Acts 13:52 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

NIV: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

NASB: And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

CSB: And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

NLT: And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

KJV: And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

NKJV: And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Paul and Barnabas are in the middle of their first missionary journey. They set off from Syrian Antioch with Barnabas' cousin, John Mark, and sailed to the island of Cyprus. After traveling the length of the southern shore, they sailed north to the mainland, where John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas traveled north, to Pisidian Antioch, near the center of modern-day Asia Minor (Acts 13:1–13).

In Pisidian Antioch, Paul introduced the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue to Jesus, God's promised Savior. The group wanted to know more, so they agreed to come the next week. To the surprise of the synagogue leaders, practically the entire town showed up. Some Jews and many Gentiles accepted what Paul and Barnabas had to say. The synagogue leaders grew jealous of the attention and tried to convince the crowd they were teaching falsely. Paul and Barnabas declared that if the Jewish establishment would not accept the news of their own Messiah, they would turn to the Gentiles. Incredulous, the synagogue leaders worked with the city's leading women and men and drove Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:14–51).

But the opposition can't stop the news from spreading. There is now a new group of Jesus-followers who share Jesus' offer of forgiveness with friends and family throughout the district (Acts 13:49). Many of them have training in the Jewish Scriptures, but even those who don't have the Holy Spirit. Paul and Barnabas are gone, but the Holy Spirit remains.

Acts 13:42–52 details the response to Paul's message in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. Many Gentiles and some Jews accept the news about Jesus gladly, but the synagogue leaders don't. Since Jews live in community, and the Jewish community leaders feel threatened by Paul's message and popularity, Paul can say "the Jews" reject Jesus' offer of eternal life. Paul turns his attention to the Gentiles until the Jewish leaders join with city leaders to drive Paul and Barnabas out of town.

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.