Barnabas and Saul Are Sent Out from Antioch

Bible Study series: Acts 13:1-3 So begins Paul’s / Saul’s first missionary journey. Barnabas went with him. God sent them out through prophecy.

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At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!

Acts 13

In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.

Let’s begin.

Scripture: Acts 13:1-3

¹ Now, there were in the local church at Antioch prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian and Menaean (who was brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. ² While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate out for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ And so when they fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3)

Comments:

It is true that this is Paul’s first missionary journey, but commentator Schnabel teaches us that we should not get an incomplete picture of Paul’s missionary work.

Schnabel provides this illuminating table of the timeline of Paul’s missionary activity:

Period 1	Damascus	Acts 9:19-25; Gal 1:17	AD 32/33
Period 2	Arabia / Nabatea	Gal 1:17; 2 Cor 11:32	32-33
Period 3	Jerusalem	Acts 9:26-29; Rom. 1:16	33/34
Period 4	Syria / Cilicia, Tarsus	Acts 9:30; 11:25-26; Gal 1:21	34-42
Period 5	Syria Antioch	Acts 11:26-30; 13:1	42-44
Period 6	Cyprus (Salamis, Paphos)	Acts 13:4-12	45
Period 7	Galatia (Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Pamphylia (Perge)	Acts 13:14-14:23; 14:24-26	45-47 47
Period 8	Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea)	Acts 16:6-17:15	49-50
Period 9	Achaia (Athens, Corinth)	Acts 17:16-18:28	50-51
Period 10	Asia (Ephesus)	Acts 19:1-41	52-55
Period 11	Illyricum	Rom 15:19	56
Period 12	Judea (Caesarea)	Acts 21:27-26:32	57-59
Period 13	Rome	Acts 28:17-28	60-62
Period 14	Spain	1 Clement 5:5-7	63-64?
Period 15	Crete	Titus 1:5	64-65?
Eckhard J. Schnabel, p. 549. He says that a conservative estimate is that between AD 32-65 Paul traveled at least 15,500 miles (25,000 km). Of that total, 8700 miles (14,000 km) were on foot.

Nowadays, you can look up Paul’s travels online with a Bible map. Go for it!

We need to take the above table in conjunction with Paul’s trips to Jerusalem, though here in Acts 13 Paul is not going up to Jerusalem.

Year	Occasion for Visit to Jerusalem
31/32	Conversion of Saul
32-34	Missionary work in Arabia and in Damascus
33/34	First visit (Acts 9:26-20), three years after Paul’s conversion
34-44	Missionary work in Syria and Cilicia (eleven years)
44	Second visit (Acts 11:27-30): taking gifts to the poor, eleven years after the first visit
45-47	Missionary work on Cyprus and in Galatia
48	Third visit (Acts 15:1-29): Apostles’ Council, three years after the second visit
49-51	Missionary work in Macedonia and Achaia
51	Fourth visit (Acts 18:22): three years after the third visit
52-56	Missionary work in the Province of Asia and visit to Achaia
57	Fifth visit (Acts 21:15-17): collection visit, six years after the fourth visit
57-61	Arrest in Jerusalem and imprisonment in Caesarea and in Rome
Schnabel, p. 455

Now let’s move on.

These three verses are very important for Renewalists, so let’s spend some time here.

“prophets”: They both predict the future and encourage the church. The local church at Antioch was so prosperous and growing so fast that it could produce a team of prophets. For another example, Agabus, not mentioned here, was from Jerusalem, and he too was part of a team (Acts 11:27-30). He even prophesied in a demonstrative manner. He bound himself with Paul’s belt and predicted that the Jews of Jerusalem would bind Paul in this way and hand him over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:10-11).

