Acts 13:44–49
I have made you a light for the Gentiles,that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. – Acts 13:47
Click to read passage
According to church tradition and historical record, the apostle Paul was martyred by beheading outside the city of Rome around AD 65 to 67, during Emperor Nero’s great persecution of Christians. Because he was a Roman citizen, he was spared the torture and death of crucifixion and was instead given the quicker sentence of beheading.
Someone once asked a faithful servant of God, “If your faith in the Lord wavered, if you could barely keep going, what would you do?” He answered, “I would go back and look carefully at the life of the apostle Paul. Why did he go from persecuting Jesus to dying for Jesus?” Indeed, looking closely at that “why” has strengthened the faith of many.
Acts chapters 13 and 14 record the first missionary journey of Paul, who would later be martyred for the Lord. On that journey, he and Barnabas came to Pisidian Antioch in Asia Minor. On the previous Sabbath, Paul preached in the local Jewish synagogue to an audience of Jews and devout Gentile converts to Judaism. After hearing Paul’s message about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation, the crowd was amazed and eager to hear more. As the meeting ended, they asked Paul and Barnabas to speak further on these things the next Sabbath (v.42).
Our passage tells us, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord” (v.44). That they came “to hear the word of the Lord” shows they were truly drawn by God’s word. “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (v.45). The “Jews” here refers to the leaders of Judaism. Their opposition to Paul had nothing to do with reason or truth. It was because they saw how popular Paul had become, and so, as the passage says, they were “filled with jealousy” (v.45).
These religious leaders of Judaism were also called rabbis, meaning “teacher.” Their core work was to interpret the Law of Moses and the oral traditions passed down through the generations. Through these interpretations they guided believers in how to keep God’s commandments in daily life. These leaders also presided over religious ceremonies and oversaw the community. When Paul and Barnabas drew nearly the whole city, Gentiles and God fearing people alike, to hear the message, this clearly threatened their authority. They could not accept that Gentiles would share equally in salvation, and they were angered that converts they had worked hard to win were now being drawn away by Paul’s message.
Facing the rejection of the Jews, Paul and Barnabas declared that the gospel had to be spoken to the Jews first, but since they had rejected it, the apostles turned to the Gentiles in keeping with Old Testament prophecy, marking a key turning point in the early church’s mission to the whole world. Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (v.46). This does not mean Paul stopped preaching to the Jews from then on, only that he would no longer preach in this particular synagogue. In fact, on his later missionary journeys, wherever Paul went he always entered the Jewish synagogue first (14:1, 16:13, and elsewhere), bringing the gospel to the Jews (Romans 1:16), and only turned to the Gentiles after being rejected there.
“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'” (v.47). This prophecy points to Christ as the true Servant of Israel, who would be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to all mankind. This was Christ’s mission, and it is also the mission of those who follow him. From the moment Paul met the Lord Jesus, he willingly gave himself completely to carry out this mission, even counting his own life as nothing.
Reflection:
Christ’s mission is also the mission of those who follow him. Are we carrying out this mission? As our church presses on with its Alpha outreach work, do I treasure this opportunity to share the gospel, and am I taking part in it?
Prayer:
Dear Abba Father, without your gracious light, all mankind would perish forever, dead in sin. Thank you for making Christ a light to the Gentiles, and thank you for using Paul to carry out this mission. He has become an example to us. Lord, in your grace, let every one who trusts and follows you truly receive the good of the gospel. We also ask that you keep building and shaping us, and give us courage and love to share the good of the gospel with others. In the victorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!
Click to read passage
According to church tradition and historical record, the apostle Paul was martyred by beheading outside the city of Rome around AD 65 to 67, during Emperor Nero’s great persecution of Christians. Because he was a Roman citizen, he was spared the torture and death of crucifixion and was instead given the quicker sentence of beheading.
Someone once asked a faithful servant of God, “If your faith in the Lord wavered, if you could barely keep going, what would you do?” He answered, “I would go back and look carefully at the life of the apostle Paul. Why did he go from persecuting Jesus to dying for Jesus?” Indeed, looking closely at that “why” has strengthened the faith of many.
Acts chapters 13 and 14 record the first missionary journey of Paul, who would later be martyred for the Lord. On that journey, he and Barnabas came to Pisidian Antioch in Asia Minor. On the previous Sabbath, Paul preached in the local Jewish synagogue to an audience of Jews and devout Gentile converts to Judaism. After hearing Paul’s message about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation, the crowd was amazed and eager to hear more. As the meeting ended, they asked Paul and Barnabas to speak further on these things the next Sabbath (v.42).
Our passage tells us, “The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord” (v.44). That they came “to hear the word of the Lord” shows they were truly drawn by God’s word. “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (v.45). The “Jews” here refers to the leaders of Judaism. Their opposition to Paul had nothing to do with reason or truth. It was because they saw how popular Paul had become, and so, as the passage says, they were “filled with jealousy” (v.45).
These religious leaders of Judaism were also called rabbis, meaning “teacher.” Their core work was to interpret the Law of Moses and the oral traditions passed down through the generations. Through these interpretations they guided believers in how to keep God’s commandments in daily life. These leaders also presided over religious ceremonies and oversaw the community. When Paul and Barnabas drew nearly the whole city, Gentiles and God fearing people alike, to hear the message, this clearly threatened their authority. They could not accept that Gentiles would share equally in salvation, and they were angered that converts they had worked hard to win were now being drawn away by Paul’s message.
Facing the rejection of the Jews, Paul and Barnabas declared that the gospel had to be spoken to the Jews first, but since they had rejected it, the apostles turned to the Gentiles in keeping with Old Testament prophecy, marking a key turning point in the early church’s mission to the whole world. Paul and Barnabas said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (v.46). This does not mean Paul stopped preaching to the Jews from then on, only that he would no longer preach in this particular synagogue. In fact, on his later missionary journeys, wherever Paul went he always entered the Jewish synagogue first (14:1, 16:13, and elsewhere), bringing the gospel to the Jews (Romans 1:16), and only turned to the Gentiles after being rejected there.
“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'” (v.47). This prophecy points to Christ as the true Servant of Israel, who would be a light to the Gentiles and bring salvation to all mankind. This was Christ’s mission, and it is also the mission of those who follow him. From the moment Paul met the Lord Jesus, he willingly gave himself completely to carry out this mission, even counting his own life as nothing.
Reflection:
Christ’s mission is also the mission of those who follow him. Are we carrying out this mission? As our church presses on with its Alpha outreach work, do I treasure this opportunity to share the gospel, and am I taking part in it?
Prayer:
Dear Abba Father, without your gracious light, all mankind would perish forever, dead in sin. Thank you for making Christ a light to the Gentiles, and thank you for using Paul to carry out this mission. He has become an example to us. Lord, in your grace, let every one who trusts and follows you truly receive the good of the gospel. We also ask that you keep building and shaping us, and give us courage and love to share the good of the gospel with others. In the victorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!