The Beginning of the Missionary Movement to the
Nations
Acts 13:1-12
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. 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. 3 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. 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 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. 12 Then the deputy,
when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the
Lord.
Introduction:
Read Acts 1:1-8. Remember
the Key verse: 1:8 - The Key lies at the Door!
Here we come to
the 4th of 6 major Turning Points in the book, and what many would agree is the
central turning point in the trajectory of the book: Chs. 2, 7, 9, 13, 15, 21
The Trail of the
Spirit is explicitly found here as in 21 of the 28 chapters of Acts: Chs.
1:2, 5, 8, 16; 2:4, 17, 18, 33, 38; 4:8, 25, 31; 5:3, 9, 32; 6:3, 5, 10; 7:51,
55, 59; etc. (only chs. with no mention = 12, 14, 22, 24-27). Indeed, in this passage we have “…one of the
two largest concentrations of references to the Holy Spirit in a Pauline
passage in Acts”. [1]
Remember the Titles
of Acts: The Gospel of Luke, Volume 2, The
Acts of the Ascended Christ, The Acts
of the Holy Spirit, The Acts of the
Apostles, Suggestion: The Acts of the
Ascended Christ through the Holy Spirit by His Apostles
The Significance,
Uniqueness, and Character of Acts is no less evident in this chapter than
elsewhere in the book:
Harnack, "the pivot-book of
the New Testament"
Luke/Acts = apx. 1/4 of the NT
1. Acts as History - continuation of the Gospel
- communicated and spread to the world
2. Acts as Transitional - unique Apostolic
foundational period of the Church
3. Acts as Apologetic - Christianity in the
Roman Empire
4. Acts as Polemic - Christianity versus Judaism
The Trail of Geography
is now seen to have led us to the second of the three centers: The center shifts from Jerusalem to
Syrian Antioch [2] to
Rome.
The 4 major Journeys
found in the book begin in this chapter:
1. 13:1-14:28 - Syrian Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus
(Salamis, Paphos), Pamphylia (Perga), Pisidian Antioch, Lycaonia (Iconium,
Lystra, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium), Phyrgian Antioch, Syrian Antioch
2. 15:36-18:23 - Syrian Antioch, Cilicia
(Tarsus), Lycaonia (Debe, Lystra, Iconium), Phrygian Antioch, Mysia (Troas),
Macedonia (Neapolis, Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea),
Achaia (Athens, Corinth), Asia (Ephesus), Caesarea, Jerusalem, Syrian Antioch
3. 18:23-21:16 - Syrian Antioch, Cilicia
(Tarsus), Galatia (Iconium), Phyrgia, Pisidian Antioch, Asia (Ephesus), Mysia
(Troas), Macedonia (Neapolis, Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica,
Berea), Achaia (Corinth), Macedonia (Berea, Thessalonica, Apollonia,
Amphipolis, Philippi, Neapolis), Mysia (Troas, Assos), Lesbos (Mitylene),
Samos, Asia (Trogyllium, Miletus), Coos, Rhodes, Lycia (Patara), Tyre,
Ptolemais, Caesarea, Jerusalem
4. 21:17-23:30 - Jerusalem to Caesarea to Rome
The shift between Significant
personages and peoples is obvious in this chapter:
Peter, then Paul; Jews, then Gentiles
The 7th of the 8 Significant
events identified in the book begins in this chapter:
The Missionary Journeys of Paul and others (Acts 13-21)
In this chapter we
will see significant aspects of the 3 identifiable Patterns exhibited:
1. miracles → witness
2. preaching to the Jews → Gospel rejected by the Jews → preaching to the Gentiles
3. Jewish opposition to the Gospel and
persecution of the Christians →
the spread of the Christians and the Gospel
The 5th of 10
Significant Speeches/Sermons is found in recorded in this chapter
(3 by Peter, 1 by
Stephen, 6 by Paul - 3 during missionary journeys, and 3 during arrest and
trial = almost ¼ of the content of
Acts):
Acts 13:16-41 - Paul to the Jews at Pisidian Antioch
The 5th of 9 Major
Problems or Issues identified will occur in this chapter:
The dispute and breach between Paul and Barnabas over
John Mark (13:13; 15:36-40)
Outline:
I. The Dedication of the Workers Called by
God (13:1-4)
II. The Proclamation of the Word of God
(13:5)
III. The Confrontation of the Enemies of
Righteousness (13:6-12)
Transition: As is so often the case in the
history recorded in The Acts of the
Ascended Christ through His Holy Spirit by His Apostles we are confronted
in the words of this chapter with a unique event, something that had not been
done before. During the transitional
period following the birth of the Church (Acts 2) there is movement as Christ
begins to build His Church and to fulfill His Word. It is obvious in the events recorded in this
book that something new is happening.
