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Acts 13

Chapter Text

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

On Cyprus

Paul's Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia

Paul and Barnabas Turn to the Gentiles

Summary

The church at Antioch sends Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey, accompanied by John Mark. They travel to Cyprus, where they encounter the sorcerer Bar-jesus, whom Paul strikes with temporary blindness. The proconsul Sergius Paulus believes. Sailing to Perga, John Mark departs for Jerusalem. Paul preaches in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus and offering forgiveness of sins through Him.

Meaning

The first missionary journey marks a decisive new phase as the church intentionally sends workers into unreached territory. The Holy Spirit's role in calling and sending missionaries establishes the pattern that all gospel work originates in divine initiative, not human strategy.

Paul's confrontation with the sorcerer and his synagogue sermon reveal two dimensions of apostolic ministry: opposing spiritual darkness and proclaiming saving truth. His message at Antioch of Pisidia presents the gospel as the fulfillment of Israel's entire history, demonstrating that Jesus is the promised Saviour of David's lineage.

Background

Antioch in Syria was the third largest city in the Roman Empire and became the first major center of Gentile Christianity. Cyprus was Barnabas's homeland. Sergius Paulus was the Roman governor of Cyprus; inscriptions bearing his name have been discovered. Antioch of Pisidia was a Roman colony in central Asia Minor. John Mark's departure became a later point of contention between Paul and Barnabas.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-3Commissioning at Antioch
  2. vv. 4-12Cyprus and the blinding of Elymas
  3. vv. 13-15Arrival in Pisidian Antioch
  4. vv. 16-25Paul rehearses Israel's history
  5. vv. 26-37Christ crucified, risen, foretold
  6. vv. 38-41Forgiveness, justification, and warning
  7. vv. 42-49Gentiles receive the word
  8. vv. 50-52Persecution and joyful departure

Key Verses

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.13:2

The Spirit's commissioning of the first organized Gentile mission, foundational for the church's understanding of missionary calling and the Spirit's active role in sending laborers.

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:13:38

The climax of Paul's first recorded sermon, declaring the gospel of forgiveness through Christ as the heart of apostolic preaching.

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.13:39

An early and explicit Pauline statement of justification by faith, anticipating the doctrine he would later expand in Romans and Galatians.

For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.13:47

Paul applies Isaiah 49:6 to the apostolic mission, marking the decisive turn toward the Gentiles and grounding it in prophetic Scripture.

People & Places

People

  • BarnabasCypriot Levite and leader at Antioch, set apart with Saul for the first missionary journey.
  • Simeon called NigerA prophet and teacher in the Antioch church.
  • Lucius of CyreneA North African prophet or teacher among the Antioch leadership.
  • ManaenFoster brother of Herod the tetrarch, now numbered among the Antioch prophets.
  • Saul (Paul)The former persecutor, here renamed Paul, commissioned as apostle to the Gentiles.
  • John (Mark)Junior companion of Barnabas and Saul who departs from them at Perga.
  • Bar-jesus (Elymas)A Jewish sorcerer and false prophet on Cyprus, struck blind for opposing the gospel.
  • Sergius PaulusRoman proconsul of Cyprus who believes after witnessing Elymas's judgment.
  • Herod the tetrarchMentioned as the foster brother of Manaen, ruler of Galilee.
  • DavidIsrael's king, cited as the ancestor of Jesus and a man after God's own heart.
  • Saul son of CisIsrael's first king, of the tribe of Benjamin, given for forty years.
  • SamuelThe prophet who marked the end of the period of the judges.
  • JesseFather of David, named in Paul's recital of Israel's history.
  • John the BaptistForerunner who preached repentance before Christ's coming.
  • JesusThe promised Saviour of David's seed, crucified, raised, and proclaimed by Paul.
  • PilateRoman governor whom the Jerusalem rulers petitioned for Jesus' death.

Places

  • Antioch (in Syria)The sending church from which Barnabas and Saul are commissioned.
  • SeleuciaPort city of Syrian Antioch from which the missionaries embark.
  • CyprusIsland and Barnabas's homeland, the first missionary destination.
  • SalamisEastern port of Cyprus where the apostles preach in the synagogues.
  • PaphosWestern city of Cyprus and seat of the Roman proconsul.
  • Perga in PamphyliaMainland Asia Minor port where John Mark turns back to Jerusalem.
  • Antioch in PisidiaInland city of Asia Minor where Paul delivers his first recorded sermon.
  • EgyptLand of Israel's bondage, recalled in Paul's historical survey.
  • CanaanThe promised land where seven nations were destroyed before Israel.
  • JerusalemCity whose rulers fulfilled prophecy by condemning Jesus.
  • GalileeRegion from which the witnesses of the risen Christ came.
  • IconiumCity to which Paul and Barnabas withdraw after persecution in Pisidian Antioch.

Prophecy & Fulfillment

Paul's sermon is a sustained argument from prophetic fulfillment. He cites Psalm 2:7 ('Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee') in verse 33 and Psalm 16:10 ('Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption') in verse 35 as proofs of the resurrection, arguing that David himself saw corruption but Christ did not. He invokes Isaiah 55:3 ('the sure mercies of David') in verse 34 to ground the resurrection in covenant promise, and applies Isaiah 49:6 in verse 47 to justify the turn to the Gentiles. Verse 41 warns the despisers with Habakkuk 1:5.

Devotional

The Spirit speaks while the church is worshiping and fasting — not while it is idle. Significant callings often come to those already faithful in ordinary devotion.

Notice too how Paul rehearses Israel's whole story before naming Jesus. The gospel is not a self-help slogan; it is the climax of a long history of God's patient dealing with His people. When we share our faith, we can trust the larger story to do its work.

And when doors close, as in Pisidian Antioch, the disciples are not crushed but 'filled with joy.' Joy in the Spirit is not the absence of opposition but the presence of God within it.

Literary Style

Historical narrative framing an extended apostolic sermon. The chapter pairs travelogue and miracle account with a formal synagogue homily that employs Old Testament citation, typological argument, and prophetic warning, modeled on the speeches of Stephen and Peter earlier in Acts.