Studies in the Acts of the Apostles

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49. In Cyprus (13:4–12)

 

During his ministry the Lord Jesus had sent out his preachers in twos (Mk. 6:7). But now, after the Holy Spirit had selected afresh Barnabas and Saul for this work, the party was augmented by one, or perhaps two, more.

 

Mark, cousin to Barnabas (Col. 4:10Gk.), but specified here by his Jewish name John, was included in the party doubtless at the wish of Barnabas, but definitely not by the Holy Spirit's selection. Indeed the construction of the sentence in the Greek text (men ... de ...) makes a pointed contrast between the choice of the two leaders and the inclusion of John Mark. The hint given here prepares the mind of the perceptive reader for what is to come (v.13; 15:36–40).

 

"They had also John for their minister" is a description which has left many a commentator guessing. What function does this intimate? The same word "minister" is used by Luke for the synagogue official who cared for the scrolls of Holy Scripture (Lk. 4:17,20). And since Barnabas was a Levite (4:36), so also most probably was his cousin. Significantly, too, John Mark is men­tioned here immediately after reference to the synagogues. So very probably, he went along as a secretary and scribe of portions of Scripture, as Baruch was for Jeremiah (cp. 2 Cor. 3:3).

 

Titus?

 

It may be that it was as a counterpoise to John Mark that Saul now suggested the inclusion of Titus in the party. Admittedly, the idea that Titus travelled with them rests on somewhat slender evidence. His name is not so much as mentioned in the record of this mission; but the same is true for the whole of Luke's record in Acts. It is known from 2 Corinthians that in the third journey Titus was an absolutely indispensable aide in Paul's work, yet there is no mention of him in Acts 19,20 – probably for the simple reason that (as will be advanced later) he was Luke's brother.

 

But why should it be even postulated that Titus was on this first journey? There are two small hints. In the early non–canonical writing called "The Acts of Paul and Thekla", the first portion of which is about Paul's first visit to Iconium, Titus is mentioned as asso­ciated with Paul there. Also in the Epistle to the Galatians, written between the first and second journeys, Paul twice mentions Titus in a way that would be rather pointless unless Titus were known to his Galatian readers.

 

The repeated emphasis (v.2,2,3,4,9) on this important new project being under the direction of the Holy Spirit seems to be mentioned as a kind of justification against some opposition or criticism. If indeed Saul was already talking about the possibility of taking the gospel to Gentiles as well as Jews, there would, of course, be a marked lack of enthusiasm among the Judaists.

 

Cyprus: a poor start

 

The little group of the Lord's preachers travelled the few miles from Antioch to Seleucia at the mouth of the Orontes river, and there they took pas­sage across to Cyprus. It was a fairly obvious start to their missionary work, for Barnabas being a Cypriot by birth or at one time by residence must have been well–known to the plentiful Jewish com­munities dotted through the island.

 

So at Salamis and through the full length of Cyprus they visited synagogue after synagogue, and being known or recognized (by the robes they wore?) as doctors of the Law, they had no lack of opportunity to make known the message concerning the Lord Jesus. But to what purpose? Luke gives not the slightest hint of success attending their efforts. One of the most discouraging places visited by Paul was Athens, yet even that spiritually un–intelligent city brought Dionysius the university counsellor and Damaris and others into the family of Christ (17:34). But apparently Cyprus, for all its loveliness, fertility and prosperity, could not find one Jew for the Lord. It was a discouraging start to their long journey.

 

However, they persevered, from city to city, from synagogue to synagogue, for already it was a settled principle in the preaching of the gospel: "To the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (13:46; 14:1; 17:2; 18:4,19; 19:8; Rom. 1:16).

 

Thus they "went through" the whole island" (v.6RV). Here Luke uses what evidently became in the early church a missionary word, for all its ten occurrences have this kind of context; yet, remarkably enough, it does not occur once in the first twelve chapters of Acts.

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Paphos

 

At last they came to Paphos, the centre of administration at the western end of the island, and there they soon had opportunity to preach the word to the Roman proconsul, Sergius Paulus. How this came about is a matter of speculation. The word "found" (v.6) might imply that before reaching Paphos they heard about the Jewish sorcerer who had made such a hit with the proconsul, and on arrival there they sought him out (at the synagogue service?). Or it may be that Sergius Paulus, a man with a lively enquiring mind (Gk.), hearing that one of the preachers bore the same name as himself (v.9) and was also a Roman citizen, was moved by curiosity to enquire concerning their teaching.

 

Certainly the encounter promised a different kind of experience from what they had had hitherto.

 

Sergius Paulus

 

There is here another example of what a careful and dependable historian Luke is, for he attaches to Sergius Paulus just the right official designation: anthu­patos, proconsul. At an earlier period, and again later in the reign of Hadrian the term proconsul would have been a misnomer. Similarly, Luke correctly refers to local governors at Philippi as strategoi, magistrates (16:36), and as politarchai at Thessalonica (17:6); also he correctly describes Derbe and Lystra as "cities of Lycaonia" (14:6), although included in the province of Galatia. A careless writer, or one of (say) a century later would almost certainly have blundered badly in details of this sort.

 

This Sergius Paulus apparently belonged to a Roman family permanent­ly settled in Cyprus (there was another Sergius Paulus there some generations later). Pliny describes this proconsul as one with a keen interest in natural history. So since it was quite the done thing in those days for an intellectual aristocrat to keep his own tame philos­opher, this would probably explain the status of Barjesus in his ménage. And it would seem that this rogue had made a deep impression on his sponsor – Luke implies this by his careful choice of a preposition (v.7 sun, not meta).

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A Jewish mountebank

 

The pen–and–ink sketch of Barjesus is superlatively done. He was a man of consequence (Gk: aner), a sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew (there is no missing the disgust with which Luke wrote that last word).

 

The word "sorcerer" is magos, the description of the wise men of the east who were alerted and led by the star. "False prophet" means that he brazenly claimed to have personal revelations from God. And by his Jewishness he traded on the high standing which the religion of Israel had amongst many high–class Romans.

 

Josephus (20.7.2) has a circumstantial story about Felix (24:22–27) employing a Jewish Cypriot sorcerer called Simon to persuade that matchless beauty Drusilla to leave her husband and rejoice in his affections instead. The remarkable similarity of detail suggests that this was a later chapter in the unscrupulous career of Bar–jesus.

 

Several hints suggest that this fellow posed as an astrologer, as bogus as all the rest of them. The title Magos very commonly implied a specialist in astronomy, which for long centuries had been an integral part of Babylonian religion. His self–chosen cognomen: Son of Joshua, was doubtless intended to imply that he too could call upon the sun and moon to stand still. Probably this was why Paul chose to describe his inflicted blindness as "not seeing the sun for a season." The eclipse cycles were certainly known well before the first century, so probably this bogus prophet had made a big impression on the pro­consul by a bit of astute forecasting.

 

His other name Elymas, given as an interpretation of magos, not of Bar–jesus, is not without its difficulty. In desperation the commentators have linked it with an Arabic word meaning "the wise one." In this they seem to have overlooked that in supplying an interpretation, Luke would necessarily have to move into Greek or Hebrew, and certainly not Arabic. Thus it seems more likely that Elymas is a condensed form of El–Olam (with a graecised ending)–the Mighty One of the Universe, a name that would chime in well with his astrological pretensions. Codex Beza and other texts give the alternative Etoimas, which would link unmistakably with a Greek verb for "get ready"–in other words "The One who prepares events before­hand."

 

Collision

 

This witch–doctor soon realised that in men of such sober quality and incisive intellect as Paul and Barnabas there was grave risk of exposure of his pretensions. So in the presence of Sergius Paulus he used all his influence in a derogation of the Faith which the men of God were now expounding.

 

The situation called for strong action, and so also thought the Lord in heaven, for all at once Paul found himself filled (Gk. aorist) with a fresh surge of power and guidance from the Holy Spirit (cp.4:8). Fastening his eyes on this plausible opponent of truth, he exposed him as a veritable seed of the serpent (had Paul been discoursing about the Fall in Eden?): "O full of all subtilty ... thou son of the devil (and not son of Joshua), thou enemy of all righteous­ness ..." – there is no missing the allusions to Genesis (3:1,15; cp. Jn 8:44).

 

Then, recalling his own experience when he was a violent enemy of the Faith (9:8), the apostle pronounced the same salutary judgement on this adversary: "blind, not seeing the sun until an appro­priate time." This retribution for wilful wickedness began to operate forthwith, but gradually: "There fell on him (as from heaven) a mist" like the effect of a "ripe" cataract, like the fog afflicting the eyes of a dying man; and this quickly became total obscurity, "a darkness," so that now in great distress he groped here and there, piteously beseeching someone to be his guide–dog, and finding no help at all, so obnoxious had been his character in the days of his evil prosperity.

