Acts 13:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

NIV: When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.

NASB: When they had carried out everything that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.

CSB: When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.

NLT: When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.

KJV: And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.

NKJV: Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.

Paul is explaining to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch how Jesus fits into God's continual plan of salvation for His people. We tend to think of "salvation" in terms of God forgiving our sins and living with us for eternity in heaven. In the Bible, "salvation" generally means "being saved." So, when God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, provided for them in the wilderness, and sent judges and kings to save them from their enemies, He was giving them salvation (Acts 13:17–22).

God also promised an ultimate Savior through the prophecies of David and John the Baptist (Acts 13:23–25), not to mention many others (Acts 13:27). The priests, scribes, and elders who made up the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, had opportunity to hear the prophets read at least once a week. But instead of recognizing Jesus as the Messiah in those prophecies, they fulfilled the prophecies by killing Him.

The first "they" is the Sanhedrin who orchestrated Jesus' death and Pilate who ordered it. Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, including:

Pierced for transgressions: Isaiah 53:5; John 20:25
Died with wicked: Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:38
Buried in a rich man's tomb: Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60
Lots cast for clothing: Psalm 22:18; John 19:24

In the idiom of that era, a "tree" was any kind of upright piece of wood, certainly including the vertical part of a cross. According to Deuteronomy 21:23, someone who hanged, as on a tree, was cursed by God and needed to be removed before nightfall. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the second "they," made sure Jesus was removed and buried (John 19:38–40).

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.