What I Noticed Today (Acts 11-13)
Acts 11
In verses 1-3, the apostles and brothers heard about the Gentiles who had become believers. But there were Jewish Christians (circumcised believers) who opposed Peter in Jerusalem, accusing him of visiting and eating with uncircumcised men.
Note: Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles was not so much of a problem to the Jewish Christians, but eating with them signified acceptance and fellowship, which was a violation of the Mosaic Law.
In verses 4-18, Peter began to explain to the Jewish Christians about his vision with the sheet of animals being lowered from heaven and how God had told him not to call unclean that which God had made clean. He also told them about his journey to Caesarea to visit Cornelius and how the Gentiles accepted Christ, received the Holy Spirit, and were baptized.
Upon hearing this, the Jewish Christians realized God had granted repentance and salvation even to the Gentiles.
Note: Peter’s defense focused on what God did, not what he did. He was not about to hinder God.
Note: While this brought the Christian church of Jewish and Gentile believers together, it also set the stage for the separation between traditional Jewish beliefs and the beliefs of the Jewish Christians.
In verses 19-30, the persecution of Stephen caused the believers to be scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they delivered the Gospel only to the Jews. Some men from Cyprus (an island close to Antioch) and Cyrene (a town in North Africa) proclaimed the Gospel to the Hellenists (Greeks) in Antioch. The Lord was with them, and large numbers believed and turned to the Lord.
Note: There are several cities bearing the name Antioch. This is the Antioch in Syria. It was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.
The report of the believers in Antioch reached Jerusalem, so Barnabas was sent to Antioch. When he arrived, he saw the grace of God upon the new believers. He encouraged them to remain strong in their faith.
Note: Antioch was 300 miles north of Jerusalem. Barnabas was probably chosen because he was from Cyprus and was known to be a thoughtful and generous man.
Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Paul, and when he found him, they went back to Antioch, where they stayed for a year meeting and teaching. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch.
Note: The ending “-ians” means “belonging to the party of,” so Christians were members of Jesus’ party. The name Christians is used only two other times in Scripture (Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16).
In verses 27-30, in those days, prophets from Jerusalem came to Antioch. One of the prophets, named Agabus, predicted by the Holy Spirit's power, there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world (during the time of Claudius, A.D. 41-54). Based on their ability, each of the disciples sent aid via Barnabas and Paul to the elders in Judea.
Note: Jewish Christians in Jerusalem would likely have been excommunicated and no longer able to receive help through the synagogue. The aid sent from brothers in Antioch was meant to lessen their suffering during the time of famine.
Acts 12
In Acts 12, Luke recounts the increased persecution of the young Christian church.
In verses 1-5, about that time (during the time of the famine), King Herod (Herod Agrippa I ruled A.D. 37-44) persecuted Christians and put James, John’s brother, to death. When Herod saw that pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the seven-day feast immediately following Passover) and put in prison. He assigned four groups of four soldiers each to watch Peter. He intended to bring Peter out to be executed after the Passover.
Note: The four guards were likely positioned so that two were chained to Peter on either side of him, and two stood guard to prevent another miraculous escape (See Acts 5:19-24). The four groups of guards rotated through the day in six-hour shifts.
While he was in prison, the church was praying for him.
In verses 6-19, the night before he was to be executed, Peter was sound asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared in the cell and told him to get up. The chains fell off of him, he got dressed, and the angel led him out of prison to the city gate. Then the angel left him.
Peter realized it was the Lord who had rescued him from Herod’s grasp. He went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many believers gathered together praying. He knocked on the door, and once inside, he told them how the Lord had rescued him. He told them to tell James and the other brothers and left.
Note: This is the first mention of John Mark, the Mark who wrote Mark's Gospel. His father is not mentioned, so his mother may have been a widow.
Note: This is the first mention of James, the brother of Jesus. He had not believed Jesus until the resurrection, but now he was with other believers praying for Peter’s release.
At daybreak, there was a great commotion in the jail because Peter was missing. Herod interrogated the soldiers and then had them all executed. Herod left Jerusalem and went to Caesarea.
Note: Caesarea was the Roman capital of the province of Judea.