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The seed of the serpent

 

With what superb aptness did Paul rebuke in the words of Holy Scripture! With what biting irony did he declare to this false prophet: "And now, behold(!), the hand of the Lord is upon thee," not inspiration, but in judgement, for "per­verting the right ways of the Lord."

 

"Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent (like Sergius Paulus), and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them; but transgressors (such as Bar–jesus) shall fall therein" (Hos. 14:9).

 

"They have made them crooked paths (cf. the right ways of the Lord) ... we grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day (not seeing the sun) as in the night: we are in desolate places (i.e. without a helper) as dead men" (Is. 59:8,10).

 

There is no intimation of the duration of the astrologer's blindness, except perhaps in the limitation of the judge­ment Saul himself had experienced. There would indeed be added power in the miracle, and more intense con­viction, if Saul specified the period to Sergius Paulus, and on the third day was proved right.

 

Type of Israel

 

As Saul had re–enacted in his own experience the death and resurrection of the Lord, Bar–jesus anticipated in type the story of his own nation:

 

1. False prophecy, and unbelief of the gospel.
   
2. Deliberate hindrance to the preaching of the gospel to Gentiles.
   
3. Judicial blindness (28:26).
   
4. Avoided by all, and without help from any.
   
5. The Gentile, "seeking to hear the word of God," believes.

 

Conversion

 

The reaction of the proconsul to the remarkable development before his eyes involves a problem. "When he saw what was done, he believed." But the text does not say that he was baptized. However, there is the same omission in the account of Paul's preaching at Antioch (13:48), and again at Iconium (14:1); which surely indicates that "believed" implies baptism.

 

Yet it is difficult to imagine that Sergius Paulus was baptized there and then, for his official duties would necessarily involve him in the idolatrous routine inescapably associated with the army administration. Did he solve his difficulty as Naaman did (2 Kgs. 5:18)? Or did he delay receiving baptism until (like Cornelius) he had had time to pull out from imperial service? It may be that he was actually received into the faith a few years later, when Barnabas and John Mark were again in Cyprus (15:39).

 

In his book "Paul the Traveller and Roman Citizen" Ramsay gives reasons for believing that the proconsul became a convert in the fullest sense of the word, and that in later days some of his children suffered martyrdom.

 

The unexpected phrase: "being aston­ished at the doctrine (teaching) of the Lord" seems to imply that, much as he marvelled at the miracle, he wondered yet more at the power of the message, so simple and satisfying compared with the complicated crudities of Rome's paltry paganism.

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Saul is called Paul

 

It is in connection with the encounter at Paphos that Luke intro­duces: "Saul, who also is called Paul." And from now on, it is always Paul.

 

Some have guessed, most inade­quately, that it was at Paphos where the apostle first assumed this Gentile name, and that he did so in honour of his first Gentile convert. This is highly unlikely. Inheriting Roman citizenship he would almost certainly have a Roman cog­nomen from earliest days. Now, regarding the conversion of Sergius Paulus as a sign from heaven, he decides that preaching to Gentiles must be his mission henceforth, and therefore his Gentile name must have precedence.

 

But why this name? Treated as a Latin label, it means "little, the wee one;" and no doubt Paul sometimes had this in mind, as when he wrote: "For I am the least of the apostles ... but I laboured more abundantly than they all" (1 Cor. 15:9); or as when he read, concerning Saul of Benjamin: "When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?" (1 Sam. 15:17).

 

Yet for one who was far more a Jew than he was a Roman, is it not likely that he found in the Old Testament many a passage with a meaningful echo of his own name? The Hebrew words for "work", "wonderful", and "separate", all suggest the possibility of a play on the name Paul, after the manner common­place in the prophets. Would not Paul love to dwell on the italicised words in such passages as these?:

 

"God is my King of old,. working sal­vation(s) in the midst of the earth" (Ps 74:12).

 

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Ps. 139:14).

 

"Paul, an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1).

 

"God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace..." (Gal. 1:15).

 

In these last two passages, the apostle was doubtless, as he often did, writing in Greek but thinking in Hebrew.

 

 

Notes: 13:4–12

5. Minister. When used in a Christian sense this frequently means the ministry of the word: 13:36; 26 –16; Lk. 1:2; 1 Cor. 4:1; (2 Tim. 4:11).

7. Prudent. LXX uses the same word about Joseph and Daniel; Gen. 41:33,39; Dan. 1:4.

Desired RV is better: "sought". It may imply enquiry in the face of hindrances, or (classically) asking questions.

8. Withstood them. How?

9. Saul who also is called Paul. One of the early fathers comments that what Saul had inflicted, Paul suffered. Saul stoned, Paul was stoned. Saul inflicted scourgings, Paul five times had to bear them. Saul hunted the church, Paul had to be let down in a basket. Saul bound the believers, Paul was bound. Also, Saul was struck blind, Paul now inflicted blindness.

10. The right ways of the Lord. Cp. 2 Pet. 2:15,17 (v.11).

12. The deputy believed. Here is the first fulfilment of the Lord's assignment to Paul: "to bear my name before Gentiles and kings" (9:15).

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50. From Perga to Antioch (13:13–15)

 

By any ordinary standards of judgement (and without allowance for any guidance by the Spirit) Luke ranks as one of the world's great historians. It is, then, somewhat remarkable that only very occasionally (e.g. 17:2; 19:10) does he supply his readers with any time indi­cations. How long the preachers of the gospel spent in this place or that is left out. So it is difficult to tell even by inference how long Paul and Barnabas continued at Paphos after making such an impression on the Roman proconsul.

 

Most commentators assume that the stay at Paphos was very brief. But if so, why should it have been? Can it be that Sergius Paulus asked them to leave because of signs of angry reaction from the local Jewish community after the summary discipline meted out to the Jewish false prophet? Vivid as the narrative is it often fails to tell as much detail as the reader would like.

 

From this point on, Paul appears in the lead. Except when they were back in Jerusalem (15:12,25) or when the pagan judgements of the men of Lystra were involved (14:12), the spotlight is always on Paul. It says much for the character of Barnabas that he was content to have it so.

 

The phrase: "Paul and his company" – literally: "those around Paul" – surely suggests more than just Barnabas and John Mark, but there is indication of no other besides Titus (see ch. 49).

 

John Mark's return

 

The voyage across to Attalia, and so to Perga, was short. And now, at Perga, there developed a major crisis in this pioneering journey. John Mark cut short his participation in its work, and returned to Jerusalem.

 

All kinds of valueless unsupported guesses have been made as to the reason for this — fear of travel danger, fear of persecution, ill–health, home­sickness, resentment that Barnabas had been supplanted, anxiety about the famine (12:25).

 

Careful attention to the details of the narrative reveals how, very cleverly, Luke has provided his reader with hints that at Perga there developed a major disagree­ment on policy. A glance at the map shows that Paul was now intent on reaching, via Antioch, the large cities of the province of Asia. He meant to preach the gospel to that considerable Gentile population.

 

John Mark evidently had a strong Judaistic prejudice, and found this Gentile policy quite unacceptable. It is noteworthy that:

 

1. Here his Gentile name Marcus is carefully omitted.
   
2. He "departed from them." So the issue was in some way personal, and did not concern health or any external factors of their travel
   
3. He returned not to Antioch, their starting point, but to Jerusalem the headquarters of the Law.
   
4. In verse 5 his name is carefully mentioned adjoining a reference to "synagogues of the Jews."
   
5. John Mark was not included (v.3,5) in the official commendation to the work given to Paul and Barnabas by the Antioch ecclesia.
   
6. As "cousin" to Barnabas, he was almost certainly a Levite.
   
7. The Greek men ...de construction in v.4,5 suggests an antithesis between Mark and the others.

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Perga neglected – why?

 

The pointed omission of any mention of preaching activities in Perga calls for explanation. Ramsay has made a fair case for believing that Paul suffered from some recurrent sickness, probably malaria; he has further suggested that in the heat and humidity of low–lying Perga in early July, Paul was badly hit by this affliction, and had to clear out to the cooler drier atmosphere of Antioch at 3600 feet.

 

Galatians 4:13 becomes the key passage here: "Ye know that because of an infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you the first time."

 

The difficulty here is in the journey to Antioch — a hundred miles fraught with all kinds of difficulties and hardships:

 

"The journals of modern wanderers tell us of the drenching rains, the glaring heats, the terrible fatigues ... the stings of insects, the blinding storms of dust... the scarcity and badness of provisions" (Farrar, commenting on nineteenth cen­tury travel in that area). Certainly this Antioch road would specially merit Paul's description: "perils of rivers, perils of robbers" (2 Cor. 11:26). It was about this time that a Roman fort and garrison had to be established on this road to suppress brigandage.