The difference in what God is now doing in the world compared to that
before the ascension of Christ is unmistakable.
The “newness” cannot be minimized or dismissed. A new age has dawned in the history of the
world. Tremendous fulfillments of
prophecy have already taken place since the announcement to Mary over three
decades before. Now promises uttered by
God many centuries before (Gen. 12, 15, 17) are beginning to be fulfilled in
ways that were unimaginable to the participants just a few years ago (Acts 8,
10). There are observable patterns in
what takes place that are significant for us today. There are also indications
of progression linked to what we find in the patterns (Acts 7-8).
“The importance of the present narrative is that it describes the first
piece of planned ‘overseas mission’ carried out by representatives of a
particular church, rather than by solitary individuals, and begun by a
deliberate church decision, inspired by the Spirit, rather than somewhat more
casually as a result of persecution.” In
this account Luke “…describes in solemn detail….a crucial event in the history
of the church.” [3]
I.
The Dedication of the Workers Called by God (13:1-4)
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. 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. 3 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.
1. The Identification
of the People involved in this Dedication (13:1)
2. The Locations
involved in this Dedication (13:1-6)
3. The Occasion
for this Dedication (13:2)
4. The Revelation
of this Dedication (13:2)
5. The Recognition
of this Dedication (13:3)
6. The Activation
of this Dedication (13:4)
1. The Identification
of the People involved in this Dedication (13:1) - Who was
involved?
certain prophets and teachers -
in the church that was at
Antioch:
1) Barnabas
- Cypriot
2) Simeon -
that was called Niger
pronounced
“neeg·er”; = “black”. [4]
3) Lucius -
of Cyrene
“City on the coast of North
Africa which was the capital of Cyrenaica….One such person, named Simon, was
visiting Jerusalem during the Passover feast the year Jesus Christ was
crucified and was forced to carry his cross (Mt 27:32). Fifty days later Peter
preached to Jews from Cyrene on Pentecost day in Jerusalem (Acts 2:10). Stephen
was attacked by Jews associated with a synagogue that included people of Cyrene
(Acts 6:9), some of whom were later converted and became preachers (Acts
11:20).” [5]
4) Manaen
- which had been brought up with Herod
the tetrarch [6]
5) Saul
- a “Hebrew of the Hebrews, and a Roman citizen of Tarsus
2. The Locations
involved in this Dedication (13:1-6) -
Where
were they and where did this take them?
1) Antioch
- the geographical focal point in the center of the history covered by the book
of Acts between Jerusalem in the beginning and Rome at the end
2) Seleucia
- a port city 16 mi. from Antioch
3) Cyprus
- the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (140 mi. long by 60 mi.
wide; Sicily and Sardinian are larger) - 60 mi. from Seleucia
4) Salamis
(vs. 5) - the major city on the east coast of the island of Cyprus
5) Paphos
(vs. 6) - capital city of the island province of Cyprus on the SW coast apx. 90
mi. from Salamis
3. The Occasion
for this Dedication (13:2) -
What
were they doing?
As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted
“To a church waiting on the Lord
his word now came.” [7]
4. The
Revelation of this Dedication (13:2) -
What
did they learn?
the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have
called them
“separate” = same vb. Paul
applies to his gospel ministry in Rom. 1:1, but that reference seems to be to
the Damascus Road incident rather than to this event since he had been
ministering the Gospel already, and for some time prior to this commissioning
5. The
Recognition of this Dedication (13:3) -
How did
they respond?
And when they had fasted and
prayed,
and laid their hands on them,
they sent them away.
6. The
Activation of this Dedication (13:4) -
What
was the result?
So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost,
-departed unto Seleucia;
and from thence they sailed to
Cyprus.
II. The Proclamation
of the Word of God (13:5)
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.
1. The Nature
of this Activity
they
preached
“This sense is that of the
proclamation or declaration of a completed happening rather than instruction
marked off from others by distinctive formulations.” [8]
2. The Content
of this Activity
the
word of God
3. The Sphere
of this Activity
in
the synagogues of the Jews:
4. The Support
of this Activity
they
had also John to their minister
III. The Confrontation
of the Enemies of Righteousness (13:6-12)
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 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. 12 Then the
deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine
of the Lord.
