Acts 13:13-52 | the Next Chapter in Israel's StorySample

Paul finished his sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch with a bang: “Beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you” (13:40). He had proclaimed that in Jesus, God had fulfilled his promises to the people of Israel. By raising Jesus from the dead, God established his chosen one, from the line of David, as king forever. And Paul counted himself among those who were Jesus’s witnesses to the ends of the earth, testifying to what God had done. He did not want his people, the Jews, to miss it.

As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue, many of the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles followed them. They were intrigued. Their hearts were stirred. This was a new and unexpected chapter in the story of Israel, and they wanted to hear more. The people begged Paul and Barnabas to come back next week.

The following Sabbath, the synagogue was standing room only. Word had spread throughout the city, and everyone wanted to hear from Paul again. But the Jews saw the crowds and, filled with jealousy, contradicted what Paul was saying and insulted him personally (13:45). We need to note a few things here. First, personal insults are a frequent tactic of those who cannot win an argument through reason and persuasion. That was true in Paul’s day, and it’s true in ours as well. Second, we must be careful to distinguish whom the word “Jews” refers to. It cannot mean “all Jews” were filled with jealousy and insulted Paul, because just two verses earlier we read that many Jews followed Paul, and Paul was a Jew himself.

But many Jews did insult Paul and Barnabas and reject their message. So Paul and Barnabas responded that the gospel had to be preached to the Jews first. (That’s what the prophets said, and it’s what Jesus said as well.) But clearly you don’t want it, they said. Forgiveness of sins? Freedom and justification? Eternal life? No, we aren’t interested. Not if it’s in Jesus’s name. Okay, Paul and Barnabas said, we are taking the gospel to the Gentiles. We will try with them instead.

In fact, as Paul continued on his missionary journey, he kept going to the synagogue first to preach the gospel. (Don’t ever start to think Paul harbored animosity towards Jews, or that God was done with the Jews; just read Romans 9-11.) Paul was not done preaching to the Jews. But already we see the division among the Jews between those who believe God sent Jesus and those who don’t, and that chasm continues to grow throughout Acts.

God was changing Paul’s target audience. He and Barnabas quoted from Isaiah, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” And when the Gentiles learned that they too were a part of God’s plan, they rejoiced, and “all who had been appointed to eternal life believed.”

As chapter 13 draws to a close, we read that “the word of the Lord spread through the whole region” (13:49). Certain Jews once again tried to stop Paul and Barnabas, stirring up persecution against them and driving them out of town. But just as Jesus had commanded his disciples, they shook the dust off their feet and went on. “And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

What God began with Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10, opening salvation to the Gentiles and pouring the Holy Spirit on them, God was now advancing through the witness and preaching of Paul. God’s mercy and forgiveness were now available to the Gentiles. Jesus was their king, too.

Whether you are an ethnic Jew or a Gentile, pause to give thanks to God for welcoming you into his family. If you are a Gentile, the story of Israel is now your story. Because it is God’s story. What an amazing God we serve. Pray that God would grant you deeper insight into his story and your place in it. Pray that God would fill you with joy and the Holy Spirit today!

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