 

Would a man much weakened by fever be equal to a journey of this kind?

 

Another even more drastic explan­ation points to the number of phrases in the Epistle to the Galatians which might support the conclusion that in Perga the Jews turned violently against Paul and actually crucified him (6:17; 2 .20; 3:1; 4:13,14; 2 Cor. 4:10; 12:7).

 

The theory needs much stronger sup­port if it is to have precedence over a simpler and far more likely explanation – that Paul wished to get on to the great cities of Asia, and for that reason did not linger in Perga. Nor would he have stayed in Antioch but for "an infirmity of the flesh" which beset him when he got there. Whatever it was, it was evidently sufficient to dictate cancellation of more ambitious plans.

 

There must, in that case, have been some lapse of time after arrival in Antioch during which the apostle was too incapacitated to do any preaching, for when he did at length attempt this in the synagogues, the ravages of the disease could still be read in his appearance: "And my temptation which was in my flesh, ye despised not, nor spat out; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus" (Gal. 4:14). The reader is left wishing to know more about this briefly–documented part of Paul's experience.

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Antioch

 

"Antioch of Pisidia" (RV) was actually in Phrygia. Then why this geographical misnomer, and why should Paul's letter to this and the other ecclesias be called his Epistle to the Galatians?

The explanation appears to be that, in spite of historical boundaries, Antioch was closely linked with Pisidia, being almost on the border. And, along with Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, it was included in the large Roman province of Galatia which stretched also a great distance to the north.

 

This latter fact influenced Lightfoot, the learned bishop of Durham, to pro­pound the idea that the Galatian churches to whom Paul wrote his epistle were founded in the course of a considerable campaign, utterly unchronicled and never referred to, away in the north.

 

This theory, now completely abandon­ed, would never have been given credence but for the prestige attaching to the name of Lightfoot. It is a signal illustration of how a man may have weighty scholarship, and yet lack judgement. One day the theological world, followed at present by many others who should know better, will wake up to the fact that another of Lightfoot's great theories also needs to be discarded – the notion that Colos­sians, Ephesians, 1 John, and sundry other passages in the epistles and in Revelation were written against Gnost­icism. If for "Gnosticism" Lightfoot had substituted "Judaism," his expositions would have been much more lucid and intelligible, and his own reputation greatly enhanced.

 

When it says that in the synagogue at Antioch – there was only one – Paul and Barnabas sat down, it may mean that they took their seats on the rabbinic bench. If also they were wearing their rabbinic robes it is easy to understand why they immediately became the centre of much attention. Hence the otherwise remarkable invitation from the Chazzan and elders to two complete strangers to address the assembly:

 

"Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation (or consolation) for the people, say on."

 

If the phrase used here was more than a general term, its specific reference was to "the consolation of Israel," the coming of Messiah (Lk. 2:25), for which devout Jews everywhere had been specially on the alert ever since the news had gone like wildfire through syna­gogues everywhere about John the Baptist (13:24,25).

 

So Paul stood up to give them the very "consolation" they longed for. It is remarkable, if the apostle had suffered grievously from sickness or persecution before reaching Antioch, that it should have been he and not Barnabas who now addressed the congregation. The readi­ness of the latter to play second fiddle, here and elsewhere, is something quite admirable.

 

Evidently there was a considerable hubbub in the synagogue, for Luke records, somewhat unusually (see 21:40), how, when he began, Paul "beckoned with the hand." Probably this disturbance was due to the fact that now the entire congregation could recognize with ill–suppressed anticipation (for Jewish synagogue audiences are always noisy) that they were about to hear a great scholar from Jerusalem.

 

 

Notes: 13:13–16

13. Paul and his company; literally: 'those around Paul' – as though the travelling decision was taken by them and not by Paul. A sick man?

Loosed. Besides its other meanings, this Greek word was also a sailor's term for setting sail. Luke uses it frequently in this sense: 16:11; 18:21; 20:3,13; 21:1,2 etc.

Departing is a fairly strong word; s.w. Mt. 7:13. But in Acts 15:38 the word is even stronger. Note Pr. 25:19.

14. Sat down. It has been argued, from Lk. 4:20, Mt. 5:1, that Paul here assumed the role of teacher. But "sent" (v.15) disallows this. He and Barnabas must have been in the congregation. And here Paul stood up (v.16) to teach.

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51. In the synagogue at Antioch (13:16–37)

 

From allusions made by Paul in the course of his speech, it is possible to infer with a fair degree of probability that the "daily readings" that day were from Deuteronomy 1 and Isaiah 1, and since these fell on the 44th sabbath, the time of year was the end of July.

 

Luke makes special mention of "the law and the prophets," and the following references to unusual words in the Sep­tuagint Version are traceable in his sum­mary of Paul's speech:

 

1. "bare them as a nursing father" (Gk: etrophophorēsen, v. 18, from Dt. 1:31).
   
2. "exalted" (Gk: hupsōsen, v.17, from Is. 1:2: "brought up").
   
3. "divided to them by lot" (Gk: kate–klēronomēsen, v.19 – RV: "gave them for an inheritance" – from Dt. 1:38).
   
4. There is also the allusion to "judges" (v.20; cp. Is. 1:26).

 

So it would seem that Paul began his discourse with a running commentary on the daily readings, stressing the unfailing guidance of God over Israel in good times and in bad.

 

It is noteworthy that Paul addressed himself not only to the "men of Israel" but also to the Gentile sympathizers with Judaism – "ye that fear God" – who were evidently present in unusual numbers. It was clearly the apostle's purpose that Gentiles should understand that the gos­pel was for them as well as for Israel (v. 16, 17, 26, 39, 42).

 

It is sometimes asserted that essential­ly Paul's speech at Antioch was a repeat of what he had heard Stephen argue in the course of his defence before the Sanhedrin. But this was hardly the case. Stephen had reasoned his way to the work of the Messiah via two outstanding types, Joseph and Moses. But Paul's method was to trace the clear evidences of progressive divine purpose through Israel's chequered history up to the time of David, and then to show that the promised Messiah would surpass even him.

 

So there was eloquent recall of how God guided the fathers and gave them His promises, how their descendants were impressively brought out of Egyptian affliction into the wilderness. Then, under Joshua seven Canaanite nations were uprooted, and their land taken over and shared out. The polychromatic period of the judges led on to the wholesome rule of Samuel. Then came the kings. First, Saul of Benjamin, a failure, now ruefully men­tioned by another Saul of Benjamin. But next, by the grace of God, "David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will".

 

Here, in this first allusion to David, every phrase was carefully chosen.

 

"I have found" is an expression quar­ried from Psalm 89:20, where the text continues:"... David my servant, with my holy oil have I anointed him" (an echo of the work of Samuel; 1 Sam. 16).

"Son of Jesse" was intended to bring to mind the Messianic prophecy about "a rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Is. 11:1).

 

"A man after mine own heart" echoes Samuel's prophecy of Saul's successor (1 Sam. 13:14). Yet, as Paul's hearers must have known right well, this descrip­tion was often not true of David. Then why was it used, except to foreshadow Mes­siah, son of David?

 

So also, especially, with the next phrase: "which shall fulfil all my will." The words are culled from Psalm 40:8, a psalm of David which was never wholly true of David, but which the New Testa­ment uses with great effect regarding Jesus: "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me: I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Heb. 10:6,7).

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Paul was now at the centre of his argument: "Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus."

 

But how could the apostle expect his hearers to take his word for it that Jesus of Nazareth truly was the promised Seed of David? He didn't. There was the witness of John the Baptist to establish that Messiah could be expected forthwith. Word about John had gone all through Jewry, not only in Judaea and Galilee but to the entire Dispersion, and it was generally agreed that John was a true prophet. So if Jesus was not the Messiah whom he proclaimed, who was? And did not the name Jesus declare another Joshua who would conquer the Gentiles (with his sword or his message?), and give Israel their inheritance?

 

In this allusion Paul made adroit refer­ence to three more Scriptures:

 

1. "Of this man's (David's) seed hath God .. . raised unto Israel a Saviour Jesus. This somewhat unexpected Greek verb echoes the usage in Zech. 3:8 LXX: "Behold, I will bring forth my Servant the Branch ... Joshua (Jesus) the high priest," and there follows an assurance of for­giveness and of Messiah's kingdom.
   
2. "John ... preached before his com­ing." This key word, distinctly un­usual, is surely derived from Mal. 3:2 LXX: "Who may abide the day of his coming?" The preceding verse foretells the work of John. Luke's phrase, is literally: "before the face of his coming," which is precisely the wording of Mal. 3:1 LXX.
   