“It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it
was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of
hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing
before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the
other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some
of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for
evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” [9]
1. The Opposition
by Magicians and Sorcerers in the Scriptures (13:6-8)
2. The Imposition
of Blindness in the Scriptures (13:9-11)
3. The Reaction to
the Supernatural in the Scriptures (13:12)
1. The
Opposition by Magicians and Sorcerers
in the Scriptures (13:6-8)
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.
1) The
Identification of the Sorcerer (13:6)
2) The Influence
of the Sorcerer (13:7)
3) The Intervention
of the Sorcerer (13:8)
1) The Identification of the Sorcerer
(13:6)
(1) His reputation - a certain sorcerer
(2) His judgment - a false prophet
(3) His nationality - a Jew
(4) His name - whose name was Barjesus; Elymas (vs. 8, his name by interpretation)
Gen. 3:15 - And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The ongoing warfare between the Seed of the woman and the
seed of the serpent comes to a head once again.
Christ, through His Apostle Paul, is confronting evil opponents by His
Spirit while enthroned on the right hand of the Majesty in the highest heaven!
One wonders if
Tolkien had Elymas in mind when he created the character of Gríma Wormtongue who is working for Saruman the Wizard as he
whispers in the ear of King Théoden of
Rohan! [10]
In any case we must compare and contrast Elymas with
Simon (Acts 8), at Philippi (Acts 16:16ff.), at Ephesian (Acts 19), etc. in the
New Testament, and incidents such as Elijah’s contest with the idolatrous false
prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel in the Old Testament.
Magic, Magician (Magicians), Sorcery
(Sorceries) and Sorcerer (Sorcerers):
Gen. 41:8, 24 - (Pharaoh) And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh…. (Pharaoh to Joseph) And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.
Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18-19; 9:11 - (Moses versus the
Egyptian magicians in the court of Pharaoh)
7:11 - Then Pharaoh also
called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in
like manner with their enchantments….7:22 - And the magicians
of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened,
neither did he hearken unto them; as the LORD had said….8:7 - And the magicians did so with their
enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt….8:18-19 - And
the magicians
did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so
there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's
heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said….9:11
- And the magicians could not stand before
Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.
Is. 47:9-13 - But these two things
shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood:
they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries,
and for the great abundance of thine
enchantments. For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None
seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast
said in thine heart, I am, and none
else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from
whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to
put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Stand now with thine enchantments, and
with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy
youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels.
Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up,
and save thee from these things that
shall come upon thee.
Dan. 1:20; 2:2, 10, 27;
4:7, 9; 5:11 - (Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah contrasted with the
Babylonian magicians) 1:20 - And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that
the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians
and astrologers that were in all his realm….2:2 - Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers,
and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood
before the king….2:10 - The Chaldeans answered before the king, and
said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter:
therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such
things at any magician,
or astrologer, or Chaldean….2:27 - Daniel answered in the presence of the king,
and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men,
the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;….4:6-9
- Therefore
made I a decree to bring in all the wise men
of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of
the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the
soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto
me the interpretation thereof. But at the last
Daniel came in before me, whose name was
Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O
Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the
holy gods is in thee, and no secret
troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the
interpretation thereof….5:11 - There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is
the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and
understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom
the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made
master of the magicians,
astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
Acts 8:9, 11 - (Simon) But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the
same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving
out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least
to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And
to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
Rev. 9:21 - (The sixth
angel sounding after the seventh seal was opened) Neither repented
they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication,
nor of their thefts.
Rev. 18:23 - (the doom
of Babylon) And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and
the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in
thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
2) The Influence of the Sorcerer (13:7)
(1) His position - the deputy of the country
(2) His name - Sergius Paulus
(3) His character - a prudent man
(4) His invitation - called for Barnabas and Saul
(5) His motivation - desired to hear the word of God
3) The Intervention of the Sorcerer
(13:8)
But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his
name by interpretation) withstood them,
seeking to turn away the deputy from
the faith.
(1) The Nature of His
Intervention - he withstood them
(2) The Motive of His
Intervention - seeking to turn away the
deputy from the faith
2. The
Imposition of Blindness in the Scriptures (13:9-11)
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 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.
