Acts 13:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

NIV: When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

NASB: Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.

CSB: Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

NLT: When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.

KJV: Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

NKJV: Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Paul has freed the proconsul of the island of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, from the lies of his fraudulent spiritual advisor Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6–11). Bar-Jesus is a Jewish false prophet who cheated Sergius Paulus instead of leading him to the local synagogue to learn about God. Paul and Barnabas met Bar-Jesus first; it's not explicitly clear how the proconsul heard about them or why he invited them to speak. He may have heard that they were introducing a new Jewish sect to his people and wanted to know if they were a threat. But when faced with the truth about Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit he quickly rejected his corrupt spiritual advisor and accepted the spiritual truth Paul offered.

There is an inscription mentioning Lucius Sergius Paulus in Antioch in Pisidia, near the center of Asia Minor. This Antioch is Paul and Barnabas' next major stop. It's possible the proconsul asked they go to Antioch to spread the gospel to his family, and also possible he gave them letters of introduction. If he did, they weren't sufficient (Acts 13:50).

Caesar Augustus portioned off the Roman Empire into provinces that were senatorial or imperial. Senatorial provinces were ruled by a proconsul instead of a king and did not quarter legions for defense. Sergius Paulus had to be intelligent to rule peacefully without an army to back him up (Acts 13:7). The fact that he seemingly fell for Bar-Jesus' lies shows how desperate he was for God.

Acts 13:4–12 records the initial stop in Barnabas and Saul's first missionary journey (Acts 13:4—14:26). They sail west from Syrian Antioch to the island of Cyprus: Barnabas' home. As they travel the length of the island, they visit Jewish synagogues to give the Jews the first opportunity to accept Jesus' forgiveness (Romans 1:16), but their work among so many Gentiles impels Saul to make a major change and take on the Roman version of his name: Paul.

Acts 13 transitions Luke's account (Acts 1:1) fully into a record of Paul's ministry to spread the news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. They teach about Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins on the island of Cyprus and in the district of Pisidia in modern-day south-central Asia Minor. Along the way, they face opposition, desertion, and persecution: themes that will follow Paul throughout his life. But they also experience the joy of watching the people they'd least expect come to a saving faith in Jesus.

The first chapters of Acts, save for a quick account of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1–31), cover the ministry of the apostles, particularly Peter. Those passages also detail the spread of the news about Jesus from His followers. That message goes to the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 2—7) and Judea (Acts 8:26–40; 9:32–43), the Samaritans (Acts 8:4–25), and God-fearing Gentiles (Acts 10—11). Now, Paul's contribution to the ''end of the earth'' portion of Jesus' commission in Acts 1:8 begins, as he and Barnabas start their first missionary journey. Luke will record two more of Paul's journeys (Acts 15:36—18:22 and 18:23—20:38) before settling in on his return to Jerusalem, arrest, and sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.