3. Also, "as John fulfilled his course," employs an even more unusual word dromos, which (as in 'hippo­drome') is always associated with running. There is here an allusion to the way in which Elijah, the prophet like unto John the Baptist, ran before the chariot of Ahab, (1 Kgs. 18:46), thus appealing to him (in vain, as it turned out) to make it the chariot of the Lord. This explains Paul's use of "fulfilled," as of a prophecy or type.

 

The broad shape of Paul's argument so far begins to be impressive as it follows the very idea developed in his later epistle to these same people (Gal. 3:24,25; 4:1–7) – Israel (and also the New Israel) being educated by stages for the fulness of God's redeeming work in Christ; judges, prophets, a king, then David, the best king of all, pointing to Messiah. The sequence of names in itself suggested this progression: Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, John the Baptist, and then – Jesus. But the other names mentioned had a more ominous ring about them:

 

Canaan, Saul, Jerusalem (v.27), Pilate (v.28).

 

This Jesus, Paul now set about demon­strating, was the climax of Jewish history, even though his ministry had seemed to end in anticlimax. So the apostle made a special appeal for sympathetic attention: "Men, brethren (he was applying his apostrophe to them all, Jews and Gentiles alike), children of the stock of Abraham, and those (Gentiles) among you that fear God, to you (both classes!) is the word of this salvation sent." Most of them would recognize at once his play on the name Jesus. Refused by the men of Jerusalem, "the word of this salvation" was now being brought to the dispersion and to God–fearing Gentiles. "They (the rulers) knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets" which they had just heard read. Paul was making deliberate allusion to the Bible reading for that day: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Is. 1:3). The apostle's words were in no way an effort at excuse for the rough rejection of Jesus. He used the words: "knew him not" in the sense of "they ignored him" and his claims (so also Peter in 3:17).

 

In their condemning of Jesus the rulers had fulfilled one prophecy after another, and had provided a signal demonstration of the truth of Isaiah's words read to them that very day: "She (Jerusalem) was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers" (Is. 1:21).

 

Proving the truth of his censure, Paul quoted the actual words of Pilate in the trial of Jesus: "Though they found no cause of death in him, yet they asked Pilate that he should be slain" (cp. Lk. 23:21; Jn. 19:6). And by repetition of that word, "asked", the apostle reminded them of the nation's earlier perversity in asking for a king, Saul (v.21); now they had blundered again in asking that the best king of all be put to death.

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All through, Paul continued to harp on the exact correspondence between the story of Jesus of Nazareth and what the prophets had foretold (v.29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 41). In all that he said they could not but marvel at this convincing marshall­ing of one Scripture after another, all of it with a sureness of insight and lucidity which carried them with him in spite of themselves.

 

The facts concerning the Lord's death and resurrection were set out simply before them – reminders really, for there can have been few Jews throughout the empire who had not heard them, and been stirred or gladdened or shaken by them. And now those varied reactions were all being experienced again in the synagogue at Antioch.

 

The congruence with the anticipations of the prophets was not to be gainsaid. Here Paul was anticipating the repetitious emphasis which he later made so familiar in one of his epistles: "according to the Scriptures ... according to the Scrip­tures" (1 Cor. 15:3,4); and also in 1 Cor. 15:5–8, as here (v.31), an emphasis on witnesses of the fact of the Lord's resur­rection.

 

1. There was special purpose in his allusion to the cross as a tree (v.29) which, literally, it certainly wasn't. Here was deliberate echo of Dt. 21:23, the Scripture he was later to use so effectively in his epistle to these Galatians: "Cursed is every–one that hangeth on a tree" (3:13). Already Paul was preparing the minds of his hearers for the drastic conclusion that a Law which thus brought a curse on an utterly inno­cent man was by that very fact invalidated.
   
2. "Good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers." Here, as in Gala­tians 3, is the idea, so consistently ignored by the churches today, that the gospel was proclaimed in the promises. The parallels here with Gal. 3:1 –15 are readily recogniz­able. They can hardly be accidental: "seed of Abraham" (v.26), "the tree" (v.29), "the gospel ... the promises (v.32), "forgiveness of sins" (v.38), "all (Jews and Gen­tiles) that believe are justified... not by the law of Moses" (v.39).
   
3. The resurrection of Jesus was established, somewhat unex­pectedly, from Psalm 2:7: "This day have I begotten thee." Here the key word is "begotten." It can apply only to the virgin birth or the resur­rection of the Lord, and since the words are spoken to a mature man, the former of these is excluded. Many argue that here there is no allusion to the resurrection of Jesus, but only to his being "raised up" in the sense that David was (v.22). But this must be disallowed for two reasons: 1. The Greek words are different. That in v.33 normally (though not invariably) means re­surrection. 2. Psalm 2:7 is also used as a proof–text in Hebrews – to establish the divine status of Christ (1:5) and to prove his Melchizedek priesthood (5:5). In neither place can reference to the days of his flesh be read very easily.
   
4. A further Scripture (Is. 55:3) estab­lishes that the Lord's resurrection was to be to eternal life, "now no more to return to corruption." But does "I will give thee the sure mercies of David" prove that? There can be no question that there is allusion here to the great promise made to David (the word translated "sure" comes in Ps. 89:28,37 LXX with reference to that promise). The original promise had harped re­peatedly on the truth that the prom­ised Messiah would reign for ever (2 Sam. 7:13,16), so of course he must be an immortal king. And the word "mercies" – literally, "the holy things" – neatly prepared the way for Paul's next Bible reference: God's "Holy One." The context in Isaiah 55 is so pointed that it is impossible to believe that Paul failed to use it. There is the futility of seeking justification by one's own good works (v.2a); instead, let there be justification by faith in the mes­sage (v.3a); the one who is prom­ised is "a prince and a commander to Israel" (v.4); but also he draws to himself "the Gentiles who knew not thee" (v.5). All of this is strictly in the line of development of the apostle's thought in his discourse.
   
5. Following Peter at Pentecost, Paul next made powerful use of Psalm 16:10: "Thou wilt not give (i.e. appoint, a common Hebraism) thine Holy One to see corruption." There followed a ruthlessly logical expo­sure of the futility of being content with a fulfilment of these words in David's experience. He died, and was buried, and (Peter had been able to say) "his sepulchre is with us (yonder!) unto this day" (2:29). So of course he saw corruption, and therefore of course that Davidic psalm could not apply to him, but must be about his Messianic Son.
   
6. Indeed, the promise made to David implied as much. Was it not to be fulfilled after "thou shalt sleep with thy fathers" (2 Sam. 7:12)? So Paul underlined the point confidently: "David, after he had served (God) in his own generation, by the will of God (expressed in the promise) fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption." The argument is precisely that of Peter at Pentecost. For David, as for all others, there was corruption, but for the Holy One of God no corruption, for he rose the third day. (See also chapter 8 about this).

 

Paul had now made his case, had made it over and over again, regard­ing Jesus. There remained now to lead his hearers to the practical consequences of this good news.

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Notes: 13:16–37

16. Ye that fear God; v .48. Ps. 25:12–14 seems appropriate.

18. Suffered he their manners. Almost certainly the alternative reading, with one letter different, is correct: "bare them as a nursing father" (see AV mg). God did not "put up with their ways," He destroyed the rebels. But He nourished and fed the people, and at the proper time gave them Joshua–Jesus.

19. Seven nations. The list in Gen. 15:19–21 has ten. But the Kenites were Jethro's tribe, the Kentizzites were Caleb's, and the Jebusites were independent until the time of David.

20. Four hundred and fifty years. Critics have declared this figure utterly irreconcilable with 1 Kgs. 6:1. But there are two possibilities: (a) The total period of the judges totals 339 years, and the total period of the oppressions amounts to 111 years. It is very likely that some of these periods overlapped, but for Paul's purpose these figures would serve. (b) The text can be read as referring this 450 to the period from the time of the Fathers. In that case, 400 (:Gen. 15:13) + 40 (wilderness) + 10 (conquest). See also "Samuel, Saul, David" (HAW), ch. 22.

21. Desired is really "asked for," a play on the name of Saul.

Forty years. So Josephus. But where did he get it from?

22. Removed. Deposed (1 Sam. 15:23); s.w. Lk. 16:4. The implication: If God can reject a man as impressive as Saul, may He not likewise reject Israel?

Which shall fulfil all my will. Another possibility is that Paul was quoting Is. 44:28 LXX, for "he raised up" (also v. 22) may link with 45:13. (Also, 45:13 LXX has "all his ways are right" – Acts 13:10). These phrases would tell the discerning in Paul's audience that he was talking not so much about David as about Messiah. The Isaiah prophecy should in no wise be referred to Cyrus.

