Verses 1-2 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. 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.
Remember that Antioch was the capital of Syria at this time in Church history. The name, Barnabas, means “son of rest”. The name, Simeon, means “harkening”. The name, Niger, means “black”. The name, Lucius, means “light, bright, or white”. The name, Manaen, means “comforter”. And the name, Saul, means “desired”. It is interesting that the name, Herod, means “heroic” which did not describe the character of any of the Herods. And it is interesting that one of the prophet/teachers, Manaen, was raised with king Herod. While these men were all ministering in Antioch, the LORD called out Barnabas and Saul for specific ministry apart from the other apostles/disciples. Notice also that the LORD was not specific about the ministry He wanted these two apostles to go forth and do.
Application: Often believers hear the words, “walking in the Spirit”, and usually believers have no idea what this means or what it entails. For a converted Christian believer to walk in the Spirit it means that they do exactly what Barnabas and Saul did in these verses. They are listening for the leading of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, they hear from God, and they do whatever they are told to do. It is a walk of faith, not of sight. Barnabas and Saul were comfortably ministering with like-minded men, they had a system in place for their ministry, they slept and ate in the same place every day, and there was familiarity and organization in their daily lives and ministry. Then they were called by God to go forth to a location they knew not where, to minister to people they knew not who, to become travelers and end up sleeping and eating in different places, for a period of time that they knew not for how long, and without knowing the financial provision of this journey. This is often the life of present day missionaries. But the average Christian believer will not be called to be missionaries like Barnabas and Saul, but God can call believers to local ministry in many ways and at many different times. One just has to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Ghost/Spirit and step out of whatever comfort zone one is in and obey. A simple example is one in which a believer has their day planned out and something happens to interrupt their schedule or plans. The flesh will want to respond with frustration, but one who is walking in the Spirit will ask, “God, if this is from you show me what I am supposed to understand here and what I am supposed to do.” When walking in the Spirit, one is so aware of the presence of the LORD Jesus Christ that one partners with Him in every decision made throughout the day. This writer has animals that require daily care, and this writer will often just ask the LORD which critter or barn to care for first, and the answer is always the best one for making the work flow smoothly and efficiently. When walking in the Spirit, a believer becomes “one” with the LORD and can see the world and all the events happening through His spiritual eyes and not through the eyes of the flesh. Sadly, most converted Christian believers never learn to walk in the Spirit and just let the LORD have His way in their lives as they are unwilling to relinquish control to the LORD.
Verses 3-5 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 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.
Notice that the apostles/disciples did not act hastily, but took time to fast and to pray for these men they were going to send forth and perhaps never see again. The John that accompanied them was related to Barnabas and was the John Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament Bible. Notice that Barnabas and Saul preached first in Jewish synagogues instead of to the Gentile population. This was the way Jesus preached and taught also, the Jew first and then the Gentile. The name, Cyprus, means “love or a blossom”. Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Salamis was a city at the east end of the island of Cyprus and the name means “salt”.
Verses 6-8 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.
Paphos was a maritime city on the west end of the island of Cyprus and the name means “boiling or hot”. So Barnabas and Saul traveled literally from one end of the island to the other. One can assume that things were going well with them as in this narrative Luke does not tell of any difficulties, but then they encountered a Jewish man who was involved with witchcraft and serving the Devil and who was using a name that meant “son of Jesus”. His real name, Elymas, means “a wise man”, but it appears that he was passing himself off as one who had the power of Jesus using devilish power to control and impress other people. This was not a wise thing to do as God would deal with him and He was to use Barnabas and Saul to bring judgement upon him. So when the governor of the area decided to have an audience with Barnabas and Saul who were true ministers of the LORD Jesus Christ, Elymas did not want to be exposed as a fraud nor did he want this political leader to be persuaded by the Gospel as presented by the apostles.
Verses 9-11 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty 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.
Verse 9 above is the first mention of the Apostle Saul having his name changed to Paul. The name, Paul, means “small or little”.
Application: Most people are not aware that the eyes can reveal what is in the heart. Notice that the Apostle Paul “set his eyes on him”. That means Paul stared right into his eyes, and then he called Elymas exactly what he was, a child of the Devil. How did the Apostle Paul know this? The Holy Ghost/Spirit revealed it, and he saw it in Elymas’ eyes. People that are involved in witchcraft and other aspects of the occult can be identified by their eyes which appear brighter than normal, large, and unusually shiny. Once one has seen a witches eyes, one can usually identify others who are involved in serving the Devil by this physical appearance and characteristic. The eyes are the windows to the soul. And to deal with Elymas and his sin, the LORD blinded him so that his eyes could no longer reflect the evil spirit that was controlling him. And the evil spirit no longer had a portal to see into the eyes and the hearts of others, and so both Elymas and the evil spirit in him were for a time handicapped and unable to work mischief.
