Acts 13

Beginning with chapter 13, the narrative of Acts centers on Paul's mission. Barnabas and Saul, who had returned at the end of chapter 12 (12:25) after completing their task in Jerusalem, set out in this chapter on the first missionary journey.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 While the church at Antioch ministers to the Lord and fasts, the Holy Spirit directs that Barnabas and Saul be set apart. The church lays hands on the two men and sends them off.
• Verses 4–5 The party preaches the word in the Jewish synagogues at Salamis on Cyprus. John accompanies them as their minister.
• Verses 6–12 At Paphos, the sorcerer Bar-jesus (Elymas) tries to turn the deputy Sergius Paulus away from the faith. "Saul, (who also is called Paul,)" rebukes him, and Elymas is struck blind for a season; seeing this, the deputy believes.
• Verses 13–15 At Perga, John returns to Jerusalem. In the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia, the rest of the party is invited to give a word of exhortation.
• Verses 16–41 Paul preaches. After reviewing Israel's history from the Exodus to David, he proclaims that from David's seed has come a Savior, Jesus, and that his death and resurrection fulfilled the promise. He goes on to declare that through this man come forgiveness of sins and justification.
• Verses 42–49 On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathers, and the Jews, filled with envy, contradict what Paul says. Paul and Barnabas declare that they will turn to the Gentiles, and the word of the Lord spreads throughout the region.
• Verses 50–52 Persecuted and expelled, the two shake off the dust of their feet against their opponents and go on to Iconium.

Key Verses

• Acts 13:2, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul": the church, led by the Holy Spirit, sends out missionaries.
• Acts 13:39, "all that believe are justified": a verse connected to the teaching on justification in Paul's epistles.
• Acts 13:47, "I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles": a quotation of Isaiah 49:6 cited as the basis for the mission to the Gentiles.

People and Places

• Simeon (called Niger), Lucius, and Manaen: prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. Manaen had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch.
• John: understood to be John whose surname was Mark (Mark).
• Sergius Paulus: the deputy (proconsul) of the island of Cyprus.
• Bar-jesus (Elymas): a Jewish sorcerer (magician) in the deputy's company.
• The sermon mentions Samuel, Saul, David, John the Baptist, and Pontius Pilate.
• Cyprus is the island still known by that name today. Antioch in Pisidia was a city in the interior of Asia Minor, distinct from Antioch in Syria.

Points for Reflection

• It is often said that Saul changed his name to Paul at his conversion, but the text says only "Saul, (who also is called Paul)." Many interpreters hold that he used both a Jewish name and a Roman name.
• The text does not say why John left. This incident later becomes the occasion for Paul and Barnabas parting ways in 15:37–39.
• Interpretations differ on the phrase "as many as were ordained to eternal life" in verse 48. The Calvinist tradition reads the verse as a basis for predestination. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions may connect it with God's foreknowledge or interpret it as referring to those whose hearts were disposed toward eternal life.
• The phrase "about the space of four hundred and fifty years" in verses 19–20 appears in different positions in different manuscripts. For this reason, some translations take it as the length of the period of the judges.
• The sermon quotes Psalm 2, Isaiah 55, Psalm 16, and Habakkuk 1.

In the Korean Church

Verses 1–3 are frequently read at missionary commissioning services. The church at Antioch, which fasted, prayed, and sent out missionaries, is often presented as a model of a missionary church. Acts 13:22, which calls David "a man after mine own heart," is also frequently cited in preaching.