25. He said. He kept on saying.

Whom think ye that I am? The Messiah? I am not!

26. Stock of Abraham. Another allusion to the teaching of John (Mt. 3:9,11) – and not inappropriate in view of v.46. The word of this salvation sent. From Ps. 107:20 (note "saveth" in v.19).

29. Fulfilled. s.w. Jn. 19:28,30.

They... they... It seems odd to give these pronouns the same antecedent, but in view of the fact that Jesus was buried by two members of the Sanhedrin (Jn. 19:31), it is just possible. Or is this a sign of compression in Luke's reporting?

30. God raised him. Verses 31–37 completely establish this proposition.

31. Witnesses. Paul could have used his own experience.

33. Hath fulfilled. An emphatic form of an emphatic word.

34. Sure is really "faithful;" s.w. Is. 1:21,26 LXX, their Bible reading that day.

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52. Appeal and Warning (13:38–43)

 

Paul came now to the climax of his powerful and persuasive discourse. It was marked by a fresh appealing apos­trophe. He had begun: "Men of Israel, and ye that fear God" (v.16). Then: "Men, brethren, children of the stock of Abra­ham, and whosoever among you feareth God" (v.26). Now, having set forth his message as a gospel for every man, he comprehended all his listeners in a simple effective: "Brethren!", persuading them to consider the marvel of divine grace in Jesus:

 

"Through this man is proclaimed unto you the forgiveness of sins." But to any Jew, schooled in the law, expiation could come in only one way – through the offering of sacrifice. So the rejection and death of Jesus of Nazareth may have been brought about through Jewish in­transigence (v.27–29), but behind all that was a God–contrived atonement. And the fact that Jesus had been raised from the dead surely established that that sacri­ficial death had been, in the sight of God, more than sufficient.

 

Justification by faith

 

All that was needed to appropriate the benefits of this sacrifice was an implicit faith in this Saviour–King: "In him (Paul surely expounded, or at least implied, baptism here) all that believe (whether Jew or Gentile) are justified from all things."

 

Here, for the first time, is a declaration of the great Pauline doctrine of justifica­tion by faith, which he was later to hammer away at in his epistle to these Galatians.

 

The apostle proceeded to enunciate the corresponding negative: "(From your sins) ye could not (in all your past endeavours) be justified by the Law of Moses" (cp. Gal. 2:16). Here, in contrast to "all that believe" he now pointedly said "ye (Jews)." He spoke here out of his own

profound experience. He'd tried it! How he'd tried!!

 

There was need also for warning against rejecting the message as Jesus himself had been rejected: "Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets." There were drastic alternatives – unearned forgive­ness or well–earned judgement – poised on the fulcrum of Paul's "lest." Every soul present must choose.

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Biblical warning

 

The warning was thrust home with a dramatic quotation from Habakkuk:

 

"Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you" (1:5).

 

It is easy to see why Paul chose to make such play with this relatively obscure passage. Originally it was part of Habakkuk's warning to his nation in the time of Hezekiah (not Zedekiah, as is commonly assumed). Then the alterna­tives had been, on the one hand, desola­tion from the ravages of invading Assy­rians, and on the other, protection and a glorious salvation in Jerusalem through faith in Jehovah and his Messianic king. The judgement did not by–pass those who had no faith in God's Passover in the holy city. Habakkuk had also said, with what fervour: "The man justified by his faith shall live" (2:4), and Paul probably made great play with that passage also.

 

But his main text harped on the threatened work of God in judgement on all "despisers." This LXX reading has a marked difference from the received Hebrew text: "among the Gentiles." Re­markably, this drastic change is due entirely to the tiniest possible variation in one Hebrew letter: BGOIM, BGDIM (in Hebrew the difference is even smaller than as printed here). Paul's use of the LXX version establishes its correctness.

 

In any case the context requires this, for without doubt at this point there was no need to admonish Gentiles, but every need to warn Jews.

 

But what judgement was he now warn­ing against? – the wreck of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, or the second coming of the Lord? It is possible to infer that the former of these was meant, for the word "perish" can be read as a close equivalent of "l–chabod, no glory left!" This would be God's sensational work against their reliance on their own works. Word of it would come to these Jews of the disper­sion who, being unable to believe the gospel, would also find themselves un­able to believe the horrifying news of wrath against the holy city.

 

At this point in the narrative Codex Beza stands alone in adding: "and they fell silent," as though the synagogue crowd, normally restless and buzzing with comment, was now completely overawed by the power of Paul's appeal and warning.

 

Instead one or two other texts add "and he fell silent," through coming to an emotional crisis, or else through sheer physical fatigue (Gal. 4:13). But it is strange that these readings are not to be found in the manuscripts generally.

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Eagerness

 

Immediately after this there is another textual problem. According to the AV, "the Jews went out of the synagogue," but the Gentiles asked for more. Yet there is strong manuscript support for the RV reading: "As they went out, they be­sought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath," the Greek text implying different reference for "they" and "they." No interpretation seems completely free from difficulty, but the most likely reading is that diehard Jews, resenting Paul's theme, now walked out in protest, while those who remained behind set up a clamour for more instruc­tion on these lines.

 

The Greek phrase for "the next sab­bath" is puzzling. Literally, it reads: "unto the between sabbath," or, just possibly, "unto the week between." The former would imply an extra sabbath, special for one of the feasts. But in that (known) time of the year there is no Jewish feast. So the alternative seems to be that they asked for further instruction at the mid–week synagogue meetings.

 

The grace of God

 

When the congregation broke up, many – both Jews and Gentiles – were so impressed that they followed Paul and Barnabas to their lodging, their spiritual appetite whetted by what they had heard. These people evidently encountered strong Judaistic dissuasion from such enthusiasm, but the apostles used sus­tained efforts to persuade them to adhere to this new faith. The Greek verb for "continue" implies an exhortation that these new hearers would come to and stay in "the grace of God."

 

Here, for the first time, is another magnificent Pauline word. All students of the New Testament need to be on the alert at each encounter with Charis, grace, to indentify which of its pregnant mean­ings best fits each context:

 

1. God's gift of forgiveness e.g. Rom. 3:24; 5:2,15,17,20,21; Gal. 2:21; 5:4:1 Tim. 1:14;Tit. 2:11;3:7.
   
2. God's gift of the Holy Spirit; e.g. Lk. 4:22; Rom. 15:15; 12:3,6; Gal. 2:9; Eph. 4:7; 2 Pet. 3:18.
   
3. Thanks for a gift; e.g. 2 Cor. 9:15; 2:14; Rom. 6:17; 1 Tim. 1:12; Philem.7;1 Pet. 2:9,20.
   
4. More vaguely, (and more rarely) in the sense of favour or kindness; e.g. Acts 24:17; 25:3,9; Lk. 2:52.
   

 

In the present instance there can be little doubt that the first meaning listed here is the correct one.

 

 

Notes: 13:38–43

38. Forgiveness of sins was implied also in the great promise to David – "the sure mercies": "I will settle him in mine house (temple!) and in my kingdom for ever" (1 Chr. 17:14,12).

39. All that believe. Peter's teaching also: 10:43; 15:10,11.

40. The Prophets. Was Is. 29:14 used also?

41. Perish. Gk: aphanizo. The same word, basically, comes in the Gk. text of Dan. 9:26,27.

I work. A dramatic present, not inappropriate, for although the downfall of Jerusalem was twenty years away, it was already possible to see that disaster as inevitable.

42a. 43a. There seems to be a parallel case in 28:25,29.

42. Besought. The imperfect tense here implies that they persisted.

43. After Paul and Barnabas, Syriac text adds: asking to be baptized.

Persuaded. Note the emphasis on Paul's powers of persuasion: 18:4; 19:8; 26:28; 28 23; Gal. 1:10.

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53. "We turn to the Gentiles" (13:44–52)

 

In Antioch, as the week ran its course, religious excitement mounted higher. Codex Beza has the addition: "the word of God spread through the entire city." It is the first of five repetitions packed into this short narrative (v.43 Bez, 44, 46, 47, 49). When Paul and Barnabas went to the next sabbath service, the synagogue was crowded. Not just the "God–fearers" but "almost the whole city" was eager to hear more of the message. The Bezan text adds here that they were there to "hear the word of Paul and that "he preached for a long time."

 

Growing opposition

 

The Jews, who had strongly dissented on the previous sabbath, now came out in open hostility. Envious (Mt. 27:18) of the success of Paul's preaching, they mounted militant criticism, speaking against the Biblical reasoning in Paul's discourse and open blaspheming the name of Jesus.

