Acts 13:13- 41 At Antioch in Pisidia
“Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”
Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.
“After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’
“Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:
‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’
And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:
‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’
Therefore He also says in another Psalm: ‘You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’
“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’”
So far, Saul, who has renamed himself Paul, has remained a faithful and observant Jew, worshiping in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Having returned to Antioch, Paul and his comrades join worship at the local synagogue. For years, Paul has enjoyed an excellent reputation as an outstanding Jewish scholar, having studied under Gamaliel, one of the finest teachers in Jerusalem. So, it’s no surprise that the local Jewish congregation invites Paul to address them after the Scripture readings.
It’s interesting that Paul begins retelling the story of the Jewish people, much in the same fashion as Stephen did on the day of his martyrdom. And Paul arrives at the same place as Stephen: Messiah has come and the Jews have rejected Him, arranging for his crucifixion. But God has raised Messiah from the dead and all who believe in Him will receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” This is the culmination of Paul’s sermon, and he is proclaiming it in ringing tones of joy. After long decades of trying to get things right as a “Pharisee of the Pharisees,” Paul knows no greater thrill than the idea that his sins are truly forgiven and that never again must he perform long lists of rituals to try to please God. Paul is hopeful that the leaders of the local synagogue will share his joy and relief; however, to be intellectually honest, he must end with a warning.
“Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’” Perhaps Paul can already see the local Jewish leaders muttering imprecations into their beards, or perhaps Paul is simply issuing this warning for the sake of completeness. Paul is a scholar after all, and as such, he is bound to quote the Scriptures accurately, not tailoring his words to tell his audience what they want to hear. But Paul’s heart must be sad when he sees those local leaders carefully get up and stalk out of the synagogue in a high dudgeon. Obviously, these men anticipated some nice soothing message filled with platitudes that would justify their lifestyles and their cherished beliefs. Now this stranger from Jerusalem has dared to imply that they, the most righteous men in the synagogue, might be counted among the despisers mentioned by the prophets. The nerve of this man!
I once saw a fictitious letter in which Paul was anonymously applying for a position as a preacher. Paul began by listing his outstanding academic achievements but then continued to honestly list all the places where he had been rejected. This application letter was accompanied by an equally fictitious letter from a church board, thanking Paul for his application but stating that the board felt he would not be a good fit for their church because he was too controversial.
This is Paul’s first missionary journey, and the Holy Spirit is about to bless Paul and Barnabas with a major change in their ministry. For now, we simply watch as Jewish religious leaders rise to their feet and stride indignantly out of the synagogue, leaving the gentile worshipers behind.
May God help us, so that we always strive to please Him and not people!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and seek to please You, listening carefully to the Holy Spirit. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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