Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen Acts 13:1. In Antioch, in the church there, there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. He mentions Barnabas first, since Paul had not yet become famous and had not yet performed any sign. But it should be noted that both Paul and Barnabas were numbered among the rank of the apostles. "Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch." Here is what the character of each person means, and upbringing does not have an influence: look how Herod remained such a wicked man, while his foster-brother Manaen changed so much that he was even deemed worthy of the gift of prophecy. Acts 13:2–8. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said: Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus; and being in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John for service. Having passed through the whole island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. This man, having called for Barnabas and Saul, desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer — for so his name is translated — withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. What does "when they served" mean? It means "preached." And the expression "for the work" is used instead of "for apostleship." By whom is Paul ordained? By Lucius and Manaen, or rather by the Holy Spirit. He is ordained so that he might preach with authority. How then does Paul himself say: "chosen not by men nor through man" (Gal. 1:1)? This is in the sense that no man called him and converted him. They ordained not as they did deacons, but "having laid hands on them" after preliminary fasting and prayer, so that from this one may conclude that Barnabas and Paul through such ordination received a higher hierarchical rank than that of deacons. "They came to Seleucia, and from there they sailed." They do not stop in Seleucia, knowing that its inhabitants could gain much benefit from the neighboring city, but hasten to fulfill what was urgent. "With the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. This proconsul, having summoned Barnabas and Saul, desired to hear the word of God." What is remarkable about the proconsul is that, having already been previously captivated by the sorcerer's magic, he still desired to listen to the apostles. But pay attention also to the sorcerer: when the apostles were preaching to the other people, he was not very indignant; but he became especially indignant when they came to the proconsul. Acts 13:9–12. But Saul, who is also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit and gazing intently at him, said: O you who are full of all deceit and all villainy, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! Will you not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you shall be blind and shall not see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul, having seen what had happened, believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord. "Saul, who is also Paul." Here, together with Saul's ordination, his name is also changed. He was renamed so that in this respect too he would be no less than the apostles. And as for the preeminence that the chief of Christ's disciples, Peter, had, Paul too, it seems, enjoyed the same esteem and had occasion to win even greater favor. "Full of all subtlety." No kind of subtlety, he says, remained which you did not possess. He rightly said "all subtlety," because the sorcerer was a flatterer and a liar. And he calls him "son of the devil" because he was doing the devil's work. It is not with us, says Paul, that you wage war and fight, but you turn people away "from the straight paths of the Lord. And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you shall be blind and not see the sun for a time." By the same means by which he himself was converted, he wanted to convert him as well. Therefore, this was not a punishment, but a healing, because Paul said: "It is not I who do this, but 'behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you.'" And "for a time" was evidently the word not of one punishing, but of one converting, because if it had been the word of one punishing, Paul would have made him blind permanently; but here it is not so, but rather "for a time." He speaks thus in order to make an impression on the proconsul, for he gives him to understand by this that it depends on the sorcerer himself to receive his sight again: he needs to change his way of life for the better. "Turning here and there, he sought a guide." This is proof of his blindness. It was necessary through precisely such a punishment to bring to his senses the one who had previously been carried away by magic. In this way, punishments served, as it were, to bring even the sorcerers to their senses. Acts 13:13–15. Having set sail from Paphos, Paul and those with him came to Perga in Pamphylia. But John, having separated from them, returned to Jerusalem. And they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia and, entering the synagogue on the Sabbath day, sat down. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent word to them, saying: Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak. John, called Mark, accompanied them in their evangelical journey from Palestine to Perga of Pamphylia. Then, when the apostles hastened their journey and with a firm, unyielding spirit began to arm themselves for labors, Mark, being a weak man who did not dare to undertake such a journey and those labors, dangers, and struggles that presented themselves in every city, fell behind the apostles and returned to Palestine — not denying Christ, but refusing to continue the journey, since it was difficult for him. Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem with abundant fruits of faith and proclaimed to the church in Jerusalem the conversion and repentance of the Gentiles. And when all began to praise Paul and Barnabas for their successful labors, Mark grew sorrowful, troubled in soul, and perhaps thought: "If I too had been with the apostles, I too would have become a partaker in their glory" — and again desired to set out together with the apostles to preach. "They arrived at Perga, in Pamphylia." They come again to Perga, because they were hastening to the metropolis of Antioch. "Having entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, they sat down." They entered the synagogues in Jewish clothing, so as not to meet resistance and not be driven out, and thus achieved their goal in everything. Acts 13:16–24. Paul stood up and, motioning with his hand, said: Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen! The God of this people chose our fathers and exalted the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of it; and for about forty years He nourished them in the wilderness. And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them as an inheritance. And after that, for about four hundred and fifty years, He gave them judges until the prophet Samuel. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. So forty years passed. Having removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom He also testified, saying: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will fulfill all My desires" (1 Sam. 13:14; Ps. 89:21). "From this man's seed, according to His promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus. Before His coming, John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel." Paul preaches here for the first time, and see with what prudence: those places where the discussion concerns God the Word, he passes over and stops at places that did not mention the seed of David, as he himself says when writing to the Romans: "I strived to preach the gospel not where the name of Christ was already known" (Rom. 15:20). Notice: Barnabas also yields to Paul, just as John everywhere yields to Peter. Although Barnabas enjoyed great respect, he acted this way with the common good in mind. "God of this people chose our fathers." Having reminded them of ancient events, he points out, just as Stephen did, the great benefactions of God that occurred at that time. "I have found a man after My own heart, David, the son of Jesse." It should be noted that these words are not found in the Book of Kings in the same form as here; there it is only prophetically said by Samuel to Saul: "The Lord will find for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord will command him to be a ruler over His people, since you have not fulfilled what was commanded to you by the Lord" (1 Sam. 13:14). From these words Paul composed the following statement: "I have found a man after My own heart…" As for the words "Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, speak" (v. 15), they were said because the Jews had the custom of reading on the Sabbath the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and after the reading, of addressing the people with a speech and explaining what had been read. Therefore the rulers of the synagogue invite those who were with Paul to speak in the synagogue. "From his seed God, according to the promise, raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus." The name of David was especially beloved by the Jews; therefore it is said that a king reigns from his lineage. "Before His very appearance John preached." By appearance he means the incarnation. Acts 13:25–37. And as John was finishing his course, he said: "Whom do you suppose me to be? I am not He; but behold, there comes One after me, whose sandals on His feet I am not worthy to loose." Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and those among you who fear God! To you the word of this salvation has been sent. For the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers, not having recognized Him, and having condemned Him, fulfilled the words of the prophets which are read every Sabbath. And though they found no cause of death in Him, they asked Pilate to kill Him. And 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. And He appeared for many days to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses before the people. And we declare to you glad tidings, that the promise which was made to the fathers, God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm: "You are My Son; today I have begotten You" (Ps. 2:7). 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 promised to David" (Isa. 55:3). Therefore He also says in another place: "You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Ps. 15:10). For David, after he had served the will of God in his own time, fell asleep, and was gathered to his fathers, and saw corruption. But He whom God raised up saw no corruption. John does not simply testify, but denies the very glory that everyone attributed to him. It is not the same thing to refuse honor when no one offers it, and to do so when everyone bestows it. "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham." He points here to the noble origin of the Jews. "Not having known Him." He somewhat excuses them: they crucified Him, he says, not knowing who He was; because the crime was committed as a result of ignorance. "Finding no cause of death in Him, they asked Pilate to kill Him." He says that the death penalty was desired by them. He brings Pilate onto the scene so that, on the one hand, the suffering might be made widely known, and on the other, they might subject themselves to a greater accusation as having handed Christ over to a foreign man. And he did not say "demanded," but "asked." They requested, he says, permission for the killing, although Pilate was, as it were, unwilling. Peter speaks more clearly about this: "When he was resolved to let Him go" (Acts 3:13). "But God raised Him from the dead." Let it not trouble you that it is said of Jesus that He was raised by God, because if Jesus is none other than the incarnate Word, and the Word, according to the testimony of Scripture, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God, is the power of the Father by which He accomplishes all things, then it follows that Jesus raised Himself. And if it is said that He was raised by the Father, it is said in the sense that to the Father, as such a principle and such a cause which are outside of time, all things are attributed. And Jesus Himself says: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). "Who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and who are now His witnesses before the people." Which they could in no way have been, if the power of God had not sustained them. "Unto us their children, raising up Jesus." The name "Jesus" the brothers of the God-slayers take as the name of a man. Having said above that the Word was laid in the tomb, Paul — lest anyone think that he called the Word incorporeal — again calls Him Jesus and does not allow, for a single moment after the union of the two natures, any division in the incarnate Word. "You are My Son: today I have begotten You." Understand these words in relation to the incarnation of Christ, which took place in time, since