Bible Study series: Acts 13:13-15. His discourse is superb, well worth studying in detail.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
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!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 13:13-15
13 They put out to sea from Paphos, and Paul and his company went to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and turned back to Jerusalem. 14 But they themselves crossed overland from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. They entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and found some seats. 15 After the reading of the law and prophets, the synagogue leaders sent for them, saying, “Brothers, men, if any one of you has a word of encouragement for the people, speak.” (Acts 13:13-15)
Comments:
13:
Paphos was on the eastern side of the island of Cyprus, and they boarded a ship that went due north to the southern coast of present day Turkey and landed near Perga.
“Paul and his company”: Now Paul leads the group. Before Barnabas had always been named first in the pairing.
“John departed”: Why? Did he resent his cousin taking the backseat, and Paul moving up in the driver’s seat? Did he freak out about the spiritual warfare against Barjesus? Did he just get worn out by the missionary work? Did he simply miss his family back at the spiritual capital? Did he prefer Peter over Paul and did not like meeting the Gentile proconsul? Peter was called to Jews, and Paul to both Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-10). Mark’s home was in Jerusalem, and some the Messianic Jews there had a difficult time accepting Gentiles, despite Peter’s vision and outreach to Cornelius (Acts 10). Whatever the case, Paul did not think Mark made the right decision to depart (Acts 15:36-41). The good news is that Mark and Paul eventually reconciled (Col. 4:10; Phm. 24 and 2 Tim. 4:11).
14:
Paul and Barnabas had to move on without him. They did not stay long (apparently) in Perga, unless Luke omits some of the details in order to take them right to Pisidian Antioch, which is distinct from Antioch in Syria, where they first got their calling in vv. 1-3. Paul and Barnabas did a lot of walking! And it is a sure thing they prayed in the Spirit as they went along—that is, they prayed in their Spirit-inspired languages. See v. 6, above, for more details on why I think this.
“They entered the synagogue”: Yes, Paul was called to the Gentiles, but he did not neglect his own Jewish people. He wrote in his epistle to the Romans that the gospel goes to Jews first (v. 1:16). But he was not under the law of Moses which saw the execution of a man who broke the Sabbath (Num. 15:32-36). Paul lived under liberty of the New Covenant.
Do Christians Have to ‘Keep’ the Ten Commandments?
What Does the New Covenant Retain from the Old?
Ten Commandments: God’s Great Compromise with Humanity’s Big Failure
15:
How could Paul not step in through this open door that the synagogue officials offered them? However, the officials will regret their invitation to him to speak, and then extra-devout Jews who saw the danger to Judaism that the Messiahship of Jesus / Yeshua posed will react against the two missionaries (vv. 45-52).
“sent for them”: Paul and Barnabas apparently took their seats deferentially in the back (or not in the very front), and the officials in front told someone to invite them to speak. Paul stood up (v. 16), but did he go up to the front? Probably. We don’t know these details.
GrowApp for Acts 13:13-15
1. Paul regularly went to the Jewish synagogue to preach. Do you regularly go to church in person? How does this benefit you? And how do you bless the church?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
For the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 