 

This was an excess the apostles were not prepared to put up with. So they broke with the synagogue forthwith, but not before making a plain–spoken and Biblical rebuke:

 

"It was necessary (because the Lord himself had so commanded; Mt. 10:6; Lk 24:47) that the word of God (about the Word) should first be spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

 

By this they may have meant that by their hostility to the gospel these Jews were pronouncing judgement on them­selves, or (more likely) here was half–veiled irony censuring their intransigence. Indeed, the form of the Greek verb for "ye put it from you" seems to require this latter inflexion.

 

The preachers' mandate in Isaiah

 

The Biblical mandate for this drastic re–orientation of policy was not lacking: "For so hath the Lord (Jehovah) com­manded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth."

 

The words were quoted from one of the most eloquent (and most neglected?) of Isaiah's Messianic prophecies. It is hardly appropriate here to expound Isaiah 49 in detail. Quotation of two verses in the context must suffice:

 

"And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered (Jewry's rejection of the gospel), yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles ..." (49:5,6).

 

A common idiom

 

These verses, and indeed the whole paragraph, are plainly a prophecy about Christ. Yet the apostles dared to appropri­ate the words to themselves:' 'So hath the Lord commanded us ..." Nor was this "misuse" of Scripture questioned, for even these hostile Jews could see that what was declared true regarding Mes­siah must be valid for Messiah's men also.

 

The idiom has plenty of parallels:

 

1. In 2 Cor. 6:2 Paul quotes the same prophecy (Is.49:8) with reference to his own work of preaching.
   
2. "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"(Acts 9:4).
   
3. "Inasmuch as ye have done it into one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Mt. 25:40).
   
4. "He that receiveth you receiveth
   
5. me" (Mt. 10:40 and also 18:5 and John 13:20).
   
6. "They crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6).
   
7. "Your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Heb. 6:10).

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Rejoicing

 

The repetition shows the importance of the principle.

 

"And when the Gentiles heard this (Paul's stalwart maintaining of their right to hear the gospel), they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord" –this also in fulfilment of the Isaiah prophecy: "Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth ... Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord" (49:13,5). By glorifying the message they glorified God (or should the text read "Word"?).

 

Luke, compiling the history, seems himself to have been made glad by it, for he records again that "the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit." This latter phrase, anarthrous, can be read in more than one way – either as implying that through the laying on of Paul's hands gifts of the Holy Spirit had been imparted, or that their conversion showed itself in sanctified minds.

 

Predestination

 

There has been a good, deal of theolo­gical disputation over Luke's addition: ' 'And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (their baptism being taken for granted). By one school of thought that word "ordained" has been taken as explicit proof of cast–iron predestination. By others, who emphasize that all is of a man's own will, such a conclusion has been strongly resisted, the implication of "ordained" being explained away by one device or another.

 

First, it needs to be said, that, so far as over–all Bible teaching is concerned, both points of view are inescapably correct. Both are constantly assumed as fun­damental, even though there appears to be no effort in Holy Scripture to reconcile the seeming inconsistency. The whole subject is too vast and complex for analysis of it to be set out here.

 

Secondly, "ordain" is not by itself decisive as to meaning. The word here means "arranged, marshalled (as a milit­ary squad), set in order," and the form of it suggests a continuing process, not some­thing determined once and for all. Also, it may be read as meaning (in "middle voice") that it was a choice these converts were making on their own behalf. In any case, Scripture sometimes uses predes­tination language as meaning a fate which is not irreversible; e.g. "He that overcom­eth ... I will not blot out his name out of the book of life ..." (Rev. 3:5). It is implied here that a man's name may be inscribed in the Lamb's book of redemption and yet be subsequently erased!

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Persecution and expulsion

 

Paul's zealous joyful converts did not stand still. They promptly turned them­selves into evangelists in all the area round about: "The word of the Lord was spread abroad.” With what subtlety Luke choose his key word here, for not only does it link with another word implying inspiration (2 Pet. 1:17,18,21; 2 Jn. 10; Acts 2:2), but it is a double–meaning word, suggesting also the idea of excell­ing over any rivalry (Lk. 12:7,24; Phil. 1:10;Mt. 12:12).

 

This progress provoked Jewish envy to yet worse antagonism. Their religion already commanded the sympathy of not a few influential women of the aristocratic class. These were now egged on by the men of the synagogue to use their power against Paul and Barnabas. Here is yet another example of how well Luke's history accurately reflects the times and places he writes about, for a good deal of contemporary evidence has come to light that in this particular province women were often admitted to the administration of public affairs.

 

Even the Jews of Anti­och were not against having a woman as 'Chief of the Synagogue."

 

These influential women In turn per­suaded the city's rulers – "The First Ten" – to take a strong line against the apostles. There was such persecution and affliction (Beza) – for all the believers (14:22) – as to make life really difficult. Years later Paul was to refer to "persecu­tions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch" (2 Tim. 3:11). Probably it was here where he had to endure one of the five unidentified "forty stripes save one" which were etched in his memory as well as on his back.

 

Then the preachers were hustled out of the city. It was easier to mete out this sort of treatment to them than to attempt refutation of their gospel and the Biblical testimony which supported it.

 

As a final admonition to the Jews of Antioch, now left without excuse because of the witness they had heard, Paul and Barnabas solemnly shook off the city's dust from their sandals. This was not only in accordance with the instructions of the Lord Jesus to his first team of missionar­ies (Mt. 10:14), it also proclaimed that the Jews of Antioch were no better than spiritual lepers (Lev. 14:41). It is true that after a while Paul and Barnabas returned there, but not to do any more public preaching, only to fortify the loyalty of the new converts (14:20,21).

 

Sixty miles or more away, east by south, on the great main road, lay Iconium. The apostles now made their way there, probably leaving Titus behind in Antioch to consolidate the new ecclesia.

 

 

Notes: 13:44–52

45. Spake against. The continuous form of this verb indicates a sustained campaign.

46. Waxed bold. The Gk. word suggests a marked changed in attitude – triggered off by Paul's sudden recovery in health?

Necessary. There might be an implication here of no high expectations of success. But Israel must always have priority: 3:26; 1:8; 13:5; Rom. 1:16.

Ye put it from you. The Greek implying a drastic action, as though for their own benefit! Rom. 11:1,2 (s.w.), shows clearly that Jewry were not cast off until they cast themselves off. So also Mt. 22:5–9.

47. Command us. Gk. perfect tense, implies that these were ' 'standing orders."

A light to the Gentiles. Contrast the false Elymas; v. 10,11.

48. Ordained to eternal life. The preposition 'unto' surely implies moving in that direction, but not having 'got there'. Note the opposite emphasis, in v.43,46, on exercise of personal decision. Yet what a contrast with 16:14; Jn. 6:44,37; 1 Sam. 10:26; Phil. 1:29. The believer's thinking must find room for both ideas, whether understood and reconciled or not.

50. Stirred up. A closely related word comes in a Greek text of 1 Sam. 25:14.

49, 52. A result different from what the persecutors had hoped for. Note the antithesis between persecution and its outcome in 4:21,31; 5:41,42; 8:3 (with 9:31); 12:1–3,24).

[Resource Manager]

54. At Iconium (14:1–7)

 

Iconium had grown up in very ancient times as the centre of a small fertile area in the middle of a rather desolate table­land. It reckoned as part of the region of Lycaonia, but with his usual exactness in matters of this sort Luke makes a distinc­tion (v.6), for the people were really Phrygians. Archaeologists report the finding of plenty of inscriptions in the Phrygian dialect and in bad Greek.

 

The Antioch pattern

 

There Paul and Barnabas followed exactly the same methods as at Antioch –the phrase translated "both together" (v.1) should read "after the same manner (as at Antioch);" cp. Lk. 6 23,26; 17:30 Gk. They attended the synagogue, a large one, and used so effectively their opportu­nities to preach that a great number of those hearing them, both Jews and God–fearing Gentiles, turned to the Faith.

 

Then, as night follows day, there came trouble stirred up by the Jewish leaders (17:4,5) with the aid of their Gentile friends. The Bezan text in this paragraph is unusually full and detailed, and bears all the marks of truth: "But the archisynago–goi (synagogue officials) and the rulers brought persecution against them, against the just (i.e. the converts), and made the souls of the Gentiles evil affected against the brethren. But the Lord quickly gave peace."

 

It is a likely guess that the Roman authorities, when pressed for action against the missionaries, ruled that there was nothing unlawful in their activities.

 

Nor could there be a synagogue ban because here so many of the Jews were eager for the message. So the work went ahead, both in the synagogue and pri­vately: "Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord."

 

That word "therefore" creates a dif­ficulty by seeming to make this sustained preaching a direct consequence of the persecution.

