Day 44 - Acts 13

After working eight straight days I decided to take two days of from posting, however, I do have a plan to make up some time. Over the next few days you might see two posts on one day. Don't worry, read as much as you want. This is just to keep us on the 2-year schedule.

We'll start to follow Saul (or as you'll see in Acts 13 he begins to be referred to as Paul) and Barnabus on their missionary journey.  They are in for a wild ride. They are on a mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world since many Jews had rejected the faith.


You ready for this trip? So am I!


Acts 13 (Read it here)


Just in case you're curious, you can see the summary map of Paul & Barnabas' missionary journey here. This map covers all of Acts 13 and half of chapter 14, as well.

To get a true appreciation for what Paul and Barnabas did, you have to realize that their journey included walking over 1,400 miles! That's roughly the distance between Washington, DC and Houston, TX! All the while they are stopping at multiple cities and preaching to people they don't even know!

Let me give you a little background on the men referred to in Acts 13:1.

Barnabus
First mentioned in Acts 4, Barnabas (which was his nickname, his given name was Joseph) was a Greek-speaking Jew from Jerusalem (an oxymoron of sorts). Some early church fathers, most notably Tertullian, credited Barnabas as being the author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. This is plausible since Barnabas was Paul's right-hand man on several missionary journeys and Hebrews' contents are so similar to all of Paul's other writings.

Simeon (also known as Niger, pronounced Ny-jer)
Simeon is not to be confused with the priest mentioned in Luke 2 who was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Messiah.  Simeon, or Niger, was the second bishop of Jerusalem, after the first bishop, James (the writer of the book of James in the New Testament) was stoned by the same high council that killed Stephen. The bishop of Jerusalem was known as the central Christian leader of the church in Jerusalem, which was an elected position voted on by the believers in Jerusalem.  And yes, his name is the word from Latin niger (which means black) that Americans get the common hate-filled racial slur to African-Americans.

Lucius from Cyrene
This is the first time Lucius is mentioned by name but he was the first bishop of Cyrene (modern day Northeastern Libya). He was one of the first Christ-followers who began preaching to Gentiles about Jesus. Just so you know, a bishop in this time of the Early Church, was responsible for overseeing the church, teaching and rebuking its members/believers, must like a modern-day pastor.

Manaen, the childhood friend of King Herod Antipas
Very little is known about Manaen.  What we do know is that he was adopted by the royal family of Israel, which is why he is listed as a friend and not a biological brother of King Herod.  He was also one of the central teachers of the church in Antioch (modern day Turkey), which was attributed as being the "cradle of Gentile Christianity."

Saul
Saul, who from now on will be referred to as Paul, was a leading Pharisee who spearheaded the persecution of the Early Church after the stoning of Stephen.  However, after being converted by Jesus himself, became one of the most influential early church planters, leaders, teachers and preachers.  He is known for writing the majority of the New Testament including the epistles (which are formal teaching letters directed to a group of people, church) of Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Philemon and the pastoral epistles (formal teaching letters directed to leaders of churches) 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus.


Take a breath.

Simeon, Lucius and Manaen commission Paul and Barnabas for the special work that God had for them. (vs. 2-3)

Their first stop was in the town of Salamis on the island of Cyprus (check the map linked above) to preach in the Jewish synagogues. John Mark, otherwise known as Mark the Evangelist, was there. (v. 5) He was Barnabas' cousin and the writer of the gospel of Mark, by the way. We'll cover his book after Acts and Matthew.

