E-12

STORY SETTING AND BACKGROUND

The First Missionaries

 

After the church at Antioch in Syria had laid hands on them as instructed by the Holy Ghost, Saul and Barnabas became the first missionaries. They traveled across the island of Cyprus; then they shipped to Asia Minor, preaching and telling people about Jesus the Savior.   Acts 13:1-52

 

The busy capital of the Roman prov­ince of Syria was at Antioch on the Orontes River. Known as "Antioch the Beautiful," it was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. It was a teeming trade and religious center.

Antioch was peculiarly suited to be­come the center of missionary activity. This cosmopolitan city had a tolerant spirit. It also had a large Jewish com­munity whose rights and privileges were engraved on bronze tablets and set up along one of the main streets. Many non­-Jews were attracted to Judaism, and some of these later became Christians.

 

CYPRUS

 

One day while the Christians at Anti­och were worshipping, the Holy Spirit said, "Send out Paul and Barnabas to do the work for which I have called them." After praying with them, the leaders of the church laid their hands on them and sent them out.

 

Paul, Barnabas, and his nephew John Mark traveled to Seleucia, the busy sea­port of Antioch on the Mediterranean, 16 miles away. Here they found a ship sailing west to the island of Cyprus, 60 miles away.

Many Jews lived on this island, and many of these lived in Salamis, the larg­est city. Paul and Barnabas visited the synagogs on the Sabbath both here and in other towns of Cyprus as they made their way to Paphos, the capital of this Roman province.

 

Sergius Paulus, the Roman governor, heard about them and asked them to speak to him and his men. He was much interested in what they said. With him was a magician of some sort, known as Bar-Jesus and also Elymas. He was un­happy that the governor should like what Paul and Barnabas said and op­posed them. But, as a result, Bar-Jesus temporarily lost his eyesight when Paul rebuked him.

   Thus far in Acts, Luke had used Paul's Jewish name Saul, but, beginning with Acts 13: 9 he calls him Paul. Luke also stressed the friendly attitude of the Ro­man governor over against Paul. This emphasis continues throughout the books of Acts, as Luke portrays how the Gos­pel was brought from Jerusalem to Rome.

 

ANTIOCH NEAR PISIDIA

Paul and Barnabas left Cyprus to sail about 130 miles north to Asia Minor. Arriving at Perga, they decided to make the long, hard climb up through the rugged Taurus Mountains up to Antioch, the capital of the Roman province of Galatia. Since Antioch lay near an area known as Pisidia, it is also known as "Pisidian Antioch."

 

This busy trade and governmental center was an ideal place for Paul and Barnabas to begin work. Many Jews lived in this city, and through them at least, some of the non-Jews were some­what acquainted with Judaism.

On the Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas worshipped in the synagog. After the opening prayers and the Old Testament readings, the synagog leaders sent a man to say, "Fellow Jews, if you wish to encourage the people, you may speak." This was a common practice, and it would take the place of what we could call the sermon.

Paul got up and said, "Fellow Jews and you who fear God, listen to me." By "you who fear God" he meant non-­Jews who were interested in Judaism. These are often called "God-fearers."

Luke gives us a sample of Paul's preaching; it is the longest sample we have. It shows us how Paul used the Old Testament to show that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecies of old.

Paul's "sermon" may be divided into three parts: In Part I (vv.  6-25) Paul re­views the historical basis of the Jewish faith and stressed that Jesus was a de­scendant of David. He also records John's testimony of Christ's divinity.

In Part II (vv. 26-37) Paul goes on to mention the essential facts of Jesus life and how these were foretold in the Old Testament. In Part III (vv. 37-4]) Paul stressed that through Christ there is forgiveness of a1l sins and in so doing quotes Habakkuk.

The people's reaction to Paul's mes­sage was favorable; they asked him to speak again on the following Sabbath. Many Jews and non-Jews followed Paul and Barnabas to ask them more about Jesus.

The next Sabbath saw the synagog more than filled with people. Many were non-Jews. When the Jews saw this, they began to contradict Paul and speak against him.

Fina1ly Paul had to say, "We had to speak to you first, but since you reject God's Word and judge yourselves not worthy of everlasting life, we now go to the non-Jews. This is what God told us to do."

The non-Jews were very happy to hear this. Paul and Barnabas kept on telling them about Jesus, and many believed. Soon the Gospel was spread a1l over the area.