Verse 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Meanwhile, the poor deputy was surprised and more than likely somewhat fearful of the Apostles and the power they exhibited through the Holy Ghost/Spirit. So he became a believer in Jesus.
Application: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents (evil spirits); and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:17-18, 20 The story of the deputy and Elymas is an example of how the early Church Christians ministered, spreading the Gospel and proving it to be true by the signs and wonders they performed through the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. The converted Christian believers today do not realize how much they are living below their God given power and authority. The reason the Church is weak and mostly ineffective in the Western culture is because it no longer believes the verses quoted above in the Gospel of Mark. Furthermore, most believers use fake bibles which do not have words of power in them, most believers are baptized incorrectly by the titles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and not in the name of Jesus, and they run from the baptism of the Holy Ghost/Spirit as it happened on the day of Pentecost in the upper room. Hence they have no power. But the examples given in the New Testament Scripture clearly show that when the apostles or disciples worked miracles, people repented and converted. So if converted Christian believers would seek out the promise of the Holy Ghost and His power, and get serious about their Faith, perhaps more lost and confused people would be reached with the saving knowledge of the Gospel. Think about it. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (not the father, son and holy spirit) for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38-39
Verses 13-15 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 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. 15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
The name, Perga, means “earthy”. The name, Pamphylia, means “of every tribe” and was a province in Asia Minor. John Mark returned to Jerusalem for reasons that are not explained here, and so the Apostles Barnabas and Paul continued on in their missionary journey. The town of Antioch in Pisidia was not the Antioch from whence Barnabas and Paul were sent forth by God from the Church located there as recorded in the beginning of this chapter. This Antioch is thought to also be called Caesarea. As was their fashion, the apostles went to the Jewish synagogue first to preach the Gospel. Here they were invited to speak.
Verses 16-17 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. 17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
The Apostle Paul began his oral presentation by reciting Jewish history as it related to the goodness and mercy of God. Paul always presented the Gospel after first relating to the audience in some fashion through their history or their culture.
Verses 18-20 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. 19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. 20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
The Jews attending the synagogue would have been very aware of this history, but by the Apostle Paul reciting it to them, they would be able to understand that Paul was educated and that he knew the law and the prophets and therefore had some credibility.
Verses 21-22 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Application: To be a man or woman after God’s own heart one has to be obedient and do the will of God, not just when it is convenient or pleasant, but also when it is not convenient and unpleasant. To be “after” God’s own heart means that one is walking so close to the LORD that one can think like Him and understand how He sees the flesh, the world, and the Devil. It is a rare person indeed who can attain to the level of faith that King David had, but it is attainable if one wants to love and serve the LORD with all their heart and with all their being.
Verses 23-25 Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: 24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
The Apostle Paul continues his narration by bringing in Jesus as Saviour. The Jews knew that Jesus, through his earthly mother, Mary and his custodial father, Joseph was of the lineage of King David and therefore a son of King David. Therefore Jesus was and is the lawful occupier of the throne of David as well as the Saviour and promised Messiah. So the Apostle Paul skipped the history of the Jews from King David to Roman occupation and went directly to Jesus who was/is the Son of God and therefore One who was/is the very heart of God as He is God manifested in the flesh. Then the Apostle Paul was careful to make sure that there was a distinction between John the Baptist and Jesus.
Verses 26-28 Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. 28 And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
Notice how gentle the Apostle Paul was in his presentation of the truth of the Gospel in that he made the Jews in this synagogue understand that it was the Jews and Jewish rulers in Jerusalem that fullfilled prophecy and murdered their Messiah and that salvation was readily available to them as they were descendants of Abraham and heirs of the promises.
Verses 29-31 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead: 31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
The Apostle Paul then provides proof of the Messiah-ship of Jesus in that He raised up from the dead and was seen by many people who witnessed this miracle.
Application: It is only because of the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ that converted Christian believers have the assurance of life after physical death with eternity in Heaven. All unrepentant sinners also have life after death, but their destination is Hell and the Lake of Fire as they rejected the gift of salvation provided by the death, burial, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus.
