Day 3: Barnabas & Saul Commissioned, Cyprus Ministry, Pisidian Antioch Sermon

Reading: Acts 13

Listen to: Acts chapter 13

Historical Context

Acts 13 marks one of the great turning points in the history of Christianity. For the first time, the church deliberately commissions and sends out missionaries to take the gospel beyond the regions where persecution had scattered believers. The initiative comes not from apostolic decree or institutional planning but from the Holy Spirit speaking directly to the worshipping community at Antioch. The five prophets and teachers named in verse 1 represent an astonishing cross-section of the ancient world: Barnabas, a Jewish Levite from Cyprus; Simeon called Niger (a Latin nickname meaning “black,” suggesting African origin); Lucius of Cyrene (from modern Libya); Manaen, described as a syntrophos (“foster brother” or “childhood companion”) of Herod Antipas, indicating aristocratic connections; and Saul of Tarsus, a former Pharisee. This leadership team itself embodies the multiethnic, multicultural character of the Antioch church that would have been unthinkable in the Jerusalem congregation a few years earlier.

The Holy Spirit’s command – “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (13:2) – came during worship and fasting. After laying hands on them, the church sent them off. The language is significant: the church does not commission independently but acts in response to the Spirit’s initiative. The laying on of hands does not confer authority so much as confirm what God has already declared. This model of Spirit-led, church-affirmed mission will become the paradigm for Christian missionary work for centuries to come.

The first stop is Cyprus, Barnabas’ homeland. They land at Salamis on the eastern coast and work their way across the island to Paphos, the seat of the Roman proconsul, on the western shore. At Paphos they encounter two critical figures. The first is Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas, a Jewish false prophet and sorcerer attached to the proconsul’s court. Sorcerers, astrologers, and wandering holy men were common fixtures in Roman administrative circles; officials often kept them as advisors, much as Hellenistic kings had maintained court philosophers. Bar-Jesus represents the entanglement of Jewish identity with pagan magical practices that thrived in the religiously eclectic Roman world. Paul’s confrontation with him – blinding him temporarily through the power of the Holy Spirit – is both a judgment and a sign, echoing Paul’s own blinding on the Damascus road. It is here that Luke begins using the name “Paul” instead of “Saul,” signaling the apostle’s movement into the Gentile arena where his Roman cognomen would be more appropriate.

The second key figure is Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul (anthypatos), whom Luke describes as “an intelligent man” (13:7). Archaeological evidence has confirmed the historicity of this detail: an inscription found near Pisidian Antioch references a Lucius Sergius Paullus who served as a Roman official, and another inscription from Paphos mentions a proconsul, lending credibility to Luke’s account. The proconsul believes after witnessing the blinding of Elymas and hearing Paul’s teaching – the first recorded conversion of a Roman official of senatorial rank.

From Cyprus the team sails to Perga in Pamphylia, where John Mark abandons the mission and returns to Jerusalem – a departure that will later cause a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:37-39). Luke offers no explanation for Mark’s withdrawal, leaving scholars to speculate: fear of the dangerous journey into the interior, discomfort with the increasingly Gentile focus of the mission, or resentment at Paul’s emerging leadership over his cousin Barnabas. Whatever the reason, the mission continues.

The journey from Perga to Pisidian Antioch was one of the most arduous stretches of road in the Roman Empire. The route climbed from the coastal plain through the Taurus Mountains, traversing terrain notorious for bandits (Paul may allude to these “dangers from robbers” in 2 Corinthians 11:26). Pisidian Antioch was a Roman colony founded by Augustus, strategically located on the Via Sebaste, the main Roman highway connecting Ephesus to the eastern frontier. As a colony, its citizens held Roman citizenship and its civic institutions mirrored those of Rome itself. The city had a significant Jewish community with a well-established synagogue.

Paul’s sermon at the Pisidian Antioch synagogue (13:16-41) is the longest and most theologically developed speech attributed to him in Acts, and it serves as a template for understanding his evangelistic approach to Jewish audiences. He begins with Israel’s salvation history – the exodus, the wilderness wandering, the conquest of Canaan, the judges, the monarchy – and traces God’s faithfulness through each phase to the promise made to David. The pivotal move comes in verse 23: “Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.” Paul then narrates Jesus’ death and resurrection, grounding both in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He quotes Psalm 2:7 (“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”), Isaiah 55:3 (“the holy and sure blessings of David”), and Psalm 16:10 (“You will not let your Holy One see corruption”) – the same psalm Peter quoted at Pentecost.

The sermon climaxes with a declaration that stands as a summary of Pauline theology: “Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (13:38-39). The Greek word dikaiothhenai (“freed” or “justified”) is the verbal form of the noun Paul will develop extensively in Romans and Galatians. Justification by faith, apart from the works of the law, is here proclaimed for the first time in Paul’s recorded preaching. When the Jewish leadership opposes the message the following Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas make a declaration of historic consequence: “Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (13:46), quoting Isaiah 49:6. The Gentiles rejoice, many believe, and the word of the Lord spreads throughout the region.

Key Themes

• Spirit-initiated mission – The first missionary journey originates not in human planning but in the direct command of the Holy Spirit during worship
• Justification by faith – Paul’s sermon articulates for the first time the principle that faith in Christ accomplishes what the law of Moses could not
• The turning to the Gentiles – Jewish rejection of the message becomes the occasion for Gentile inclusion, fulfilling Isaiah’s vision of a light to the nations

Connections

• Old Testament Roots: Psalm 2:7 (the Sonship of the Messiah); Psalm 16:10 (the Holy One will not see corruption); Isaiah 49:6 (light to the Gentiles); Isaiah 55:3 (the sure mercies of David)
• New Testament Echoes: Romans 1:16-17 (the gospel to the Jew first, then the Gentile); Romans 3:21-26 (justification by faith apart from law); Galatians 2:16 (justified by faith in Christ)
• Parallel Passages: Acts 2:14-41 (Peter’s Pentecost sermon for comparison); Acts 9:15-16 (Paul’s commission to carry Christ’s name before Gentiles and kings)

Reflection Questions

1. What does the diversity of the Antioch leadership team (Acts 13:1) reveal about the kind of community the Holy Spirit builds?
2. How does Paul’s Pisidian Antioch sermon build on the same Old Testament texts Peter used at Pentecost, and where does it move beyond Peter’s message?
3. In what ways does the pattern of Jewish rejection leading to Gentile opportunity continue to shape the spread of the gospel today – and what should our posture be toward those who reject the message?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, you are the initiator of every true mission. Just as you spoke to the worshipping church at Antioch, speak to us. Give us the boldness of Paul to declare that through Jesus there is a freedom the law could never provide, and give us the faith to follow where you lead – even through the mountain passes and the opposition. Make us a light to the nations. Amen.