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The journey of Barnabas and Saul to Cyprus and the appeal of the proconsul Sergius Paulus (1–12). Journey to Perga and Antioch of Pisidia and Paul's speech in the synagogue of Antioch (13–41). The effect of Paul's speeches on the pagans and Jews, the persecution of Barnabas and Paul and their departure to Iconium (42–52) Acts 13:1. In Antioch, in the church there there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon, who is called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manael, a fellow pupil of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. "There were some prophets and teachers". Prophecy and teaching were special gifts of the Holy Spirit in the early Christian Church, which were awarded to some of God's chosen ones (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11). In terms of modern understanding, we can say that this was something like the “serendipity” and “senility” of our time. Prophecy is a visionary knowledge of the future, announced to others sometimes by some corresponding symbolic action, and sometimes simply by a prediction or figurative saying. Teaching is the highest spiritual wisdom, revealing in a person the ability to teach and guide others with advice and instructions in all cases of life. Among such grace-filled persons of the Antioch Church are: “Barnabas”, who earned the respect of the entire early Christian Church (Acts 11:22) and served to build the Antioch Church; "Simeon" Niger (i.e. black), probably from the Latins, judging by his nickname; “Lucius” the Cyrenean - from Cyrene (see Acts 2:10) - perhaps the one whom Ap calls. Paul in Romans 16:21, and one of the Cyreneans mentioned above by the writer (Acts 11:19–20); “Manael” or Manaim, co-pupil of Herod the Tetrarch, i.e. Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee (Matthew 2:22). Regarding this, the blessed one remarks. Theophylact: “This is what the character of each person means; and education has no influence: look how wicked Herod remained, and his co-educator Manael changed so much that he was even awarded the gift of prophecy...." Finally, Saul is mentioned last, since he entered into communion with the Antiochian Church later than others, and his apostolic activity was just beginning (Chrysostom and Theophilus). Acts 13:2. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” “When they served the Lord” - λειτουργούντων δέ αυτῶν τῶ Κυρίω. The Greek expression means public worship, in this case probably the Eucharist (serving the “Lord”, i.e. Jesus); therefore, the words given do not refer to just 5 named individuals, but to the entire Church of Antioch. “The Holy Spirit said” - probably through a prophet or prophets (Chrysostom), who explained the command of the Holy Spirit before the entire assembly. “Separate”, i.e. from among oneself - in the sense of electing and dedicating those chosen to a special service. "To the work to which I have called them." The matter itself is not stated directly. But it, without a doubt, was known to the Church of Antioch (cf. Acts 9:15), as can be seen from the expression “they released them,” knowing the work for which they were releasing them, i.e. that they go preaching the Gospel into the pagan world. Acts 13:3. Then they, having fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, sent them away. “By fasting and praying and laying hands on them.” As a matter of special importance, requiring special guidance, the fulfillment of God’s commandment regarding the elect is preceded by fasting and prayer. Then they are consecrated to a new and special holy service through the “laying on of hands,” of course, not of the entire society, but of its leaders. Thus, the future great apostle of languages ​​accepted the second ordination to the work of the highest apostolic ministry. “What does it mean: “set aside for Me... for my work”? - To the apostleship. Thus, Paul is ordained to the apostleship in order to preach with authority...” (Chrysostom, cf. Theophilus.). Acts 13:4. These, having been sent by the Holy Spirit, came to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus; “These were sent by the Holy Spirit” - a new, special revelation, different from what was just mentioned. With this reservation follows a description of the 1st great journey of the Apostle Paul preaching the Gospel, which constitutes the content of two chapters of Acts 13–14. The path or order and direction of this journey is indicated clearly and precisely, beginning and ending in Antioch (like all the others, with the exception of the last one - in chains, which began in Jerusalem and ended in Rome with the martyrdom of the apostle). “They came to Seleucia” – κατῆλθον εις τήν Σελεύκειαν – glor.: “they came to Seleucia”. Greek and Slavic expressions - indicate the geographical and geological position of Seleucia in relation to Antioch - descended (descended from top to bottom) to Seleucia (similar to Luke 10:30). “Seleucia”, otherwise Pieria, is a small port city at the confluence of the river. Oronte (on which Antioch was located higher). From Seleucia they “sailed to Cyprus,” the island of the Mediterranean Sea closest to Antioch. Barnabas was from this island (Acts 4:36) and, probably, had multiple kinship and acquaintances here, through which it was easy to establish relations not