Acts 13:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

NIV: Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

NASB: And though they found no grounds for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed.

CSB: Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

NLT: They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.

KJV: And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.

NKJV: And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

The Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles of the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch would try to travel to Jerusalem for one or more of the three major festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). But it would be difficult for anyone—even if they lived in Judea—to attend all three feasts every year; it was impossible for someone who lived so far away from Jerusalem. Even though these men know about John the Baptist, they may not know anything about Jesus of Nazareth, His crucifixion, and the rumors of His resurrection. Before Paul can explain how Jesus fits within the context of God's saving work in Israel's history, he must explain who Jesus is.

"They" are the Sanhedrin: the Jewish ruling council composed of priests, scribes and elders, primarily from the party of the Sadducees, but also including some Pharisees. They had many reasons for wanting to kill Jesus. He broke their human-imposed Sabbath laws (Mark 3:1–6), gained too much popularity (Matthew 27:18), and embarrassed them in front of the crowds (Mark 12:13–40). But they had no capital offense with which to charge Him. So, they hired men to lie about Him. This didn't work, because the false witnesses couldn't synchronize their stories. Finally, they got Him to say He was the Son of God (Mark 14:57–63).

Pilate, the governor of Judea, knew the Sanhedrin had no legitimate charges, but he didn't want the Jewish leaders to start a riot or accuse him of treason against Caesar. To keep the peace Pilate agreed to crucify an innocent man (John 18:28–32; 19:6–16).

Acts 13:16–41 gives the transcript of Paul's message in Pisidian Antioch. It is the only recording of Paul's many synagogue sermons. Paul's message can be broken into five parts, each identified with a call to heed Paul's words: 1. God's saving work in Israel's history and promise of a future Savior (Acts 13:16–25); 2. The Savior's story (Acts 13:26–31); 3. The prophecies of the Savior (Acts 13:32–37); 4. The nature of ''salvation'' (Acts 13:38–39); 5. A warning to accept the Savior (Acts 13:40–41). Some Jews and many Gentiles do accept the message, but the synagogue leaders drive Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:42–51).

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.