Acts
Chapter 13
Mission of Paul and Barnabas
There were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, including Barnabas, Symeon, known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul.
On one occasion, while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them:
“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.”
So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.
Upon their arrival in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue; John was with them as an assistant.
They traveled across the entire island as far as Paphos, where they met a certain magician named Bar-Jesus, a Jewish false prophet,
who lived with the governor Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. He had summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.
But they were opposed by Elymas (that is, the magician), who tried to turn the governor away from the faith.
Then Saul, also known as Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him
and said:
“You son of the devil, full of all kinds of deceit, and enemy of all that is right! Will you never stop perverting the straight paths of the Lord?
Now, the Lord’s hand is upon you; you will become blind and, for a time, you will not see the light of day.” At once, a misty darkness came over him, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand.
The governor saw what had happened; he believed and was astonished by the teaching about the Lord.
In Antioch of Pisidia
From Paphos, Paul and his companions set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. There, John left them and headed back to Jerusalem,
while they continued from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent this message to them:
“Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the assembly, please speak up.”
So Paul got their attention, signaled for silence, and started:
“Fellow Israelites and all you who fear God, listen.
The God of our people Israel chose our ancestors; and after he had caused them to increase during their stay in Egypt, he led them out by mighty deeds.
For forty years, he fed them in the desert;
and after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
All this took four hundred and fifty years.
After that, he gave them judges, until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; and he was king for forty years.
After that time, God removed him and raised up David as king, to whom he bore witness, saying, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all I want him to do.
It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Savior of Israel, Jesus.
Before he appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel.
As John was finishing his life’s work, he said: ‘I am not what you think I am, for after me, another is coming, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’
Brothers, children of Abraham’s family, and you who also fear God, this message of salvation has been sent to you.
It is a fact that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus. Yet, in condemning him, they fulfilled the words of the prophets read every Sabbath, but not understood.
Even though they found no charge against him worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
After they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead,
and for many days afterward, he showed himself to those who had come with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They have now become his witnesses before the people.
We, ourselves, announce to you this good news:
All that God promised our ancestors, he has fulfilled for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’
By raising him from the dead so he would never experience decay, God fulfilled his promise: ‘I will give you the holy blessings, the sure ones that I kept for David.’
Furthermore, another passage states: ‘You will not let your holy one undergo decay.’
Now David was subjected to decay because he died and was laid beside his ancestors after fulfilling God’s purpose in his own time.
But the one God raised up—Jesus—did not experience decay.
Through him, fellow Israelites, you receive forgiveness of sins, and this is our good news.
Whoever believes in him is freed from everything that the law of Moses could not free you from.
Now, be careful, so that what the prophet warned about does not happen to you.
Take care, you cynics;
be amazed and disappear!
For I am about to do something in your days
which you would never believe
even if you had been told.”
As Paul and Barnabas withdrew, they were invited to speak again on the same topic the following Sabbath.
Afterward, when the assembly disbanded, many Jews and devout, God-fearing people followed them; and to these, they spoke, encouraging them to hold on to the grace of God.
Almost the entire city gathered on the following Sabbath to listen to Paul, who spoke quite a long time about the Lord.
But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose with insults, whatever Paul said.
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying:
It was necessary for God’s word to be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we turn to the non-Jewish people.
For thus we were commanded by the Lord:
I have set you as a light to the pagan nations,
so that you may bring my salvation
to the ends of the earth.
When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and praised the Lord’s message; all those destined for eternal life believed in it.
Thus, the word spread throughout the whole region.
Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of high status and the leading men of the city, stirring up intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas. Ultimately, they had them expelled from the area.
The apostles shook the dust off their feet in protest against these people and went to Iconium,
leaving the disciples filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Commentaries
Mission of Paul and Barnabas.
We enter the third, final, and most extended phase of the book of Acts. In this part, Christian witness will reach the farthest regions known to the missionaries. The Church of Antioch, led by the five leaders listed by Luke, serves as the starting point. Thus, the group of apostles, leaders of the Jewish-Christian community in Jerusalem, and the seven Hellenists are now joined by another group: the five “prophets and teachers of Antioch.” Luke shows how the Spirit guides the different Churches, raising leaders, organizers, and those responsible for various roles based on needs, with significant participation from everyone in decision-making (which Pope Francis aims to restore through synodality in the Church). The Holy Spirit—and the community—decided to set apart two members, Barnabas and Paul, for the mission of proclaiming God’s Word in synagogues. They also took along a man named John, known as Mark. Their first stop was the island of Cyprus, then they set sail for what is now southern Turkey. Although the mission was primarily aimed at Jews in these areas rather than pagans, it marks the beginning of the journey the Spirit will guide them on.
In Antioch of Pisidia.
The missionary team reaches Antioch of Pisidia and goes to the synagogue on the Sabbath. They are invited to speak about the readings from the Law and the Prophets. This visit is similar to the one Jesus made to the synagogue in Nazareth, described by Luke in his Gospel (cf. Lk 4:16-30). However, while Jesus was unsuccessful, Paul and Barnabas succeeded. The listeners, including pagans interested in Judaism, invite them to return and speak the next Sabbath. That day, a large crowd gathered to listen, and Luke says the entire population was present. The Jewish leaders, filled with envy, insulted and contradicted the missionaries. What was remarkable, however, was that many pagans understood the missionaries’ message.
In contrast, most of the Jews rejected it. Confronted with this attitude, Paul and Barnabas openly declare that from now on, preaching the Gospel to the pagans will take priority. Luke doesn’t want to end the story on a negative note of expulsion, so he notes that, although the authorities pushed them out, the disciples stayed in the city, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.