only with the population of the island itself, but also with the surrounding continents, which maintained the liveliest trade relations with the enterprising islanders. All this made Cyprus a particularly good point of departure “to languages” for language educators. Acts 13:5. and being in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; They also had John with them to serve. "Salamin" is a coastal Cypriot city on the eastern coast of the island, facing the Syrian coast. “They preached in the synagogues of the Jews” - since Barnabas was from Cypriot Jews, it was natural for him and Saul to preach about Christ first of all to the Jews, as they did with Paul everywhere and always (Acts 13:46). “They also had John with them to serve”—obviously, John Mark, the same one whom they took with them from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 12:25), “to serve”—i.e. to carry out their instructions, perhaps including performing baptism on converts (Acts 10:48; cf. 1 Cor. 1:14). Acts 13:6. Having passed the entire island as far as Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew named Barijesus, “Paphos” is the main city of the island, the seat of the Roman proconsul, on the opposite end of the island from Salamis. “A certain sorcerer, a false prophet” - obviously similar to Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9). "Varijesus" son of Jesus. Perhaps this name was not the sorcerer’s own name, since it expresses only his Jewish patronymic (just as the proper name of “Bartholomew I,” that is, the son of Folomeev, was Nathanael, see commentary on Matthew 10:3). The Arabic “Elyma” mentioned further in the same way does not seem to serve as the proper name of the false prophet, but is only a designation of his profession, for “Elyma” means a sorcerer and sage par excellence. Acts 13:7. who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a wise man. This man, calling Barnabas and Saul, desired to hear the word of God. “Was with the proconsul” - obviously having him under his influence. Under Octavian Augustus, Cyprus was for some time an imperial province and was governed by a propraetor, but Augustus gave this province to the Senate, and from then on it began to be governed by a proconsul, which was “Sergius Paulus” at the time described. The writer characterizes him as a “reasonable man,” which partly explains his communication with the sorcerer, from whom he obviously sought satisfaction of his spiritual needs, and is also justified by the fact that, despite the opposing influence of the sorcerer, he was able to treat the new preachers of higher wisdom impartially and find in it the true satisfaction of his wisdom. Acts 13:8. And Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. “Resisted them” – i.e. objected, disputed their teaching, trying to refute it, to present it as untrue, not worthy of the attention of the proconsul and other people. Acts 13:9. But Saul, who is also Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit and fixed his gaze on him, "Saul, also known as Paul." Here for the last time the Writer uses the Hebrew name “Saul” and for the first time the Roman “Paul”, which henceforth becomes the exclusive name of the Apostle of Languages. In this change of name and its coincidence with the address of the proconsul Paul, in fairness, one can see not a simple accident, but a special significance and intentionality of the writer. According to the explanation of the most ancient interpreters, Paul adopted this new name in remembrance of such a remarkable conversion to Christ of the Roman proconsul S. Paul (Jer. De vir. 5). This change could also have been prompted by the fact that he was now going to preach about Christ to the Greco-Roman world, in the conversion of which he saw his special purpose, which is why a new name, Roman, by the way, was so similar to his Jewish name, seemed more convenient. It is also remarkable that from that time on the writer allowed another important change, placing “Paul” as the main person in the apostolic journey described, and not Barnabas, as was before (“Barnabas and Saul”, and from now on he almost constantly writes “Paul and Barnabas”). - Obviously, with the appeal of the proconsul and the terrible punishment of the sorcerer, Paul revealed in himself such a power of God that he was considered the first person of this mission and the highest apostle of the pagans, which was later justified in all his further activities. “Fixing his gaze on him,” which meant the deepest penetration of the sorcerer’s soul with its low properties. Acts 13:10. said: O, full of all deceit and all evil, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness! will you stop turning aside from the straight paths of the Lord? “Oh, full of all deceit and all evil.” The Greek ραδιουργίας (villainy) actually means: trickery, which, together with deceit, constituted the necessary properties of a national deceiver. “Son of the Devil” is an angry expression of the opposite of his name “Varijesus” - son of salvation or savior. The son of the devil is a man whose entire spiritual mood is the embodiment of the spirit of lies and malice - the enemy of God and people (cf. John 8:44). “To lead astray from the straight paths of the Lord,” leading the proconsul to right faith in Christ and bliss, in contrast to the crooked paths that lead