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Paul's Mission
Authored by Takao Kiyohiro, Osaka, Japan ktakao@po.teleway.ne.jp
Translated by Rev. Mike Furey mfurey@seidata.com
at http://www.j-e-s-u-s.org.
TEXT: Acts 13:13-43
1. Last time we read about the conditions of the religious mission
on the island of Cyprus. Sergius Paulus, regional governor for Rome, was
converted on the island of Cyprus. That means that this island was
the first region governed by a Christian. Because of the governor's
conversion at least an immediate peace was secured for the young church of
Cyprus and the way for the gospel was broadly opened.
After that, they set out from Cyprus and progressed in their travels to the next
unpreached lands. They crossed over from Paphos to the southern coast
of Asia Minor by ship. From the harbor there they progressed on the
land route and came to Perga. From there they went over the mountains
of Psidia and headed further inland. They went on one road straight
to Antioch. (It has the same name, but it is a different town from
the Antioch of Syria that appeared previously.)
2. At Antioch there was a community of Jewish residents and worship
was held in the synagogue on the Sabbaths. As we saw in the island
of Cyprus so here as well they took the opportunity to give out the word
of God mainly in the Sabbath worship services. In today's passage,
we have recorded the manner in which the opportunity to preach was given
and what he had preached. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath
day and took a seat. Just like always the worship service went on.
First, they began with a confession of faith called the Shema which begins
with "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is only one Lord," (Deuteronomy
6:4) and continued with the recitation of prayers. After that, the
book of the law (the five books of Moses, which are from Genesis to Deuteronomy)
and the prophets were read aloud. Then, the elder of the synagogue sent
for a person and urged Paul's group to give a word of exhortation.
In the worship service of the synagogue anyone of the Jewish men was permitted
to give an exposition after they had read it aloud. In particular,
Paul and Barnabbas seemed to be rabbis in the middle of a journey.
3. That's the situation on how they got an opportunity to preach
the word of God to the people assembled together. The contents of [their
message] is recorded in verses sixteen and forward. It has a clear organization
and is divided into three parts. At the beginning of each part a
call to attention is directed to the audience. The first section
goes from verse sixteen to verse twenty-five. The second section
goes from verse twenty-six to verse thirty-six. The last goes from
verse thirty-eight to verse forty-one. I would like us to follow
these sections, outline their contents and think about what this means for
us.
In The History Of Salvation
4. The first section begins with the words, "O men of Israel and
o God-fearing men, please listen," (verse sixteen). When it says
"men of Israel" that refers to persons who were either born Jews or persons
who became Jews by converting and receiving circumcision. When it
says "God-fearing men" that refers to Gentiles who although they kept
the Sabbath, they had never received circumcision. Here then
Paul is calling out to both types of persons.
5. Then first of all he begins by talking about the history of
the people of God which begins with Abraham. "This God of the Israelites
called out our forefathers and while the people were living in the land
of Egypt he made them mighty and lead them out of there with an arm that
he had raised high," (verse seventeen). He began like this and he
spoke eloquently on the history of Israel. When he came to verse
twenty-two the settlement in Canaan after the Egyptian exodus, the period
of the judges, the formation of the monarchy, and the enthronement of David
were preached. Anyone who was a Jew would have known [what he was
preaching] up to this point.
6. However, was this something really important to the audience
in attendance there? In particular, other than for the Jews, was
there significance in it for the Gentiles [who were called] "the God-fearers?"
To go further on it, since many of the people who read the Book Of Acts
were Gentile Christians, would this sermon of Paul have meaning for those
who were not Jewish? Furthermore, after nearly two thousand years
will this really have any meaning for us "Gentile Christians?" [It may not
seem so.]
7. Nevertheless, we must give careful thought to this [passage].
As Paul related [events] up to David, he jumped over in one sweep a millennium's
worth of history and then referred to matters about Jesus because it was
this person who Paul had ultimately been communicating to them about in his speech.
"According to his promises God sent the savior Jesus to Israel from the
line of David," (verse twenty-three). "The savior came." "Jesus
of Nazareth indeed was that very savior." He was wanting to
communicate those two points. But, Paul spoke by placing the events
of the savior Jesus Christ in the history of God's people.
He was preaching that as a matter of common knowledge.
8. In this world separated from God, bereft of eternal life, and
under the control of sin and death, God called Abraham the source of blessing
(Genesis 12:2) and formed Israel from his posterity through the decisive
events of the Exodus from Egypt. What began from then was the history
of God's people and was the history of God's salvation and deliverance.
He was telling how God guided the history of that great salvation
and how he gave to us Jesus Christ in the midst of that salvific history.
9. Jesus Christ, the church in his salvation, and we too are in this
great plan of salvation. This is an important acknowledgment for us.
We say that because we are liable to think of matters of salvation as only the
events that have to do with our individual brief lives and because in
matters pertaining to faith we only think as far as "the frame of mind" or an attitude
which we can either keep or dispose of [at will]. But, that is wrong. The fact
is our worshipping together like this includes us as well in the history of this
splendorous salvation [and is more than just our own personal attitude of mind].
It is a definite fact that we are included in the history of this great people of God
which is moving towards a completion.
10. Then, in what particular sense is our having been included
or our being included important? The text speaks on this next because
it will make clear what kind of person Christ is.
The Cross And The Resurrection
11. Paul stated that God sent a savior from the line of David.
He made clear that Jesus indeed was that very savior. In addition,
he made reference to John the Baptizer in verses twenty-four and following.
The movement of the baptism of John was widely known probably even in Asia
Minor and this same movement might have spread into this area. At
any rate, everyone knew about John. Paul stated that this John preached
about the one who "is coming after me" or in other words he was testifying
of the true savior.