Verses 32-37 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. 35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
Application: Jesus bodily raised from the dead and then ascended into Heaven with that body. Other people have been miraculously raised from the dead, but they have eventually died physically again when their spirit left their body and that body was buried and rotted in the ground or saw corruption. King David’s body decayed. Jesus’ body did not. Eventually, on the last day, all the graves in the whole world will be miraculously opened by the power of God and the dead in Christ will have their bodies transformed and removed from this Earth before God unleashes His fury and burns it all up. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort on another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
Verses 38-41 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
Only Jesus’ shed blood can pay for mankind’s sins. Therefore the Apostle Paul could say that through Jesus there was forgiveness of sins and justification in which mankind can be declared righteous in the sight of God. The law of Moses could not save anyone from their sins, pay for their sins, or declare individuals to be righteous in the sight of God. So the warning to these Jewish men was that they be careful that they do not do as the prophet prophesied and have disbelief in the Word of God, in Jesus, and so reject the Gospel message so that they perish.
Verses 42-44 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. 43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
The Gentiles saw their opportunity and so when the Jewish men left they urgently requested to hear from the Apostle Paul the following sabbath. The Jews, under their law that came from their captivity in Babylon, thought they would be defiled if they associated with Gentiles. So there was a physical and social separation between Jews and Gentiles that continues to this day. Of course this was/is not from God. The history of the Hebrews and the Jewish nation as recorded in the Bible clearly shows that the Jews were always a mixed multitude as they married into pagan nations and vice versa. But the Jews always saw themselves as superior to all other people and so Gentiles were shunned. Jesus and the Gospel broke that barrier down and this can be seen in the verses above as most of the city attended “church” the next week to hear the Gospel message.
Verse 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Since “many of the Jews” followed Paul and Barnabas, the Jews inciting trouble were not representative of all the Jews in the city. But it only takes a few voices to incite a crowd. These Jews were denying the truth and asserting the opposite of what the apostles were preaching and teaching, and they were also speaking against the LORD.
Verses 46-47 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
The apostles Paul and Barnabas apparently became fed up with the Jews opposing the giving of the Gospel message to others and so they responded by declaring they were going to focus on the Gentiles who had not rejected the Word of God which would lead to everlasting life. The apostles loved their fellow countrymen and did not want to see them perish, but they had no choice at this point but to withdraw from the Jews and go to the Gentile population of the city for the Jews preferred the lies of their traditions and their teachings from the Babylonian Talmud rather than the truth of the Word of God.
Application: When sharing the Gospel with others, there will be resistance. Remember that only the LORD can open the eyes of people who have been blinded to the truth by the god of this world who is Satan or the Devil. So if rejection of the message and of the messenger happens, move on like the apostles Barnabas and Paul did. There are plenty of other people who need to hear about Jesus and about salvation and who will repent, be baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit.
Verses 48-49 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
This decision and declaration by the apostles to turn to the Gentiles with the truth of the Gospel made the Gentiles who had gathered to hear the apostles speak very happy, and many of them became followers of Jesus Christ and are in Heaven today as a result of the preaching and teaching of Barnabas and of Paul. So the Gospel message spread throughout this particular geographical region. But most of the Jews rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Application: Notice that the verse above states, “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”. Scripture teaches that the LORD knows His people from the foundation of the Earth before they were born. This is because He transcends time and is in eternity. He was in the past at the Creation, and He has already been to the future. Therefore He knows who will accept Him and who will not. This is what Scripture refers to as predestination. Yes, all of mankind has been give free will to follow Jesus or to reject Him. But because the LORD knows the future, He can ordain people to eternal life because He knows they will answer the calling of the Holy Ghost/Spirit. This is a Biblical doctrine that is difficult for believers to understand as they are captive in time. This doctrine has to be taken on faith. But it is easy, once this doctrine is accepted as fact, to understand why some people hear the preaching of the Gospel and immediately repent, get baptized in Jesus’ name, and seek the filling of the Holy Ghost, and why others can be presented with the Gospel over and over and never repent and so never receive eternal life in Heaven.
Verses 50-52 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 13)
This pattern of the Jews stirring up strife against the apostles and the preaching of the Gospel continued throughout the entire ministry of the Apostle Paul and of other servants of the LORD Jesus Christ. But instead of becoming discouraged or deciding to quit the ministry, the disciples realized that they, like Jesus, would suffer persecution. But Jesus had warned of this and had told them to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world and all of its persecution and so they could also. So they, being like Jesus, accepted all the hardships that went along with their travels and preaching of the Word of God and they remained joyful. They were looking past the trials and temptations of this present world and looking towards the rewards of eternity in Heaven with their LORD, Jesus Christ.