away from Christ and lead into eternal destruction. Acts 13:11. And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you will be blind and will not see the sun until the time comes. And suddenly darkness and darkness fell upon him, and he, turning here and there, looked for a counselor. “Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you,” i.e. the punishing, punishing power of God (Judges 2:15; Job 19, etc.). “You will be blind, and you will not see the sun...” - an intensified expression of the severity of the divine punishment of the sorcerer - you will be completely blind, in accordance with which the further intensified expression is “gloom and darkness fell upon him.” “Until the time”, i.e. until he stops opposing the preachers and repents. It is not known whether Elymas took advantage of the mercy left to him. Acts 13:12. Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed, marveling at the teaching of the Lord. “The Doctrine of the Lord,” proclaimed through the mouth of the apostles (Acts 8:25). Acts 13:13. Sailing from Paphos, Paul and those who were with him arrived in Perga, in Pamphylia. But John, having separated from them, returned to Jerusalem. “Paul and those who were with him” (See note to Acts 13:9), i.e. Barnabas and John Mark and, perhaps, some other of the Cyprian believers. “Pamphylia” is the Asia Minor coastal region north of Cyprus; “Pergi I” is the main city of this region, located near the sea on the river. Cestre and famous in ancient times for the Church of Diana. “John, having separated from them, returned to Jerusalem” - the reason is not specified, but from what follows it is clear that it is not entirely approving; at least Paul did not approve of it. Perhaps some weakness of John’s character and timidity of the great labors ahead, coupled with considerable dangers and hardships, which might have seemed beyond the strength of young John, were manifested here (Theophilus; cf. Chrysostom; Thursday-Min. June 11 - “young man”). Acts 13:14. They, passing from Perga, arrived at Antioch in Pisidia and, entering the synagogue on the Sabbath day, sat down. “Antioch and Pisidia” is a populous city, ranked at different times, depending on the circumstances, either in Phrygia, then in Pamphylia, or in Pisidia - the provinces of Asia Minor. Acts 13:15. After reading the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them to say: men and brethren! If you have a word of instruction for the people, speak. “After reading the law and the prophets”, i.e. readings of the sections from the Pentateuch of Moses and the books of the prophets set for this Saturday. "Rulers of the Synagogue". Actually, there was only one ruler of the synagogue (archisynagogue, Luke 8:41, 13:14; Matthew 9, etc.). Probably, the elders who were members of the council at the arch-synagogue are also called bosses here. “They sent me to tell them.” Probably, already before this visit to the synagogue, Paul and Barnabas became known as men of teaching, skilled in the understanding and interpretation of Scripture, which is why they were offered the floor. Acts 13:16. Paul stood up and made a sign with his hand, saying: Men of Israel and those who fear God! listen. “Giving a sign with his hand” that he wants to speak. “This was the custom among the Jews,” explains Chrysostom. It is noteworthy that now “Barnabas yields to Paul, just as John yields everywhere to Peter” (Theophilus). "Said..." . The apostle's speech consists of a brief but powerful depiction of the history of the Jewish people from the time of the patriarchs to David with the goal (as in Stephen, Acts 7) to point out the great blessings of God that were then (Theophilus and Chrysostom), and then from here a direct transition is made to the history of the Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins through Him, with a strong warning against unbelief in Him. “Men of Israel” (Acts 3:12) “and those who fear God.” The first refers to natural Jews, the second to the proselytes of the gates, the Gentile worshipers of the true God, who took part in synagogue services, where they occupied places specially designated for them (cf. Acts 13:43, 17:4, 17, 16:14, 18:7). Acts 13:17. The God of this people chose our fathers and exalted this people while they were in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm brought them out of it, “The God of this people”, i.e. Jewish. Greek text: o Θεός τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου Ισραήλ ... The image of the expression indicates that Paul’s speech is addressed specifically to the proselytes, but at the same time, indirectly and with no less force, it also targets the hearts of the Jewish listeners, to whom it more directly addresses Acts 13:26. "Our Fathers". Speaking above about God “this people,” the apostle, with the expression “our fathers,” also includes himself among the Jewish people, showing that this people alone enjoyed the advantage of God’s special election, while all other peoples were left for the time being to walk in their own ways (Acts 14:16). “He chose” – by the election of Abraham and the covenant with him and his descendants. “Exalted” - with reproduction, strength and power, which the Egyptians themselves feared (Ex. 1: 7–10). “He brought me out with an uplifted muscle.” A figurative expression often used in St. Scripture, when