1) The Authority for this Supernatural
Opposition of Elymas by Paul (13:9)
Then Saul, (who also is called
Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him
Now for the first time Saul is
referred to as Paul at this momentous turning point in the history of the early
Church!
This is significant, but even
more significant it the fact that Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit in
dealing with Elymas. He is enabled and
empowered by God to do this. He is
acting in accordance with the will of God, and as His agent and Apostle as he
confronts this sorcerer.
2) The Address by the Confrontational
Question to Elymas by Paul (13:10)
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?
Each of these phrases Paul addressed to Elymas seem in some sense to counter an aspect of his description in vs. 6:
(1) O full
of all subtilty and all mischief - contr. vs. 9! - sorcerer
(2) thou
child of the devil - The truth to counter the lie in his name Bar-Jesus
(3) thou
enemy of all righteousness - the opposite of what is commanded of
Jews
(4) wilt
thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? - false prophet
3) The Announcement of the Royal Curse on
Elymas by Paul (13:11)
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.
“…the only occasion in Acts of
Paul performing a miracle with direct reference to the Holy Spirit.” [11]
4) The Allusions in the Scriptural
Background to this Curse on Elymas by Paul
This is not the first time that blindness has been
imposed on those who oppose themselves to God and His rule!
The first time this is
encountered in the Biblical history is the imposition of blindness on the men
of Sodom by the two angels at Lot’s house -
Gen. 19:11 - And
they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness,
both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Remember the answer to
the prayer of Elijah concerning the hosts of the king of Syria who had
surrounded the city of Dothan -
2 Ki. 6:18 - And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and
said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
The curse of blindness is a significant penalty for
disobedience to the Law of the Mosaic Covenant -
Dt. 28:28-29 - The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness,
and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind
gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be
only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
The fulfillment of
the curse -
Ps. 69:23 - Let
their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to
shake.
Is. 6:9-10 - And he
said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye
indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and
make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be
healed.
Is. 29:10 - For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep,
and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he
covered.
Is. 44:18 - They
have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot
see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
Is. 56:10 - His
watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Is. 59:9-10 - Therefore
is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light,
but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the
wall like the blind,
and we grope as if we had no eyes: we
stumble at noonday as in the night; we
are in desolate places as dead men.
God’s judgment on Israel in fulfillment of the curse of
the Law in Deuteronomy and the prophecy of Isaiah -
Rom. 11:7-10 - What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes
that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a
stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that
they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
Compare the blindness of Saul at his conversion on the
Damascus Road in Acts 9!
Acts 9:8-9 - And
Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but
they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three
days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
cp. Acts 22:11 - And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by
the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
This incident in Acts 13 is one of three examples cited
by Thomas R. Schreiner of miracles that do not involve healing. However, it might be argued that the other
two examples while not precisely fitting the criteria for exhibitions of the
spiritual gift of healing have a similar or greater positive effect. Those examples
are the exorcism by Paul in Acts 16:18, and the resuscitation of the dead by
Peter in Acts 9:38-43. If they may be
thus contrasted with this instance then it would stand in Acts as the
miraculous imposition of a curse by an Apostle together with that on Ananias
and Sapphira in Acts 6 and Herod in Acts 12. [12]
And let us never forget the blind Church at Laodicea!
Rev. 3:17-18 - Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with
goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to
buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,
that thou mayest see.
3. The Reaction
to the Supernatural in the Scriptures (13:12)
Then the deputy, when he saw
what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
Then the deputy, when he saw what was
done,
Seeing is believing?
Jn. 20:29-31 - Jesus
saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are
they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through his name.
believed,
Faith?
being astonished at the doctrine
of the Lord.
Astonishment at the doctrine?
No evidence of the reception of the Spirit or of baptism?
Conclusion:
If we compare and contrast the central characters in this
account application to mission and ministry may become clear.
Compare and contrast Saul with Paul, Paul with Elymas,
and Elymas with Sergius Paulus. [13]
“Antioch, we have a launch!”
[Sermon preached 18 MAY 2014 by Pastor John T.
“Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
Resources on Acts:
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.
Paul Barnett, The Birth of Christianity: The First
Twenty Years, After Jesus, Vol. 1
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005).
Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W.
Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
F. F. Bruce, The
Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd
ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).
I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).
David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentaries,
gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).
John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed.
David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).
William H. Willimon, Acts, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching,
series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville,
KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).
Resources on Paul:
Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through
Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove,
IL: IVP Academic, 2011).