 

Some have suggested that Luke in­tended verse 2 as a parenthesis, put there to complete the picture, with verse 1, of believing Jews, God–fearing Gentiles, hostile Jews, and hostile Gentiles. Others, interpret as an indication that stirring up disaffection against the Faith was a long slow process during which time Paul and Barnabas pressed on vigorously. But most likely the explanation hinted at in the Bezan text, given above, is correct.

 

Progress

 

The campaign was made successful by two special features. The preachers spoke boldly "upon the Lord" (so the Greek text), that is, either with full faith in His blessing, or centring all their message in Christ. Also, by a special endowment of Holy Spirit power the Lord gave excep­tional witness in "signs and wonders" of healing done through the laying on of the apostles' hands. The fact that "the Lord granted signs" suggests that the apostles prayed for aid in their work, and got it.

 

As the healing of the paralytic man in the synagogue had demonstrated Christ's authority to forgive sins, so also in Iconium there were similar tokens of "his grace", that is, of the forgiveness brought to them in the gospel.

 

There developed a great deal of public excitement over these gospel activities, everybody taking sides for or against.

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The story of Thekla

 

It is at this point that it becomes possible tentatively to expand Luke's account with the aid of an early Christian document called "The Acts of Paul and Thekla." This is a remarkable story about an exceptional young woman Thekla whom Paul unwittingly converted. After the early paragraphs a good deal of highly–coloured fantasy creeps into this tradition. But Sir William Ramsay and not a few other scholars are satisfied that the more sober part of the story is genuine enough.

 

Thekla lived in the next house to that of Onesiphorus which had become the cen­tre of much of Paul's mid–week preaching. Sitting at the window she saw numbers of people, especially women, going in; and she had no difficulty in listening to the instruction which Paul gave them. Fascin­ated by what she heard, Thekla listened more and more, and at last sought out Paul and proclaimed herself a believer. When this became known to her family and she broke off her engagement to a young man in the city, the hostile Jews made use of this situation to stir up more animosity against Paul and Barnabas.

 

Here, probably, was the situation be­hind Luke's description of a plan con­cocted with the collaboration of the Jew­ish leaders to "use them despitefully, and to stone them."

 

This plot became known to the apos­tles, and, in accordance with the counsel of their Lord (Mt. 10:23), they fled to another city – to Lystra – and continued operations there. Luke's description in­cludes "the region that lieth round about" (cp. 13:49), but since the language of the country districts was not spoken by the apostles (v.11) this part of the preaching work must have been done by Galatian converts already made.

 

Paul's portrait

 

The Thekla document mentioned, now extant in Greek, Syriac, and Armenian, is specially interesting for its inclusion of a description of Paul's personal appear­ance. Unfortunately the versions vary somewhat, but the over–all impression given is that this is no invention, but a genuine tradition: He was "small in stature, bald–headed, bow–legged, hol­low–eyed (or, with large eyes; one version says: curly hair and blue eyes!), with meeting eyebrows and rather a long (or, crooked) nose; he was full of grace; now he looked like a man, now he had the face of an angel."

 

Who would invent such a picture as this?

 

It is noteworthy that it is in the Iconium narrative that Paul and Barnabas are first referred to as apostles. This must be read either in the lesser sense of being mis­sionaries sent out by the church, or else as implying that the two friends both had apostolic qualifications – being able to bear personal witness concerning Christ not only before he was crucified but also after his resurrection. The possibility raises some interesting issues. Is it adequate to refer back to the Lord's own commission at the beginning of the mis­sionary journey?: "Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereun­to I called them" (13:2).

 

 

Notes: 14:1–7

2. Made their minds evil affected. The same Greek words come in the same sense in Ps. 106:32 LXX, but in a very different sense (fasting?) in Num. 29:7;30:14.

3. The Lord... gave testimony. There are plenty of instances in Acts of the Lord's personal concern and activity in the work of his men: 7:55; 9:4,10; 13:52; 14:3; 16:7,14; 18:5;22:17;23:11.

5. The Gentiles would "use them despitefully." The Jews and their (synagogue) rulers would plan to stone them.

6. Ware of it. The Lord saw to it that a good grapevine operated on behalf of his persecuted servants: 9:24; 20:3; 23:16.

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55. Lystra (14:8–18)

 

At Lystra the Jewish community, the apostles' usual springboard, was only small, so that there was no synagogue. However it seems very likely that they very soon made the acquaintance of the Jewess Eunice and her mother Lois and Eunice's son, Timothy, a youth of excep­tional promise. Probably this home be­came their headquarters, whilst in Lystra. Eunice was the widow of a Greek who had been very well–known throughout the city (16:3; 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:10,15).

 

Local religion centred on the worship of Jupiter, the chief of the gods. The temple of Zeus–before–the–gates stood im­mediately outside the city entrance, thus demanding the attention and reverence of all who came and went.

 

A lame man healed

 

This first part of Luke's account con­centrates on a single incident which happened there.

 

One of the people of Lystra who gave unflagging attention to the message of these missionaries was a decrepit Gentile God–fearer (so Codex Beza), a man lame from birth and, presumably, dependant on begging for his livelihood. Time after time he hobbled or was carried to some vantage point from which he could listen to the preachers.

 

There came a day when Paul was inspired to turn this faithful adherence to practical advantage. It was a special harvest festival at the temple. Zeus was being thanked by the simple–minded throng for the season's bounties. At an open–air meeting near the temple, Paul, recognizing in the man the birth of a saving faith, made use of him as a spiritual object–lesson. Fastening his eyes on the cripple and shouting out with all the power he was capable of, so as to rivet the attention of the crowd, the apostle bade him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Bezan text) rise up and walk in a normal healthy way. Without any hesitation the

man did so. It was part of this amazing exercise of divine power that although the man had never walked before he did not need to learn how. He leaped and he walked. And every spectator knew that here was a genuine marvel and no trickery.

 

Gods, not men!

 

The reaction of the multitude was spontaneous and unanimous. Jabbering away in their local Lycaonian, in a way that was as meaningless to the two preachers as when English tourists hear Welsh country folk talking in their own historic incomprehensibility, these Lys­trans assured themselves that this must be again the very thing they had often heard of in their national folklore – a visit from the gods. Hadn't one of their ancient kings been turned into a wolf for his sneering ill–treatment of a visitor who was none other than the divine Zeus? – and hence the name Lycaonia, wolf–land. And wasn't there that charming tale of how Zeus and Hermes, turned away inhospit­ably from one home after another, had been befriended in a near–by village by poverty–stricken but kindly Philemon and his wife Baucis?

 

So it took no time at all for the crowd to conclude that their harvest festival was being honoured by a visit from the gods. The tall dignified one was Zeus, of course. And, with more hesitation, the other must be Hermes – called Mercurius by the local Roman colonists – the interpreter (herm–eneutēs) and messenger of the gods to men, the inventor of speech, and bringer of good luck. In his epistle written maybe two years later Paul was to allude to this: "Ye received me as an angel (messen­ger) of God" (Gal. 4:14).

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Worshipped

 

The identification caught on very quick­ly, but the apostles, bewildered by the strange uncouth noises all round them, hadn't a clue what all the excitement was about.

 

Meantime, the high priest of Zeus and his temple staff promptly decided that, whatever their own private opinions might be about this astonishing incident, it was certainly in their own professional interest to go along with this sudden flare–up of religious enthusiasm. So since the "di­vine" visitants showed no sign of wanting to glorify the temple precincts with their presence and since detailed preparations were already in hand for honouring Zeus as lord of the harvest, it would surely be, to say the least, tactful to bring their sac­rifices to where "Zeus" and "Hermes" were before the temple gates.

 

Unable to follow all the excited talk, the apostles only realised what was afoot when an altar was being improvised and oxen sacrificed and themselves about to be bedecked with garlands.

 

Protest

 

When Paul and Barnabas realised that their own apotheosis was intended, with­out losing a moment they ran amongst the crowd, making vigorous protest – in Greek, of course, the only language by which they could get through to the ordinary folk: We are men, not gods. We are not all–powerful, but creatures of the same human nature as yourselves. And we are here as messengers, truly, but to assert not our own glory but that of the Living God, who "made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein." So we beseech you to "turn from these vanities."

 

In the excitement of the moment, they perhaps said more than they intended, for it was hardly tactful when face to face with priests and an excited populace to decry their highest religious intentions as "vani­ties." Very shortly this was to be remem­bered against Paul.

 

Since it was no good appealing to the authority of Holy Scripture, the only alternative was to reason from the evident facts of a beneficient Nature: "Rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (cp. Dt 28:47; Ps. 4:7). Thus they would fain steer the people's religious instincts away from ancient myths to the true beneficent Creator. "Rain from heaven" was not a blessing to take for granted, for Lycaonia is an arid plateau, the wells were, and still are, unusually deep.