mentioning the exit of the Jews from Egypt, means the power of Jehovah God as the leader of His people, brought out by Him under the protection of His strong hand, which revealed itself in so many signs and wonders of the Exodus. Acts 13:18. and for about forty years he fed them in the wilderness. “Nourished them” - ετροποφόρησεν - carrying them in his arms with maternal care, like a mother’s baby (cf. Deut. 1 and 2 Mac. 7:29). This care was expressed especially in feeding them with heavenly bread - manna (cf. John 6:30-32). Acts 13:19. And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land for them as an inheritance. “Having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan” (i.e. Palestine) (cf. Deut. 7:1). Since the peoples mentioned were much stronger and more numerous than the Jewish people (Deut. 7:1-2), this destruction and further division of the land is also mentioned in order to emphasize Jehovah’s care for His people, in order to prepare them for the acceptance of the Promised Messiah. Acts 13:20. And after this, about four hundred and fifty years, he gave them judges until the prophet Samuel. “After this” - i.e. division of the land of Canaan among the Jews - “about 450 years” . This chronology of the period of the Judges somewhat disagrees with the indications of 3 books. Kings (1 Kings 6:1), where the 4th year of Solomon’s reign - the year he built the church - is called the 480th from the exodus of the Jews from Egypt (according to the LXX - 440th), and the period of the Judges will actually be only 331 years. This disagreement is explained by the fact that the apostle uses in this case the chronology of tradition, and not Scripture, which is also done by the famous Jewish historian Josephus, counting from the exit of the Jews from Egypt to the construction of the church (or the 4th year of the reign of Solomon) - 592 years. The right of such preference for the date of Tradition - Scripture cannot be disputed due to the fact that it was especially easy for copyists of manuscripts to make mistakes in numbers and letters, as a result of which especially the digital dates of various manuscripts suffer from extreme instability and needed special verification by the authoritative voice of learned tradition. “He gave them judges” - special leaders, erected by His direct power and direction, to save the people from disasters and govern them (Judges 3:10). The special book of Judges describes their deeds. “Until the prophet Samuel,” who was the last Judge of the people. Acts 13:21. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. So forty years passed. "Forty Years". In the Old Testament books, nowhere is it directly stated about the time of Saul’s reign. Here Paul again uses the indication of Tradition, which Flavius ​​also uses, separately indicating 18 years of Saul’s reign during the life of Samuel and 22 years after his death (Archaeol. VI, 14, 9). Acts 13:22. Having rejected him, he made David king for them, about whom he said, testifying: I have found a man after My heart, David, the son of Jesse, who will fulfill all My desires. “Having rejected him,” as one who had not fulfilled the will and decrees of God, “he made David king for them” (1 Sam. "Said while testifying". The saying of God about David cited by Paul is a free combination of what was actually said from the Person of God by Samuel to Saul about his rejection (1 Sam. 13:14), and what the psalmist (Etham) only puts into the mouth of God, as said to Samuel (“in the vision of Thy Holy One” Ps. 88, etc.). Acts 13:23. From his descendants, God, according to promise, raised up the Savior Jesus to Israel. From David the apostle quickly moves on to preach about Christ as the goal of the entire history of Israel guided by God and as such a Descendant of David, Whom David was the best type of with his two above-mentioned properties (“a man after God’s own heart ... will fulfill all My desires”) and Who was the most perfect fulfillment of the promise given to David. Acts 13:24. Just before His appearance, John preached a baptism of repentance to the entire people of Israel. “Just before His appearance” - i.e. coming to the work of public ministry, which was immediately after His baptism - “John preached a baptism of repentance.” See Mk.1 and parallel. Acts 13:25. At the end of his career, John said: Who do you say that I am? I'm not the same; but behold, he comes after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. “At the end of your career”, i.e. at the end of his service as the Forerunner of Christ, and not at the end of his life in general. The quoted words of the Forerunner were spoken by him around the time of the baptism of Christ, with which, in fact, the ministry of the Forerunner ended, and not with his death, although this death did not slow down either. “Who do you think I am? “I am not the same,” etc. Brief and free reproduction of the testimony of the Baptist as set out in the Gospels (John 1 et al. John 3 and parallels). The apostle's speech is lively, excited and therefore abrupt. Acts 13:26. Men and brethren, children of the family of Abraham, and those who fear God among you! the word of this salvation has been sent to you. Beginning to present the very essence of the Gospel sermon about the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ and the salvation of all