F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977).
D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity
Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 496-501.
W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and
Travels of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1, unabridged American ed. (New York: E. B.
Treat U Co., 1869); on Google Books
at http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious
History, 2nd ed., trans. William E. Wilson (New York: Harper Torchbooks,
n.d.).
F. W. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul (New
York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1889); on Google
Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=RB2KeCSM6KsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Bruce N. Fisk, “Paul:
Life and Letters”, in The Face of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent
Research, ed. Scot McKnight and Grant R. Osborne (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2004), pp. 283-325.
Richard B.Gaffin, Jr.,
"Acts and Paul", 46 lectures (MP3 format), WTS Resources Media Center
on Westminster Theological Seminary
at http://wts.edu/resources/media.html?paramType=audio&filterTopic=5&filterSpeaker=10&filterYear=2005 [accessed 20 MAR 2013].
Frank J. Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of the St.
Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles (New
York: American Tract Society, 1895); on Google
Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=YgpEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Richard N. Longenecker, The Ministry And Message Of
Paul (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971).
Richard N. Longenecker, Paul, Apostle Of Liberty
(New York: Harper & Row, 1964).
Richard N. Longenecker, ed., The Road From Damascus :
The Impact Of Paul's Conversion On His Life, Thought, And Ministry (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).
Richard N. Longenecker, Studies In Paul, Exegetical
And Theological (Sheffield : Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2004).
J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul's Religion: The
James Sprunt Lectures Delivered at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1925).
Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross
(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1955).
John Pollock, The Apostle: A Life of Paul, 3rd ed.
(Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1969, 2012); also published as The Man Who
Shook the World (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1972; originally The Apostle: A Life of Paul, New York:
Doubleday, 1969).
Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, in Library of Pauline Studies, gen. ed.
Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999; 2001
reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and
Theology, in Wissenschaftliche
Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen).
W. M. Ramsay, The Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence
on his Life and Thought (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son; London: Hodder
and Stoughton, 1908); on Google Books
at http://books.google.com/books?id=JryEbmKool0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies in Early
Christian History (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1906); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ZJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman
Citizen, 10th ed. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1907); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library
(CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ramsay/paul_roman.html
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, The Teaching of Paul in terms of The
Present Day: The Deems Lectures in New York University (London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1914); on Internet Archive
at http://ia600404.us.archive.org/2/items/teachingofpaulin00rams/teachingofpaulin00rams.pdf
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
A. T. Robertson, Epochs in the Life of Paul: A Study
of Development in Paul's Character (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul The Missionary: Realities, Strategies And
Methods (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008).
Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology,
trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben und Denken, Berlin: Walter
de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.).
Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in
Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001).
James Stalker, The Life of St. Paul, (Edinburgh:
T. & T. Clark, 1885; rev. ed. 2010 by Kessinger Publishing from 1912 ed.);
on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=vT0HAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 7 FEB 2013].
James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London:
Student Christian Movement, 1923).
Resources on Herod:
E.
M. Blaiklock, “Herod”, in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary,
gen ed. Merrill C. Tenney, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,
1963, 1964, 1967), pp. 348-352.
Frederick
Fyvie Bruce, “Herod”, in The New Bible Dictionary, eds. J. D.
Douglas, F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, R. V. G. Tasker, and D. J. Wiseman (Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 521-523.
Henry
E. Dosker, “Herod”, in The Classic Bible Dictionary, ed. Jay P.
Green, Sr. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Trust Fund, 1988), pp. 524-528.
Henry
E. Dosker, “Herod”, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
1915 ed., ed. J. Edwin Orr (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1999); on International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia Online at http://www.internationalstandardbible.com/H/herod.html [accessed 24 MAR 2014].
Arthur
Cayley Headlam, “Herod”, in A Dictionary of the Bible, Dealing
with its Language, Literature, and Contents, Including the Biblical Theology,
ed. James Hastings, 5 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988
reprint ed. of 1898 orig. by T&T Clark, Edinburgh), 2:353-362; on Christian
Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/hastings/dictv2/Page_353.html [accessed 24 MAR 2014].
Harold
W. Hoehner, “Herod, Herodian Family”, in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible,
eds. W. A. Elwell and B. J. Beitzel (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), pp.
964-972.
Joachim
Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, trans. F. H. Cave and C.
H. Cave (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969; from Jerusalem zur Zeit
Jesu, 3rd ed., Gottingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962), pp.