12. But, when they had heard of this one named Jesus even a little,
they would definitely not have been able to simply submit to this point.
That's because doubts of whether the one crucified and killed was the savior
would naturally have arisen. Why did the messiah have to be killed?
And worse, he died affixed to a tree as a man cursed of God. Was
the messiah to be like that? They felt of course there was a failure
which had taken place.
13. However, Paul preaches right on [this] event that looked only
like a failure. "O brothers, you men of the line of Abraham and those
who fear God among you, this message of salvation was sent to us," (verse
twenty-six). The vocabulary word "message" means "event" at the same
time in both Hebrew and Greek. The message of salvation means the
event of Jesus Christ. It means the event of the cross which was
only a failure. He calls this the message of salvation.
14. Paul says in verse twenty-seven, "Those who live in Jerusalem
and their leaders brought this message to fulfillment by not recognizing
Jesus and not understanding the message of the prophets read each Sabbath
day, and by condemning Jesus in sin." The important thing here was
that they brought to pass that message (that is, the message of the prophets).
He says the following in verse twenty-nine as well: "Thus, after
everything that was written concerning Jesus was fulfilled..." The
people were thinking that if he was the messiah he would not have been
crucified and killed on the cross. However, Paul said exactly the
opposite. Because he was the messiah he was killed. What the
prophets said came to pass. That's what Paul was preaching.
15. The words of the prophets were not quoted in this [passage].
Perhaps in the actual sermon of Paul the words of the prophets which had
come to fulfillment might have been preached. I think it will suffice
for us just to refer to Isaiah chapter fifty-three on this point.
16. "We are a flock of sheep
We have erred from the way and gone
off in different directions.
All of these sins of ours
The Lord laid [them] on him."
(Isaiah 53:6).
17. Israel as a nation was brought to judgment and devastation.
The event of the Babylonian captivity was nothing other than the judgment
of God. Was it because human sin had gotten too awful deep that God
closed out the history of salvation with a judgment? No, it wasn't.
God still kept his people alive and gave them life in this world.
But, how did God use his people and further the history of salvation?
Was it by their re-seeking the keeping of the law of Moses? No, it
wasn't, rather it was by his forgiving them of their sin. That is
what is recorded in this book of the prophets. The hope was never
in God's people themselves, the hope was not in humanity. It was
only possible to recover a relationship with God through the gracious gift of the
forgiveness of sin which came from one direction which was from God. God
devised the forgiving of peoples' sins by loading them on one man. The
one man who shouldered this load indeed was none other than the messiah
of the passion.* This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
18. Furthermore, God showed by the resurrection of the messiah
that redemption based on this suffering messiah was perfect. It was
also the victory of God over human sin. Then Paul preaches about
the witnesses to that resurrection and he preaches on the evidence of the
scriptures to the resurrection. On that he ultimately makes [his]
appeal to the people. That is the third section. And truly
here as well it is the pivot point of his preaching.
All Who Believe Are Justified
19. "Therefore, o brothers, I want you to know [this]. Forgiveness
of sin through this One has been made known to you. Also, even though you
are not justified by the law of Moses, everyone who believes will be justified
by him," (verses thirty-eight and thirty-nine).
20. The appeal here is to "the brothers." There was no longer
a distinction between Jew and Gentile. Furthermore, it says, "everyone
who believes is justified by him." Why [does it say] "everyone who believes"?
Because sin was completely borne by Christ and forgiveness of sin was revealed
to [Jew and Gentile]. Since a person is saved based on forgiveness of sin and the
people of God come to be through the forgiveness of sin, the distinction
between a Jew regulated by the law of Moses and a Gentile doesn't have
significance any more. What is it that has significance then?
It is only whether or not one believes in the forgiveness of God based
on the redemption of Christ. It is whether or not one believes in
Christ as savior and places oneself in the history of God's people.
The reason we Gentiles are made into worshippers of God like this lies at that
point. If we are to be in the history of God's people, it
will be based purely on the grace of God's forgiveness. We believe
and participate only in his grace.
21. Therefore, the truth of this grace produces at the same time
a sharp warning. Paul continued and spoke as follows as he quoted
Habakkuk chapter one and verse five.
22. "So, be on guard so that what was spoken in the book of the
prophets does not take place. 'See, o you who make light of [the prophets], take warning.
Die in destruction. I will perform in your times one thing:
Even if people explain it in detail you will not believe it possible,'"
(verse forty-one).
23. Even though the sun has been shinning because they refused the light and
kept the door shut, only darkness lies there [with them]. Since they made
themselves to be righteous and made light of and rejected the grace of God's
forgiveness, there would be no forgiveness there now. They ended up getting
themselves condemned to destruction. Paul says [in effect] "take warning
so that these type of things do not take place."
24. Even after the meeting ended many Jews and converts who worshipped
God came up to Paul and Barnabbas. The two of them spoke with them
and exhorted them to continue living under the grace of God. It's
possible to say that even after Barnabbas was sent to the Antioch church,
what they encouraged them was "to hold a firm resolve and not be separated
from the Lord." (11:23) Since they were justified by the grace
of God and were added to the people of God by the grace of God's forgiveness,
the important point was that they continue to live under the grace of God.
Even more than temporary but big experiences and impressions, the important
thing was [their] continuation until they come to the day of the end.
One should make sure one does not separate from the Lord.
End Note:
*Passion is a theological and technical term for the suffering and
crucifixion of Jesus.
Translated by Mike Furey
Hanover, IN, USA
mfurey@seidata.com
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