these Christians took to pray and listen to God matched their outer journey of service. Their service included proclaiming the Christian faith and performing works of healing and salvation.

they laid their hands on them: They performed this holy act only after more fasting and prayer. The Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus) caution against appointing someone as a Christian leader without proper care and background checks (1 Timothy 5:22). At this point, the church at Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul as its representatives for the mission.

• Barnabas and Saul were commissioned by the church at Antioch to go on their first missionary journey. They were guided by the Holy Spirit.

• Seleucia was the ancient seaport city of Antioch, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the city at the opening of the Orontes River.

• from there to Cyprus: Barnabas was from Cyprus, the next stop on their journey (4:36).

When they arrived in Salamis on the eastern end of Cyprus, they visited the Jewish synagogues (see study note on 9:2). There, Jews could hear and respond to the Christian message. They would also meet people who had converted to Judaism (those who had chosen to follow Israel’s God; see study note on 13:43). They also met Gentiles (non-Jews) who were seeking God. These Gentiles are sometimes called God-fearers (people who worshiped the God of Israel but had not fully become Jews; see study note on 10:2).

• Paphos: This major city was on the southwest coast of Cyprus, a location that had strategic significance.

• a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus: People from the east who practiced magic like this man often had significant power to influence people in the Greek and Roman world.

In Paphos, a false prophet caused a power struggle. This resulted in a display of God's power, and the Roman proconsul (governor) became a Christian.

Sergius Paulus, the proconsul (governor), was an intelligent person. He had interest in the teachings of Barnabas and Saul. But Elymas (the sorcerer’s Greco-Roman name) recognized a challenge to his power and strongly opposed the message of Barnabas and Saul.

Luke marks an important shift in using the name Saul (a Hebrew name) and Paul (a Greco-Roman name). This may show that Paul is now focusing on his mission to Gentiles (non-Jews). For the rest of Acts, Luke calls him Paul, except when Paul tells the story of his conversion (as in 22:7, 13; 26:14).

Paul, who had become the main speaker, confronted the sorcerer. He rebuked his false claims, exposed his deceit, and announced God’s judgment (see 8:20–24). The sorcerer became blind immediately, and this condition lasted for a significant period of time. This event showed the power and truthfulness of the gospel message over the sorcerer's false claims.

The teaching about the Lord included a miracle showing divine power (compare Mark 1:21–27). This was because it was a teaching about the living God (see Acts 14:15).

• They arrived at the port of Perga. From there, major roads led to the interior of the land beyond the Taurus Mountains.

• At this point, John Mark left the team for unknown reasons (see study note on 15:36–41). He might have been unhappy that the gospel was advancing into non-Jewish lands. Perhaps he missed his home or was unable to continue the challenging journey. Whatever the reasons, he returned to the familiar and comfortable Jewish area of Jerusalem.

Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to the high country and reached Pisidian Antioch. This Antioch was in the Roman province of Galatia in Asia Minor. This city is not the same one as the city of Antioch in Syria.

As usual, the apostles began their work at the synagogue (see study note on 9:2; compare 13:5; 14:1; 17:1, 2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8).

People chosen to read in the synagogue read the usual Scriptures for the day. This included one passage from the books of Moses and another from the prophets (see Luke 4:16–28). Then the synagogue leaders invited the visitors to share a word of encouragement for the people.

Paul accepted the invitation, and signaled for his audience to be quiet (compare 19:33; 21:40). He began to clearly proclaim the good news about Jesus. This is Paul's first major speech in the book of Acts. It serves as a model of the way he preached to a Jewish audience (see 22:1–21).

To establish common ground with his audience, Paul traced Jewish history starting from the Israelite exodus from Egypt. He emphasized:

• the Israelites' escape from Egyptian slavery,

• their settlement in Canaan,

• the establishment of the kingdom of Israel,

• the removal of King Saul, and

• the special role of King David.

Even though he sinned, David was a man who desired to completely follow God's ways (for example, 2 Samuel 11–12).

At this point, Paul shifted to the main point of his message. Jesus, descended from King David's family line, was the Savior God promised to Israel. John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah (God's chosen leader). John called Israel to repent and be baptized. John was a humble servant who prepared the way for the one whose coming he announced.

Paul reviewed how Jesus had been treated with shame, including an unjust sentence and death. But God raised Jesus from the dead, and many witnesses saw him. This message is good news, because through Jesus people can receive forgiveness of sins. But people must respond with faith, or they will face serious consequences.

The resurrection of Jesus was confirmed by many witnesses.

Paul urged his audience to believe the message about Jesus, through whom there is forgiveness for your sins.

A life of faith is necessary to be right with God. The law of Moses alone could not provide this ability to have a right relationship (Psalm 14:1–3; see Romans 3:9–20).

Paul ended his message with a strong warning (see Hebrews 2:3). Do not ignore, neglect, or reject the gospel, or you will encounter serious consequences.

The message attracted many people, and many of them chose to believe.

• Full converts to Judaism (also called proselytes) were Gentiles who had gone through the rite of circumcision to become full members of the Jewish community, observing the Jewish law (see also 2:11; 6:5; Matthew 23:15).

• the grace of God: The grace of God is an important idea in the New Testament. It describes God’s kindness and favor that people do not earn, shown most clearly through Jesus Christ.

People were excited by the preaching of the apostles. A large gathering formed the next week. This response made some Jews jealous (see 4:1–2; 5:17). This was because Paul's ministry was attracting more converts than Judaism (13:43). These Jews made verbal attacks against Paul and his ministry (see 6:8–12; 18:6; 19:9; Matthew 23:13).

Paul responded to the attacks with a bold statement that the jealous Jews had rejected their past opportunities to hear the word of God. Paul would now proclaim the message of salvation to Gentiles, following the Lord's command in Scripture (see Acts 10:34–35). The local Gentiles welcomed the gospel, and many accepted it. They spread the Lord's message throughout the region.

Jewish opposition once again forced Paul and Barnabas out of their district. They shook the dust off their feet as a sign of rejection, as Jesus had taught his disciples (see Matthew 10:14–15; Mark 6:11–12; Luke 9:5–6; 10:10–11). That place was then treated as pagan (not worshiping the true God). Paul and Barnabas left that place in order to reach other people who might be more open to the message of new life in Christ.

Even though they probably encountered harassment and persecution, the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (compare 5:41; 16:23–25; Matthew 5:10–12; 2 Corinthians 8:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:6).