In verses 20-25, he (Herod) was angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians. They bribed Blastus, one of Herod’s servants, to get an audience with Herod because they depended on grain from his country (Galilee). On the appointed day, Herod delivered a speech in his royal robes, and the people shouted his was the voice of a god, not of man. At once, an angel of the Lord struck Herod and killed him because he did not give glory to God.
Note: Herod died in A.D. 44.
The Word of God continued to flourish and multiply. After they had completed their relief mission in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul took Mark and returned to Antioch.
Acts 13
In verses 1-3, there were many prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch, including Barnabas and Saul. As they were fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Barnabas and Saul. After they fasted, they laid hands on Barnabas and Saul, prayed, and sent them on their journey.
Note: The church in Jerusalem was the home of the Jewish Christian church, while Antioch had become the head of the missionary church committed to reaching the Gentiles.
Paul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:4-14:28)
In verses 2-12, Barnabas and Paul left Antioch and went to Seleucia, a seaport. They sailed to Cyprus, arriving in the city of Salamis (the eastern edge of the island). They proclaimed the Gospel in the Jewish synagogues. John Mark was there as their assistant.
Note: Apparently, the Jewish population in Salamis was fairly large because there were multiple synagogues.
They worked their way across the island to the town of Pathos, where they met a false prophet, a sorcerer by the name of Bar-Jesus, and the proconsul, Sergio Paulus.
Note: A proconsul was a governor appointed by the Roman Senate.
The proconsul summoned Barnabas and Paul to hear God’s message, but Bar-Jesus attempted to stop him and turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Note: Bar-Jesus is identified in verse 8 as Elymas, the sorcerer. The identity of the man by either name is unknown. In Aramaic, Bar-Jesus means son of Jesus, but Paul referred to him as the son of the Devil.
Paul, empowered by the Holy Spirit, rebuked Elymas, calling him a son of the Devil, a fraud, and an enemy of righteousness. He said the Lord’s hand is against you, and you will be blind for a time. Immediately he was blind. The proconsul was amazed and believed Paul’s teaching about the Lord.
Note: From here on in the Scripture, Saul is referred to as Paul except when his testimonies referred to his former life. Also, Paul’s name is listed before others, indicating he has taken the leadership role.
In verses 13-41, Luke records the ministry of Paul at Pisidian Antioch.
Paul and his companions left Pathos and set sail for Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark left them and went back to Jerusalem. The rest continued on to Antioch in Pisidia.
Note: We do not know why John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem. Whatever the reason, Paul considered it to be a defection from the ministry.
They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and were invited to speak after reading the Law and the Prophets. This is the first of Paul’s sermons recorded by Luke. It can be divided into three sections:
- The Old Testament prediction of the coming of the Messiah (vv. 16-25).
- The rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus (vv. 26-37).
- The appeal to believe in Jesus as the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins which could not be obtained through the Law of Moses (vv. 38-41).
In verses 42-52, as they were leaving, many people asked for them to return the following Sabbath. Many proselytes and Jews followed them, speaking with them, urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Almost the whole town turned out to hear Paul on the next Sabbath, but when the Jews saw the crowd, they were filled with jealousy and began to insult Paul.
Paul and Barnabas said it was necessary to preach to them (the Jews) first. Still, since they rejected the message from God and considered themselves unworthy of eternal life, Paul and Barnabas will now preach to the Gentiles.
Note: As Paul traveled on his missionary journey, he would often make a point of preaching to the Jews first, and when they rejected him, he would take the message of the Gospel to the Gentiles.
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and believed in the Lord. The Gospel spread throughout the region. But the Jews incited prominent men and women who worshiped God against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from the region.
Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet and journeyed on to Iconium. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and joy.
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- Barnabas had to vouch for Paul so that he would be accepted. Soon Paul became the leader of the disciples taking the Gospel to the Gentiles, and Barnabas became the follower. It does not matter whether you are a leader or a follower as long as you are doing the work God has called you to do.
- Paul and Barnabas were faithful to preach the Gospel. When they were rejected by one group, they moved on to another. They took joy in the success God brought rather than dwelling on those who rejected God.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
