Acts 13:1-14 -- 6/10/07 P.M. (The Lord's Church)

Sunday P.M., June 10, 2007

ACTS 13:1-14

Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Up through 8:3, we have the witness to Jerusalem. In 8:4-12:25, we have the witness to Judaea and Samaria. Now from chapter 13 through chapter 28, the focus will be on the witness to uttermost part of the earth, even to the city of Rome. While there have been a few notable exceptions to this (the Ethiopian eunuch, Cornelius, the people of Antioch), this is the general plan.

Here in chapter 13 we also see a change in focus. Where the witness up to this time has been decidedly Jewish, now the emphasis will be on taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Whereas Jerusalem has been the base of operations up to this point, now we will find that Antioch is the great missionary center. And while Peter has dominated the first 12 chapters of Acts, his name will be mentioned only one time in chapters 13-28. And what human figure will dominate these chapters? Yes, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

With that introcution, let’s launch into chapter 13.

1. Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Remember the beginnings of the church at Antioch (this is Antioch of Syria, almost 400 miles north of Jerusalem; see map). Chapter 8 began with the scattering of many of the disciples in Jerusalem, because of the persecution that arose after the martyrdom of Stephen. While Philip went to Samaria and Peter spoke the word to Cornelius in Caesarea, some of them went much further, even as far as Antioch. At first, those who were scattered proclaimed the good news of Jesus only to Jews, but then there were some of the disciples in Antioch who dared to present the message to Greeks, to non-Jews, to Gentiles. And guess what? Many of them received the message and were converted.

Now in the church of Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers. Who were these prophets? We have a tendency to simply interpret prophets as preachers, seeing them as any preacher today. I don’t think you can find that in the New Testament. Here in the book of Acts this term "prophet" is used here in 13:1 for the 18th time. However, the first 16 occurrences speak either of the Old Testament prophets or of Moses’ statement that God would raise up a prophet like unto him, which, of course, was none other than Jesus Himself. Let’s go back to chapter 11 to find the 17th occurrence of this term. Acts 11:27, "And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch." So who were these prophets who came from Jerusalem to Antioch? They were not representatives of the Jerusalem church, who were sent to investigate what was going on at Antioch. Barnabas had already been sent to Antioch for that purpose. It is not stated that they were sent by the Jerusalem church at all. They simply came to Antioch. Only one of them is named, and that is Agabus. Let’s read about him in 11:28, "And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth [famine] throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar."

So we see that Agabus, speaking in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, told them that a famine was coming. Agabus was fulfilling his function as a prophet. God, through the Spirit, revealed to him that there would be a famine, and he relayed it to the believers in the church at Antioch. It appears that was the role of the prophet in the New Testament. He simply relayed to others what God revealed to him.

Not only were there prophets at Antioch, but there were also teachers. It is not absolutely clear whether this means that each of the five men listed exercised both the function of prophet and teacher, or whether some were teachers and some were prophets. Though it is an interesting question, it is not important for us to know the answer. It is enough to know that these were godly leaders in the church of Antioch.

Following the statement that there were certain prophets and teachers at Antioch, Luke then names five of them. There may have been more, but we are not told. Two of these we already know, Barnabas and Saul. Remember that it was Barnabas who came down from Jerusalem to check out the reports which had come from Antioch, "who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord" (11:23). Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement," remained in Antioch to encourage his new brothers and sisters in the Lord. But he soon discovered that he needed some help, so he went to Tarsus to find Saul, with whom he was acquainted. You will remember that we read about the conversion of Saul in chapter 9. Saul came back to Antioch with Barnabas, and together they taught these new disciples for an entire year. Afterwards they took a love offering to the saints in Jerusalem, who were suffering because of the famine that had been predicted.

Come now to the last verse in chapter 12. Acts 12:25, "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark." That is where our story begins today. So we see that Barnabas and Saul were two of the teachers in Antioch, for we are specifically told in 11:26 that they taught the people. We know nothing of the other three men who are named. It is interesting that Lucius was from Cyrene, which was a province located in north Africa. It was believers from Cyprus and Cyrene who had first proclaimed the gospel to Gentiles in Antioch, and Lucius may have been one of them. Manaen was brought up with Herod the tetrarch. Literally, he was "nourished with Herod." Translations range from friend or companion to foster-brother. This was the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded. We can see that this is quite a mix, fitting of a church that would become the missionary center of the gospel.

2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

So who was it who ministered to the Lord and fasted? It was these five men, who were just listed in verse 1. Literally, "they were ministering to the Lord and fasting." The emphasis is on continuing action. The word for "ministering" is the word that was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to designate the official service of the priests and Levites. Here it may speak of the leading of public worship, but the details are not given.

Notice that they also fasted. That simply means that they were voluntarily abstaining from food for a time. But why did they do that? Was it a law that had been laid down by the apostles? No, it certainly was not. Then why did they fast? We don’t have time to do a study of fasting, but allow me to simply make a few comments. The roots of fasting are in the Old Testament, where this practice is not an unusual occurrence. People fasted when there was great sorrow, when they were aware of the ugliness of their sin, when they were seeking the Lord in an unusual way. Fasting often accompanied prayer.