Here is the three-dimensional function and purpose of prophecy, according to 1 Cor 14:3:

Edify, exhort, and comfort (KJV)

Edification, exhortation, and comfort (NKJV)

Strengthen, encourage, and comfort (NIV)

Strengthening, encouragement, and consolation (NET)

Edification, exhortation, and consolation (NASB)

Grow in the Lord, encouraging, and comforting (NLT)

Strength, encouragement, and comfort (NCV)

Helped, encouraged, and made to feel better (CEV)

Upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation (ESV)

Grow, be strong, and experience his presence with you (MSG)

However, let no one shrink and restrict the prophets’ ministry to just preaching a sermon, however good that may be. 1 Cor. 14:24-25 says that prophecy lays bare the secrets of hearts, so that people fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is with you!” Ordinary preaching, however anointed, does not exactly produce that reaction, normally. However, once you see prophets in action, as they lay bare the secrets, it is stunning. They “read your mail,” even though they never met you. Here is one example pulled from thin air. Imagine that your mother is in the hospital, and you need to gather the church to pray for her, but you have not yet asked for prayer. The prophet picks you out of a large audience and says, “I see … a woman … your mother … her name is Jane … she’s in the hospital… you must call the church to pray for her. Do it now!” He did not know by normal communication about your mother, for you told no one. That’s why he told you to gather the church to pray. That’s just one mild, typical example, which I have seen many times and have received from prophets occasionally.

Renewalists believe prophets still have a valid ministry today. But this question must be asked: Is he a part of a team, or is he an independent operator? If he is independent, then be warned. He may not have a check on his spirit (1 Cor. 14:32). Instead, he may believe his own press releases (so to speak) that he himself writes and may operate in his soul power, as distinct from the Spirit’s power, or part-time soul power and part-time Spirit’s anointing. And the local church which he calls home better not be a “yes-man” church, which may be as out of control as he is or operates in soul power as well.

New Testament Restricts Authority of Modern Prophets

Do NT Prophets and Prophecy Exist Today?

“Simeon”: Longenecker suggests that he was probably the Simeon of Cyrene of Luke 23:26, who helped to carry the cross and whose sons Alexander and Rufus were later known among the Christians at Rome (Mark 15:21); Rom. 16:13).

Niger: It was originally pronounced nee-gair (the “g” is hard as in “get”) or in American English ny-ger (the “g” is soft) and simply means “black” in Latin, which Luke imported into Greek. But why give him this nickname in the first place? We don’t need to get politically correct or incorrect or hyper-sensitive about it. They did things differently back then. There is a straightforward answer.

As it happens, Simon or Simeon was the most popular name in Israel and its environs. He had to get a nickname, just as Simon the lead apostle had his: Peter or Rocky (sorry, but “Rocky” is how we would translate it into modern times). And Simon the Zealot had to be distinguished from Simon Peter, by his outlook and activity (zealous for the law). Antioch was a large church, so it is safe to assume that several Messianic Jews had this name, even if Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot had never visited there.

Another example of an extremely common name: James (Jacob), son of Alphaeus, may have been nicknamed mikros, or “short,” in other words, “Shorty” or “James the short guy”; he needed this nickname because another apostle was named James, the son of Zebedee, so the two apostles had to be distinguished. Or the “short guy” could be yet a third James / Jacob, who was not an apostle but a close follower. If so, he really needed a nickname.

One last example: the name Judas was also extremely common, and Jesus called two disciples with that name: Judas Iscariot and Judas Thaddaeus. The second Judas had to be distinguished from Judas the traitor! Also, Thomas, a nickname meaning “twin,” may have had the first name Judas. It is a sure thing that his birthname was not the “Twin,” because then what was his twin called? So he simply became known by his nickname “the Twin” and his first name was dropped.

Thus, this conversation is easy to imagine at the thriving Antiochene church: “Simon preached an awesome message!” “Which Simon?” “Simeon Niger.”

To sum up, in Luke’s writings Simon Niger had to be distinguished from Simon (Simeon) Peter and Simon (Simeon) the Zealot and other leaders with this most common name at Antioch, when the name Simeon was tossed around the Christian community.

But whatever his religious and racial background, he converted to Christ and became a leader in the local church, being either a prophet or teacher.