the expressions "today and tomorrow" contain within themselves the meaning of days. But from the Father the Son is born, as even the heretics acknowledge, timelessly. "You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption." The body of the Lord and Savior Christ is called incorruptible and immortal, because it is clear that it possessed the property of incorruption from the time of the incarnation itself, since Christ was sinless. "The One Whom God raised up did not see corruption." The One Whom God raised up did not see corruption, but made the place of the tomb a place of incorruption, because Christ, having risen by His own power, truly shone forth as the author of incorruption, so that we too might rise from the tombs and go out "to meet the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17), when, on the day of the expected resurrection, He comes a second time with glory upon the clouds. Acts 13:38–41. Therefore let it be known to you, men and brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; and in all things in which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, everyone who believes is justified by Him. Beware, therefore, lest what was spoken by the prophets come upon you: "Look, you scoffers, marvel and perish; for I am working a work in your days, a work which you would not believe if someone were to tell you" (Hab. 1:5). See how he does not finish speaking about the essence of the matter, about the promised seed. He did not bring forward the testimony on which they could rely that the remission of sins is accomplished through Jesus, and this was beyond doubt. The prophet Habakkuk exclaims: "Look, you scoffers, marvel and perish," and God answers the people of lawlessness that misfortunes threaten them both now and in the future. And it was worthy of great wonder how Israel, enrolled among the company of the children of God and called the firstborn — that Israel, for whose sake Egypt perished — is handed over to the Babylonians, handed over not only to their sword, but even to captivity, and slavery, and every possible suffering. "You would not believe, even if someone were telling you." The matter is so magnificent that it would seem even incredible, if someone were to report it to you. Acts 13:42–48. As they were leaving the Jewish synagogue, the Gentiles asked them to speak about the same things the following Sabbath. When the assembly was dismissed, many Jews and God-fearing converts from among the Gentiles followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of God. But the Jews, seeing the crowds, were filled with envy and, contradicting and blaspheming, opposed what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly: "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be for salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Isa. 49:6). "The Gentiles, hearing this, rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed to eternal life believed." You saw the wise resourcefulness of Paul. In order to attach and endear the Gentiles to himself, and also so as not to scatter their attention by communicating everything to them all at once, he first offered several hints and did not resolve them, and by this aroused in the Gentiles a desire to hear him another time. He said that the forgiveness of sins was being proclaimed, but how this forgiveness would be accomplished, he did not explain. He did not baptize them immediately, because it was untimely. "But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy." So great is the intolerance of envy! Many utterly grow faint and die from seeing others held in honor. And people of this sort are capable of opposing not only man, but also the will of God. "As you reject it." So that the words "you make yourselves unworthy of eternal life" might not be interpreted by someone as evidence of their humility, Paul first said "as you reject it." Then he added "we turn to the Gentiles." He does not say "we are leaving you," but expresses himself in such a way that allows for the possibility of his return to Antioch. "I have set You as a light to the Gentiles," that is, for the knowledge of salvation by the Gentiles, and not only by the Gentiles, but by all. "Who were ordained to eternal life." Ordained not by compulsion, for it is said, "whom He foreknew, He also predestined" (Rom. 8:29). Thus, the kindred of the Lord is essentially the entire human race, but Israel is His especially close kindred. And since He came to Israel, and enlightened the other nations through the apostles, it is said: "God according to His promise raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus" (Acts 13:23), while the Gentiles through Him were illumined with light (cf. Luke 2:32), and salvation was granted to all, for this is precisely what is signified by the words "to the end of the earth," and the promises made to their fathers were fulfilled. "All who were appointed to eternal life believed." Although they were appointed or predestined to eternal life according to foreknowledge, they believed by their own desire, by their own will. God's foreknowledge does not destroy the freedom of our will. Appointed before the foundation of the world, according to God's foreknowledge, to be a chosen vessel, Paul did not become one immediately at birth or in his youth, but after a considerable time, when he had formed a notion of his own significance and his own virtues. Acts 13:49–52. And the word of the Lord was spread throughout all the country. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their borders. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and came to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The Jews were not limited to feelings of envy, but resorted to actions as well. By "devout women" he means not believing women, but Jewish or Greek ones, and by "honorable" he means wealthy. Do you see what a vile deed they persuaded the women to commit? They strive to block people's path to salvation with the help of women, in imitation of the ancient deceiver — the devil, who chose Eve as the instrument for blocking people's entrance into paradise. "And they, having shaken off the dust from their feet against them." They did not do this without reason, but because they had been driven out by the Jews. "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." The teachers were being persecuted, yet they rejoiced: such is the power of the Gospel. The suffering of the teacher does not take away boldness from the disciple, but makes him more courageous.