In Paphos, Paul, Barnabas and Mark meet a magician named Bar-Jesus. (v. 6) Ironically, his full name was Elymus, son of Jesus (Jesus and Joshua were names that were almost the same, like saying Sean and Shawn). Elymus is Arabic for wise. Bar-Jesus was probably used by the governor, Sergius Paulus, for wise counsel or possibly the other way around since the governor is said to be an intelligent man. (v. 7)

The governor had obviously heard about the great response Paul and Barnabas had received in Cyprus so he wanted to hear the word of God for himself. Bar-Jesus tried to persuade the governor to ignore their teaching. (v. 8)

Paul, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, looked Bar-Jesus dead in the eye. (v. 9) Can you imagine the intensity that Paul had on his face? He was filled with the power of God in that instance. Bar-Jesus was in for it! Paul knew that Bar-Jesus knew the true ways of the Lord and intentionally didn't follow them or let anyone else, either. (v. 10)

Paul struck Bar-Jesus blind and he instantly begged others to lead him by the hand. (v. 11) This alone was proof enough for the governor to believe. (v.12)

It was at Perga (modern day southwestern coast of Turkey) that Mark left the company of Paul and Barnabus to return to Jerusalem. (v. 13)  Paul would mention this later in non-pleasant terms as they continued on without him to Antioch of Pisidia. (v. 14) If you look at the map again, you'll notice that this is a different Antioch than where Paul and Barnabas started from.

They went to the local synagogue and were given the opportunity to preach. (vs. 14-15) Once he was given the floor, Paul goes through the history of Israel and how God led His people through tumultuous circumstances. (vs. 17-22)

In verse 23 Paul crescendos his message by saying that Jesus, being one of King David's descendants, is God's promised Savior of Israel! This Jesus was killed even though he did no wrong. (v. 28) But by killing him the words of the Old Testament prophets were fulfilled. (v. 27) He was raised from the dead (v. 30) and appeared to many as proof of his resurrection (v. 31) and that he is truly the Savior!

He quotes the same thing Peter does in Acts 2 when he says that God's purpose was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus because the Holy One was not to rot in the grave. (v. 35) It is through Jesus that there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God! (vs. 38-39)  The law could never do that; the law could only point out that you were imperfect but never save you!

The people within the synagogue (Jews & God-fearers) had never heard such a message. It was revolutionary!  The law couldn't save you, only faith in God's sent Savior, Jesus could!  For once the pathway to salvation was clear and it was through faith not works.

Everyone wanted Paul and Barnabas to come back the following weekend to teach more and they did. (vs. 42, 44)

Paul and Barnabas became overnight celebrities. Many started to follow them wherever they went but, all the while, they challenged these people to keep their focus on God, not them. (v. 43)

Their fame made some Jews jealous (obvious non-Christ followers) and they did the same thing that was done with Stephen. They spread lies about Paul and Barnabas in hopes of either making them look blasphemous and/or getting them arrested. (v. 45) But they called the Jews out by saying (and I'm paraphrasing), "Its because of people like you, who have rejected God, that we now offer eternal life to Gentiles. God Himself would rather have the Gentiles than you stubborn Jews!"


The Gentiles LOVED this and were thankful to God for the good news being preached and available to them. (v. 48) The message began to spread like crazy through that region. (v. 49)

Even though the Jews added more pressure on Paul and Barnabas by physically kicking them out of town, the believers (Paul, Barnabus and other who accepted Jesus and followed them) left full of joy and with the Holy Spirit! (vs. 50-52)


Questions

1.) Have you ever been on a mission trip? What if you were on a mission trip where you had to walk 1,400 miles? The walking time alone would take more than two weeks!  How do you think Paul and Barnabas were able to physically and mentally sustain the mission, especially when there is opposition, too?

2.) Do you remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira? They were killed by God for lying and pretending to be what they weren't.  Also, Jesus had said that anyone who leads a child astray (away from God) would be better off with a millstone around their neck and thrown into the sea! (Luke 17:2) Why do you think Bar-Jesus got off so easily?  Was his sin the fact that he knew what was right or that he didn't want others to know what was right or both?

3.) Do you find the faith to be difficult? Do you find yourself putting impossible standards on yourself because you believe that a Christ-follower has to be perfect and above reproach? Is giving yourself those standards even biblical? How would Paul and Barnabas' message to the Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia differ from that?