See this post for a deeper look at the names of the apostles:

The Meaning of the Names of the Twelve Apostles

“and Saul” it is interesting that Saul comes last. Long before this chapter ends, he will be in the lead (v. 13), and his cognomen will be announced (v. 9).

“Menaean”: this is Menachem, and I just heard a great video by Joseph Shulam, a Messianic Jew, living in Jerusalem, who explained that the Babylonian Talmud mentions him once, yet Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century, said a certain Menachem was raised with Herod. He had converted to the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Could this be the same one? Please look on youtube for Shulam’s video titled “Heretical Rabbis of the Talmud: 2nd Century Witnesses to the Power of Yeshua’s Gospel,” dated Feb. 8, 2020.

By the way, Bruce and other commentators say yes. This Menahem is the same as Herod Antipas’s foster-brother. (Herod Antipas was Herod the Great’s youngest son.)

I like Polhill’s insight into their fasting:

[B]ut the directive of the Holy Spirit may well have been mediated through the inspiration of the prophet-teachers. That they were fasting indicates the church was in a mood of particular expectancy and openness to the Lord’s leading. Although evidence suggests the Jewish practice of fasting was regularly observed in some early Christian circles, the association of fasting with worship suggests a time of intense devotion when normal human activities like eating were suspended. (comment on v. 2)

There are all sorts of ways to fast:

The Right Attitude and Practice in Fasting

Jesus Teaches Us How To Fast

At that link, forgiveness is not added to or enhanced by our outer show of works (fasting is a religious work). Forgiveness of sins is received by repentance and faith in Jesus (v. 38). But if somone wantts to fast for forgiveness, then so be it.

“worshipping”: In this cultural context, people understood it to mean the rich, both men and women, who provided funds for building an aqueduct or repairing a temple, for example. Inscriptions survive, proving that women did this too. This is their service to the people.

However, here “worshipping is used in a very restrictive sense. This small group of men was praying and fasting, so it is best to translate it as “worshipping the Lord” instead of its literal meaning of “serving people.” Why? It is easy to see these men praying in their prayer languages (formerly and archaically called “tongues”) that only their individual spirits understood without interpretations (1 Cor. 14:13-15) and in their native languages that their minds understood (1 Cor. 14:13-15), eagerly prophesying (1 Cor. 14:3-5, 31), and singing, both in their native and spiritual languages (1 Cor. 14:15). Saul, after all, said he spoke in his Spirit-inspired languages more than the Corinthians did (1 Cor. 14:18). He said he wanted everyone to pray in their spiritual languages (1 Cor. 14:5) and not forbid this wonderful gift (1 Cor. 14:39). In Acts, Luke omits some of these details, but that is how all four Gospels and Acts are presented to us: elliptical (omitting details). But the entire context of Acts is Spirit-empowered and Spirit-filled. The entire book is very charismatic. Luke expects us to fill in the ellipses with the power of the Spirit.

It is like the anointing of Jesus at his water baptism with the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove (Luke 3:31-22; 4:18-19). From then on, Jesus worked miracles of nature and healing and demonic expulsion in the third Gospel, and Luke does not have to announce every time Jesus did those things: “Remember when I wrote that Jesus was anointed with the Spirit? He worked that miracle based on those verses!” Rather, Luke expects us to fill in those omissions with the power of the Spirit. Likewise, in the many cases of Christian witness from town to town in Acts, Luke expects us to fill in the omissions with the same empowerment because of Acts 2:1-4. And so Luke-Acts is all very charismatic, which is normative for the church throughout its history. Spirit-filled empowerment and anointing continues.

It is similar to his omitting water baptism in key places. Often he does say that new converts got baptized: Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 35-38; 9:18; 10:48; 16:14-15, 31-33; 18:8; 19:5), Yet in other cases water baptism is not brought up for new converts: Acts 9:42; 11:21; 13:12, 48; 14:1; 17:12, 34). Throughout Paul’s and Barnabas’s first missionary journey, which is about to be launched, there is not one recorded water baptism, even though Luke says many people converted to Christ. Luke expects us to fill in these omissions. This is why I have nicknamed him Luke “the Omitter” or “the Condenser.”