through Christ, the apostle repeats with intense love and persuasiveness the appeal to those present: “men, brethren, children of the family of Abraham” - i.e. natural Jews, “and those who fear God among you,” i.e. proselytes (cf. Acts 13:16). “The word of this salvation”, i.e. the preaching of this salvation and salvation itself. “It has been sent to you” – υμῖν ... απεστάλη – sent through the apostles, in this case Paul and Barnabas. Acts 13:27. For the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders, not recognizing Him and condemning Him, fulfilled the words of the prophets read every Saturday: “For...” – here the meaning is not causal, but explanatory. “They fulfilled the words of the prophets” - without thinking and without realizing it, they fulfilled what was predetermined from eternity by God and predicted through the prophets, i.e. that Christ had to suffer and die. "Read every Saturday". What a heavy reproach! What a bitter truth! Every Saturday these prophetic words are read in the synagogues, and those reading and interpreting do not realize that they were their terrible fulfillers. But if ignorance could somewhat alleviate their guilt in not recognizing the Messiah, then what happened next - the murder of the Innocent One upon recognition as such - no longer excuses them at all: “this was no longer a matter of ignorance; for, let us suppose that they did not honor Him as Christ, but why did they kill Him” (Chrysostom). Acts 13:28. and, not finding in Him any guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to kill Him. Acts 13:29. When they had fulfilled everything that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. “They took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb....” Although this was done not by enemies, but by friends of the Lord (Joseph and Nicodemus), the apostle nevertheless assimilates this to the crucifiers of Christ, as a consequence of their terrible deed, generalized from beginning to end. Acts 13:30. But God raised Him from the dead. Acts 13:31. For many days He appeared to those who came with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem and who are now His witnesses before the people. “But God raised Him up” (Cf. Acts 2:24, 3 – note). The certainty of this resurrection is proven by His appearances “for many days,” namely 40, to His disciples, who were all Galileans (Matthew 10:4), “and who are now His witnesses” (cf. Acts 2:32), i.e. eyewitnesses of everything that happened to Him, who should be the most reliable announcers of all this to the rest of the people. Paul does not, apparently, count himself among these witnesses - eyewitnesses of the Lord who appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. It is true that he himself saw the Lord (Acts 9ff.; 1 Cor. 15:8), but he saw it under very special circumstances than the other apostles. Acts 13:32. And we bring you the gospel that God fulfilled the promise given to the fathers to us their children by raising Jesus, Acts 13:33. just as in the second psalm it is written: You are my Son: today have I begotten you. Paul considers the evidence of the truth of the resurrection of Christ by the testimony of direct eyewitnesses to be insufficient for ordinary people, but he does not consider them the only ones and indicates their strongest support in the Holy Scripture itself. Scripture. The resurrection of Jesus seemed to be the most necessary condition for the fulfillment of God’s promises about Him, one of which read: “Thou art My Son. Today I gave birth to Thee” (Ps. 2:7). This teaching about the Sonship of God of the Messiah seemed to logically demand His resurrection, establishing itself on it as an irrefutable conclusion from its premises. Acts 13:34. And that He raised Him from the dead, so that He would no longer turn into corruption, about this He said this: I will give you the mercies promised to David, truly. Acts 13:35. Therefore, in another place he says: You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption. Acts 13:36. David, having served the will of God at one time, rested and was kissed by his fathers, and saw corruption; Acts 13:37. but He whom God raised did not see corruption. The apostle points out another proof of the reliability of the fulfillment of God's promises in Jesus, in His resurrection, in the words of God spoken through the mouth of the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 55:3) and the psalmist David. The first, from the Face of God, promises the immutable fulfillment of the promises given to David, which are such that their fulfillment is incompatible with the possibility for the Messiah to turn into corruption. David also talks about this quite clearly in Ps. 15: 10 (see note to Acts 2: 25–32). “David, having served the will of God in due time, rested.” The Greek text, it seems, (and the Slavic one behind it) has a slightly different idea: , εκοιμήθη - “David, having served his family with God’s advice,” that is: David, having served his family, died by God’s will. “Having served his family” (or people) - with his royal service and with his whole life, which gave so much not only for his people, but also for generations of all times and peoples in his psalter. “Rested”, i.e. died - a reverently believing designation of death, which is like a dream until the future resurrection of the