Acts 13:30 - Printer Friendly

The only reason the Jews are still a people in the time of Paul is because of God's saving work. God used Moses to save them from slavery in Egypt and starvation in the wilderness, Joshua to save them from the nomadic, landless life, and judges and kings to save them from foreign oppressors. Through the prophets, including prophecies of David and John the Baptist, God also promised a Savior who would sit on David's throne and bring peace and independence to Israel (Acts 13:17–25, 27).

The problem is, the Savior has come and gone, and Israel is neither independent nor at peace.

Paul is explaining to a group of Jews and God-fearing Gentiles that there is more to peace than politics. There is also peace with God through the forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38–39). First, however, Paul must explain who this Savior is and how He can offer this salvation. He has shared how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem betrayed and rejected the Savior, fulfilling the prophecies found in Jewish Scripture (Acts 13:26–29). Now he is revealing an unexpected turn of events: God saved the Savior!

Jesus was beaten, crucified, killed, and buried. And then God raised Him from the dead. It is because God saved Jesus from what people did to Him that Jesus can save those same people who rejected God. This message, not political prosperity and independence, is the heart of the covenant God made with Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

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.