But that was the Old Testament. What about the New Testament. Jesus did not command fasting; He assumed it. In the Sermon on the Mount, He did not say "If you fast," but… (Matt. 6:16-18)
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Twice Jesus says, "When you fast…" Later, Jesus was asked why His disciples didn’t fast. People noticed that the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus’ disciples did not. Listen to His answer in Matt. 9:15, "And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." Jesus made it clear that it wasn’t a matter of whether nor not His disciples would fast, but it was a matter of timing. When Jesus was with them, it wouldn’t be appropriate to fast. It would be like fasting at a wedding feast. But when Jesus would be taken away, "then shall they fast." Jesus assumed that His disciples would fast.

That is what we see right here in these verses. Earlier we read the testimony of Cornelius in Acts 10:30, "And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing…" Even before Cornelius came to hear, understand, and embrace the gospel of Christ, he fasted. Why? Because he was seeking the Lord with all his heart. If that sounds foreign to us, it is because we live in a fat, self-satisfied society, where few people ever even consider fasting. That hasn’t been the norm down through the ages. The abnormal is not what we find throughout the world through the ages; the abnormal is what we find in modern America.

So as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting (imperfect tense, denoting continuous action), the Holy Spirit spoke to them and said: "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." I’m not sure why most English translations omit an important word from this verse. The Amplified includes it: "Separate now for me Barnabas and Saul…" It is a little two-letter word that emphasizes immediacy. The Holy Spirit made it clear that this setting apart of Barnabas and Saul was to take place right now.

I love the simplicity of this verse. "As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said…" Make no mistake about it, it was the Holy Spirit who called (summoned) Barnabas and Saul to this work. So how did the Holy Spirit speak to these men? I don’t know, but they recognized that it was the Spirit speaking. Many believe that the Spirit spoke through one of the prophets in the group, and that well may be. This ministry was Spirit-initiated; it wasn’t just what these leaders decided would be a good idea.

Oh that we might know the leading of the Spirit of God. It doesn’t matter how He speaks. What matters is that we hear and obey Him!

3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Again, what simplicity. Since the Spirit said that Barnabas and Saul should be separated unto this work, there was nothing for them to do but to send them out, accompanied by prayer and fasting. We might ask, "But how did they know what the work was? How did they know where to send them?" I don’t know, but apparently they had confidence that this was what the Lord wanted. Perhaps that was part of the fasting and praying, that they would know where to send them. At any rate, we get the sense from this text that they acted with confidence in the Spirit’s direction.

They laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul. Who laid their hands on them? It seems proper to take "they" as referring to the men who have just been described in the preceding verses. However, people in the church may have also participated. If they didn’t, then these leaders were doing so as representatives of the church. The whole context of the missionary journeys lead us to believe that this was not just the action of a few leaders, but it was the church who sent them out.

Don’t you know this meant a great deal to Barnabas and Saul. They were going out to who know’s where, but as they went, they knew that these brothers would be lifting them up in prayer. The laying on of hands was a tangible and visible sign that the church recognized the validity of the Spirit’s call, rejoiced in their fellowship with them, and sent them out with their blessing.

4. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

Again, notice that even though it was the church at Antioch that sent them out, they were sent forth by the Holy Spirit. There is no contradiction. The leaders of the church were acting upon the direction of the Spirit. The Spirit and the church were in one accord.
Seleucia was the port city, about 16 miles from Antioch. They didn’t do any preaching there. It was simply their jumping off point. From the port of Seleucia they then sailed to the island of Cyrpus (see map).

5. And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

Remember that Barnabas was from Cyprus (4:36). Perhaps this is the reason they began their ministry there. Also, we must remember that they were not the first Christians to preach the Word on the island of Cyprus. Acts 11:19, "Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch…"

Their first stop on the island of Cyprus was the town of Salamis. And where did they go in Salamis? They went straight to the synagogues. Notice that it is plural – synagogues. The Jewish people were spread all over the Roman Empire, as we saw by the fact that the varied attendance at the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2). And wherever you found Jews, you found a synagogue. The synagogue was the center of Jewish life. On the sabbath, the Jews came together to worship and hear from the scriptures. As we will see throughout the book of Acts, this was the normal practice of Saul (Paul). Whenever he went to a city which had a synagogue, that was the first place he preached? Why? Because these people had a background. They were looking for a Messiah. In addition, this was the first place to look for Gentiles who were interested in God, for God-fearing Gentiles were allowed in the synagogue, as we will see later. Nowhere is Paul’s philosophy stated more clearly than in Rom. 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth – to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

We now learn that Barnabas and Saul were not alone in this venture. They had with them a young man named John. This is the young man they brought back with them from Jerusalem. We know him as John Mark. We are told here that he was their "minister." This word translated "minister" is very interesting. It is a compound word made up of the verb which means "to row" and a prefixed preposition meaning "under." So it literally means "under rower." It was originally used of one in the galley of a ship, who rowed at the orders of one above him. So it came to mean one who served another. In the New Testament, it is used often of the officers or servants of the Sanhedrin. It is also used of the servants of the high priest, as well as one who served in the synagogue. Once Jesus used this word to refer to Paul himself. Acts 26:16, "But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee." It is also found in 1 Cor. 4:1, "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." So John Mark was a servant, an assistant, who helped Barbabas and Saul.