11-12, 94, 98, 331-334, 366-367.
A.
N. Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament: The
Sarum Lectures 1960-1961 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1963; Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock,
2004).
Edwin
M. Yamauchi, “Archaelogy and the New Testament”, in The Expositor’s
Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 1, Introductory
Articles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pp. 649-652.
[1] Stanley E. Porter, Paul
in Acts, in Library of Pauline
Studies, gen. ed. Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,
Inc., 1999; 2001 reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism,
Rhetoric and Theology, in Wissenschaftliche
Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen), pg. 73. The other passage Porter has in mind is Acts
20:22, 23, 28.
[2] The more I prepared for the sermon series on Acts the
more I was impressed with the significance of Syrian Antioch as the
geographical link in the movement from Jerusalem to Rome, and as the launching
pad church for the "ends of the earth" mission movement into Gentile
domains. “Greco-Roman cities were very ethnically diverse and
therefore fractured into numerous ethnic tribes (Stark, 157). Case in point is
the city of Antioch. When it was founded by Seleucus I, the city was laid out
in two primary sections – one for the Syrians and one for the Greeks. These
sections were walled off from one another (Stark, 157). During days of Roman rule, Antioch was
divided into 18 different ethnic groups. As a result of this ethnic diversity,
social integration was very difficult. It is also one of the reasons
Roman cities were prone to riots. (Stark, 158). However, it was in the city of Antioch that
Jesus’ followers were first called Christians (Acts 11:19-26). It was in
Antioch that Jesus’ church transformed from a homogenous group of Jews into a
local, multi-ethnic church comprised of Jews and non-Jews (African, Arab,
Greeks, Romans, Syrians, Asians, etc.). And it was the multi-ethnic,
local church in Antioch that took the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world,
not the homogenous church in Jerusalem (Acts 13:1-3). The Greco-Romans stood in awe as they saw
people who hated each other began to love each other and do life together in
the Name of Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-16).” Derwin Gray, “3 Early Church Lessons For The Modern Church”, on
Pastors at http://pastors.com/3-early-church-lessons-for-the-modern-church/ [accessed 29 JUL 2013]. Citing Rodney Stark, The Rise of
Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant
Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1996; San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997
reprint), pp. 157-158. This link was
sent to me by my brother Jim in an email 29 JUL 2013.
[3] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And
Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New
Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint), pp. 227-228.
[4] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[5] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (564).
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
[6] See “Resources on Herod”
below.
[7] I. Howard Marshall, op.
cit., pg. 229.
[8] Vol. 1: Theological dictionary of the New Testament.
1964- (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.)
(71). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[9] Charles Dickens, The
Tale of Two Cities (1859); on Literature.org
at http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/two-cities/book-01/chapter-01.html
[accessed 13 MAY 2014]; and on Project
Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/98
[accessed 13 MAY 2014].
[10] “Gríma,
called (the) Wormtongue,
is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord
of the Rings. He appears in the
second and third volumes of the work, The Two Towers and The Return
of the King, and his role is expanded
upon in Unfinished Tales. He is introduced in The Two Towers as the chief
advisor to King Théoden of Rohan and henchman of Saruman.
Gríma serves as an archetypal sycophant, flatterer, liar, and manipulator.
The name Gríma derives from
the Old English or Icelandic word meaning "mask", "helmet" or
"spectre". It is also possible to link the name to the English
word "grim", which among other characteristics means "ugly" in Old
English.
The Two Towers
Gríma, son of Gálmód, was
at first a faithful servant, but he eventually fell in league with Saruman, and
from then on worked to weaken Théoden and his kingdom through lies and
persuasion.
Tolkien describes him as
"a wizened figure of a man, with a pale wise face, and heavy lidded
eyes", with a "long pale tongue".
He was widely disliked in Edoras;
everyone except Théoden called him "Wormtongue" for his abuse of
others. Gandalf repeatedly compares him to a snake:
The
wise speak only of what they know, Gríma son of Gálmód. A witless worm have you
become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I
have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a
serving-man till the lightning falls.”
Source: “Gríma Wormtongue”
on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%ADma_Wormtongue [accessed 15 MAY 2014].
[11] Stanley E. Porter, op. cit., pg. 75; citing F. F.
Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Acts, New International Commentary on the New Testament series (Grand
Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1954), pg. 265.
[12] Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory
in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001), pg.
358. Bock, pg. 445.
[13] Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W.
Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pg. 447.