“The Holy Spirit said”: the verb is the standard one for “say,” used often in Greek. Renewalists believe the Holy Spirit speaks today, either in prophecy, as here, or in your human spirit or soul (or both, not just your spirit). Here it means that one of the prophets prophesied to Barnabas and Saul. This “small group” was very spiritually healthy, but in modern and wilder charismatic or Pentecostal churches today, personal prophecies that direct people to come here or go there have to be treated with the greatest of caution and must be evaluated (1 Cor. 14:29; 1 Thess. 4:20-21). Directional prophecies are valid, but they must confirm what is already spoken to the receiver of the prophecy. If they do not, then the receiver should put it on the shelf, so to speak, and let God bring it to pass.

We should have no doubt Barnabas and Saul had already felt in their spirits the call of God to take the gospel to the Gentiles and westward (Acts 9:15). The prophet, whichever one he was, confirmed it; he did not issue a brand-new, out-of-the-blue directional word. But even if he did, Barnabas and Saul were mature and wise in the Bible. They could sort things out.

Do NT Prophets and Prophecy Exist Today?

“separate out”: The Shorter Lexicon says it means to “take away, “set apart,” or “appoint.” Saul and Barnabas were to be appointed for their mission and calling.

Just be patient, Christian with a calling! God has not forgotten you. Just wait on him and be at peace. Don’t let your soul power carry you away. Let the Spirit speak, as we see here.

But let’s end v. 2 by putting it in a larger context. I like what Peterson writes: “Effective Christian leaders will likewise see the need t discern God’s gifting for ministry in others, to support (and where necessary train) those whom God is leading to local ministry or mission elsewhere, and to affirm them by acts of ordination or commissioning (cf. 14:23; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim. 2:2; Tit. 1:5-9)” (comment on v. 2).

“prayed”: It is extremely important for selecting leaders. Jesus prayed before he chose the twelve (Luke 6:12-16), so how much more should we?

But that’s what all believers should do; however, too often theory outruns practice. Pray! For a theology on how to respond when God does not answer our prayers, as when James was executed by Herod, see Acts 12 and the very last application section.

Acts 12

“laid hands on”: In the OT, the ritual of laying on of hands had these functions: it ordained Levites (Num. 8:10); it ordained leaders (Num. 27:18, 22-23); it transferred guilt to the sacrificial animal (Lev. 16:20-21).

In the NT, the ritual transfers healing (Mark 6:5l; Luke 4:40; Acts 28:8); it transfers the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17; 9:17; 19:6); it ordains missionaries (Acts 13:3); it ordains church leaders (Acts 6:6; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).

From those verses, Renewalists believe these things (and more) about laying on of hands: (1) hands can be the conduit of the presence and power of God; (2) public acknowledgement that the leaders or friends are close to and support the receiver of the prayer and hands; (3) the leaders or friends identify with the receiver; (4) combining all three, it means commissioning. Here it means the fourth purpose.

Further, Renewalists believe those four points (and more) because they have seen them happen with their own eyes. And it starts and ends with God, not the human vessel. It is shortsighted for the human vessel to take on the burden that he is the source of the power supply. “Hey everybody! Look at me! I’m powerful, and you’re not!” He is in danger of being shipwrecked.

“released”: here it means to “release them from”; they must move out and be set loose and untied from their great past and move into a greater future. Not all of our pasts have to be bad, but when God says to move on from a great or bad past, you must obey. Surrender now rather than later. He knows what’s best for you personally. He’s your loving Father.

For systematic theology:

The Spirit’s Deity and Divine Attributes

The Personhood of the Spirit

Titles of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit in the Life of Christ

The Spirit in the Church and Believers

Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?

GrowApp for Acts 13:1-3

1. How is your life of prayer and praise in a small group?

2. Do you occasionally fast? When? What kind of fast? Why?

The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts

Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?