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One scholar suggests that the Greek of these expressions is rhythmic and implies that the apostles sought to harness to their protest the hymn to Zeus which they had heard sung that day.

 

Maybe. But it seems just as likely that a man such as Paul would instinctively express himself in the words and ideas of the Scriptures, even though Moses and the prophets meant nothing to these people. Psalm 146:6 and many verses in Ps. 147 (and Isaiah 55:10,4,7) seem to be specially relevant in their appeal.

 

The positive part of their protest was, very simple: "Turn unto the Living God" (precisely as in 9:35; 11:21; 15:19; 26:20; 1. Th. 1:9). And this too would be remembered against them by priests with a vested interest.

 

It was only with much difficulty that the populace were persuaded to let go the intention of their misguided fervour and to "go away each to his own home" (as two ancient authorities read here).

 

How long was it before disillusionment begat animosity? Years later the barbar­ous people of Melita switched suddenly from thinking of Paul as a criminal to revering him as a god (28:4,6). Before long the men of Lystra were to make a dramatic re–assessment of a more tragic nature.

 

Notes: 14:8–18

8. Paul's own claims to exercise miraculous powers: 2 Cor. 12:12; Rom. 15:19; Gal. 3:5.

9. Fastened his eyes on him. The expression comes ten times in Acts, three times of Paul. Then can he have suffered, as many aver, from defective eyesight?

10. Walked. Would the memory of this add point to Gal. 5:16? Here was one of the signs of apostleship, of value in later days when Galatian believers were turning away from Paul; Gal. 3:5; 2 Cor. 12:12; Rom. 15:19.

12. Mercurius. When the reaction came later on, it would be remembered also that Paul did not understand their speech, so how could he be the interpreter of the gods?

And Mercury (Hermes) was also the god of good luck and the guide of disembodied souls going to the underworld. After stoning him, they would dwell on these ideas with a certain dramatic irony. And how could they possibly have taken this bald–headed, big–nosed, bow–legged man for the elegant glamorous Mercury?

13. Sacrifice. A Lystran coin has been found showing a priest and two oxen.

15. Vanities. Dt. 32:21; Jer. 2:5; 10:3; 8:19; 2 Kgs. 17:15. All things that are therein. Ex. 20:11,4.

16. In times past. But now a new era has been brought in; 17:30.

17. Filling our hearts with food and gladness. In the Bible "heart" signifies "mind" ("Studies in the Gospels," p.175,348). So this must be shorthand for giving us food and (thus) filling our minds with gladness."

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56. "Death" and "Resurrection" (14:19–28)

 

It would be strange indeed if there did not come in the minds of the people of Lystra a marked reaction to the apostles' refusal to accept deification. So a renewal of Jewish persecution came at the psychological moment. It says much for the hostility stirred up in the minds of the Jews at Antioch that some of them were prepared to make the taxing journey of over a hundred miles to Lystra to fulfil this religious duty (as they saw it; cp. Mt. 23:15) and to indulge a personal satisfac­tion of doing despite to these preachers of a reprobate gospel.

 

First, there was a public contention against the message concerning Jesus. The Bezan text adds: "and as they were disputing publicly, they persuaded the multitude to withdraw from them, saying that 'nothing which they say is true, but all false!"

 

Stoning

 

Next, feeling that the crowd was now solidly on their side, these Jews set about stoning Paul, and in this they were no doubt promptly joined by the worst ele­ments of the mob. The Jews saw this as a rightful punishment for the blasphemy of the gospel centring in Jesus (Dt. 18:20; 13:10). And after the Zeus–Hermes epi­sode the local pagans would have a similar attitude. 'Why ever did we allow ourselves to be taken in? What resembl­ence between this unattractive fellow and our graceful Hermes?'

 

It was Paul they went for, for it was evident to everybody that he was the dominant personality in this preaching campaign. Barnabas on his own would make relatively little impact.

 

So the apostle took a fearful mauling that evening (2 Cor. 11:25; 2 Tim. 3:11; Gal. 6:17). They were sure they'd killed him. "They did not leave stoning him till they had the fullest evidence that he was dead; and so, most probably, he was" (Adam Clarke). Then he was roughly dragged away (cp. 8:3), to be dumped unceremoniously outside the city gate and, with sardonic satisfaction doubtless, before the entrance to the temple of Zeus! He had refused to let them offer a sacrifice to him as to one of the gods, had he? then here was a sacrifice of a different sort, laid before the temple gate of gods he had bluntly disparaged. Also, if it came to an inquiry about the corpse, it would now be less easy to trace who was responsible for the violence.

 

After dark (according to the Bezan text) some of the new disciples – including Eunice and the young fearful Timothy? –came to where the dirty blood–stained body of Paul lay. Convinced that he was past all hope, they made no attempt at resuscitation, but simply stood round him in prayer and utter sadness.

 

"Resurrection" and departure

 

To their indescribable astonishment, he came to, and stood up in the midst of them. With what gladness did they now take him with them back into the city –there was no alternative, they must take the risk of renewed violence from his enemies. Whether the apostle had actual­ly been killed or not, there is no gainsaying the miracle of his recovery, for next morning (and early, doubtless) he and Barnabas were on the road south–east to Derbe. Persecuted in one city, they now fled to another, as their Lord had bidden them (Mt. 10:23). Certainly it is some­thing of a marvel that on the morning after such a battering Paul was able and willing to attempt the long hike now undertaken. One pictures young Timothy carrying his pack for him, and then returning home next day.

 

And when Paul moved on, though sore in body he would surely feel easier in conscience, for the stoning he had orga­nized against Stephen and the dragging away which he had inflicted on harmless believers had now been his experience also. It was a poor sort of amends that he had now made, and that not by choice, but no doubt he felt a lot better for it.

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Derbe

 

The recorded details about the aposto­lic work in Derbe are meagre, probably because Titus, the ultimate source of this part of the history, was left behind in Lystra to nurture the new and somewhat apprehensive ecclesia there. But evident­ly in this small town there were no Jews with rancorous opposition, and the preaching went ahead quietly and effec­tively. One of the converts here was a certain Gaius of Derbe, a useful organizer of Paul's benevolent fund in later days (20:3).

 

The missionary work probably con­tinued successfully at Derbe all through that winter. And in the spring, having "made many disciples" (v.21 RV), Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra. It may seem strange that, being so near to the Cilician Gates, the pass through the Taurus Mountains leading quickly to Tar­sus and so to Antioch in Syria, they did not continue on that road. But these two preachers knew well enough already that missionary work without a follow–up of pastoral help is work ill done, especially too in Galatia where there had been such persecution at Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch.

 

Return visits

 

So they re–traced their steps "con­firming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the Faith."

 

There had been formal expulsion from Antioch (13:50) and yet they returned there also. It may be that the expulsion had been for only a limited period; or perhaps there were now new magistrates not so severely inclined as the others. In any case the two apostles were not seeking to renew a public campaign. On this occasion they were concentrating on pastoral work. In Gal. 4:13 Paul refers to "the first time" he preached among them. The phrase implies a second visit. Thus there is a neat "undesigned coincidence" with the Acts narrative about this return journey.

 

Probably there was also another reason for their return to these inhospit­able places. Paul was a Roman citizen; yet he had been maltreated in a way that would outrage the feelings of the Roman authorities when they knew. It would be Paul's intention, as at Philippi on the next journey (16:37–39), that they should know, for then there would be a reason­able likelihood of firm action being taken if later on there arose more Jewish persecution against the newly–founded ecclesias.

 

Exhortation

 

Even so, the brethren were solemnly warned that "it is necessary for us through much tribulation to enter into the kingdom of God." The first person pro­noun is often read as implying, like the other "we" passages in Acts, that Luke was with Paul and Barnabas at this time. The likelihood of this is pretty small. More probably, this detail is part of the report which Titus passed on to his brother Luke, including, as in one or two other places the very words used by the apostles in their exhortation (see ch.59).

 

Because of their racial character it was needful that these Galatians be urged to steadfastness in their new faith. Within a marvellously short time the Lystrans had moved, in their attitude to the preachers, from deification to despite. It is notewor­thy that this Greek word for "confirm," which comes four times in Acts, and nowhere else, is three times used regard­ing the Galatians (15:41; 18 23).

 

Subsequent events proved this ex­hortation to be very necessary, for within a short while of the return of the apostles to Antioch in Syria these Galatian churches were completely overpowered by the bulldozing self–confidence of Judaist sub­verted, so that it became necessary for Paul to dash off his vigorous epistle exhorting them to "continue in the Faith" which he had taught them, and re­proaching them that they had so easily succumbed to the wiles of false teachers (Gal. 1:6;3:2; 5:1; 6:12).