We are not informed of the results of their preaching in the synagogues of Salamis. After this brief account, we are told that they moved on.

6. And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7. Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10. And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Whether or not they preached at other locations, we do not know. But when they came to Paphos, they encountered a sorcerer. We get our English word "magician" from the Greek word that is used here. A form of the same word is used in chapter 8 to describe Simon, the sorcerer of Samaria. This man, whose name was Barjesus (son of Jesus), is described by three terms – sorcerer, false prophet, and Jew.

This Barjesus was closely associated with the deputy (proconsul, governor) of the province, whose name was Sergius Paulus. This government leader obviously heard about the work of Barnabas and Saul, because he sent for them with the desire to hear the Word of God. But Elymas (another name for Barjesus) was opposed to the idea. It was his plan to turn him away from the faith. We are not told why, but it may well be that Elymas realized that if Sergius Paulus turned to Christ, he could be out of a job as a sorcerer. At any rate, the following verse would indicate that he was being used as a tool of the enemy.

In verse 9, for the first time, Saul is referred to as Paul. It was common for a Jew to have both a Hebrew name and a Roman name. Most likely, Saul had borne both of these names from the time of his birth. Why does the name "Paul" now appear for the first time and dominate throughout the rest of the book of Acts? After this point, his name "Saul" occurs only three times (Acts 22:7,13; 26:14). In all three cases, Paul is retelling the story of his conversion and twice quotes the voice from heaven and once the words of Ananias, who said, "Brother Saul…" It seems that the Roman name "Paul" is now more appropriate, as he begins to deal more and more with the Gentiles.

More importantly than the addition of the name Paul is the fact that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul gave Elymas his full attention and spoke to him: "O full of all subtley and all mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right w ays of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and will not see the sun for a season." How could Paul be sure that this man would become blind? Because he was in tune with the Holy Spirit. And just as Paul said, Elymas was immediately blinded and had to have some one lead him around by the hand.

The conclusion of the ministry at Paphos is related very briefly in verse 12, "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." At first glance, we might wonder if this was genuine saving faith. There is a certain similarity to what we read in John 2:23, "Now when he [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did." We are told that they believed in Jesus’ name, which is a very strong statement. However, the following verses make it clear that whatever their belief was, it fell short of what we would call saving faith. John 2:24-25, "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25. And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." While this incident may seem similar on the surface, we must remember that Sergius Paulus actively sought Barnabas and Paul out to hear the Word of God, before there was any consideration of miracles. Since there is nothing to indicate otherwise, we have to assume that he was truly converted, unlike Simon in chapter 8.

13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.

Notice that the threesome is now referred to as "Paul and his company." This is most likely due to the fact that Paul was taking the lead, especially in the case of dealing with Elymas, the sorcerer. After this, Paul’s name is mentioned first most of the time. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, was content to let this younger brother in the Lord take the lead.

They left Paphos and the island of Cyprus and came to Perga (see map). Perga was in the Roman province of Pamphylia. While there, John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. We want to ask, "Why? Why did he go back home?" Some have theorized that he was a mama’s boy and this was not the kind of life he bargained for, but we really don’t know. Others have suggested that he resented Paul taking the lead in the ministry. The truth is, we simply don’t know. We could try to finish the story of John Mark, but his name will come up again here in the book of Acts.

14. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.

It looks to be close to a hundred miles from Perga to Antioch. Notice that this is Antioch in Pisidia, to distinguish it from Antioch of Syria, the city from which Barnabas and Paul were sent. (Point to each on the map). How did they choose this city, as opposed to other cities in the area? We don’t know. Perhaps they had information that there was a strong Jewish settlement in Antioch, for Luke tells us that on the sabbath day they went to the synagogue.

Conclusion

That will make a good stopping place for us. Next time we will take up the witness in Antioch of Pisidia. I want to encourage you to read the rest of chapter 13 and all of chapter 14. What we call "the first missionary journey" is related in these two chapters.

Let me give you a few things to think on from the opening verses of chapter 13. Note first that when the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to this mission work, He also made it known to those around them. It wasn’t just a private thing, but it was body enterprise. The body of Christ worked together. While Paul and Barnabas were the ones who went, they were representing the church at Antioch.

Notice also that the church at Antioch was willing to send two of their best servants. They could have been selfish and said, "Let’s send someone else. These are the two men that have been so valuable in teaching our new converts. We can’t spare them." Instead, they sent them out with their blessing.

Finally, we might ask the question, "Why would the Holy Spirit and the church send Paul and Barnabas out to do missions, when they were living the in the middle of over half a million pagans who needed to know Christ?" That is a good question. However, there can be no question that this was the plan of God. It was the Holy Spirit who summoned them to this mission work. No doubt, the witness in Antioch continued. The work in Antioch and the work out in the rest of the world went hand in hand. May it be so with us. May we have a heart to reach the people in the Tularosa Basin, as well as people in the uttermost part of the earth.