dead. “He venerated himself to his fathers” is an ancient Hebrew expression indicating the fate of those who died after death (Gen. 15:15, 25:8; Judg. 2:10); the soul of the deceased goes to Sheol and there joins the previously deceased ancestors. “He saw corruption” - bodily, in contrast to which Christ “saw no corruption” - because He was resurrected and had to live forever so that all the promises of God to the fathers would be fulfilled (Acts 13:32). Acts 13:38. Let it therefore be known to you, men and brethren, that for His sake the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; “For His sake the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,” that is, for His sake the forgiveness of sins is granted to those who believe in Him, which is announced by the Apostolic Sermon Acts 13:39. and in everything in which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, everyone who believes is justified by him. “To be justified” - δικαιωθῆναι - “to be justified” - to become righteous before God. The apostle speaks in more detail about this justification and cleansing of sins by the faith of Christ and about the insufficiency of the Law of Moses for this in his epistles to the Romans and Galatians. “In everything in which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses.” All this has an absolute meaning here, for - according to the teaching of the Apostle - the law of Moses could not justify a person in anything before God. Such justification is solely faith in Christ, combined with works of Christian love (Rom. 3 et al. Rom. 3:28; Gal. 3 et c.). Acts 13:40. Beware, therefore, lest what is spoken of the prophets come upon you: “What was spoken by the prophets...” Cf. Avv.1 according to translation LXX. Acts 13:41. look, you despisers, marvel and disappear; For I am doing a work in your days, a work which you would not believe if anyone told you. “Despisers” – i.e. the voice of God, the warnings of God, and hence - God himself. "Marvel and Disappear". The Prophet speaks here from the Person of God about the upcoming invasion of the Jewish land by the Chaldeans as punishment for the unbelief and debauchery of the Jewish people. This invasion was so unexpected and was accompanied by such amazing upheavals for the Jews that they seemed to “disappear” from surprise, resigned themselves to insignificance, to non-existence, to the complete defeat of all their expectations and ideas of the possible. The apostle threatens the apostle now with the same terrible judgment and punishment of God for unbelief and contempt for the voice of God. Acts 13:42. When they left the Jewish synagogue, the pagans asked them to talk about the same thing on the next Saturday. Acts 13:43. When the meeting was dissolved, many Jews and worshipers of God, converted from the pagans, followed Paul and Barnabas, who, talking with them, convinced them to abide in the grace of God. “Abide in the grace of God,” i.e. in this, revealed in them, heartfelt disposition to faith in Christ, preached by Paul - a disposition that was to subsequently lead them to the preached salvation. This location here was the first breath or touch of God's saving grace. Acts 13:44. The following Saturday, almost the entire city gathered to listen to the word of God. “Almost the whole city,” i.e. and its pagan population, whose attention was apparently aroused by the private conversations of the apostles with the inhabitants during the week between the two mentioned Saturdays (Acts 13 and Acts 13:44). Acts 13:45. But the Jews, when they saw the people, were filled with envy and, contradicting and slandering, resisted what Paul was saying. The strong expressions, “contradicting and slandering, resisted,” indicate the passionate, agitated hostility of the Jews to the teachings of Paul. Acts 13:46. Then Paul and Barnabas said boldly: you should have been the first to preach the word of God, but since you reject it and make yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the pagans. “They said with boldness...” The idea expressed by Paul about preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles independently of Judaism aroused significant bewilderment among the Jerusalem and Antioch believers (Acts 11:2–3, 15, etc.). It could have aroused the same bewilderment among all the other Jews of the Diaspora. Nevertheless, the Apostles - Paul and Barnabas accept the boldness to express it and apply it in practice, bearing in mind both the experience of the Apostle Peter (Acts 10), and the experience of the preachers of Antioch (Acts 11:20), and the special will of the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:1-4), and, finally, the fact that the Jews, who were first of all here announced by the word of the sermon about Christ, turned out to be rebellious and by this they themselves seemed to justify the fact that the apostles turned to preach about Christ to the pagans. “You should have been the first to have the word of God preached...”, i.e. the doctrine of Christ the Savior; it was necessary both according to the clear command of the Lord himself (Acts 1:8, 3:26; Rom. 1:16), and in general according to the Divine definitions about the Messiah, who was first of all sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and only then belonged to all other nations. “You make yourselves unworthy of eternal life,” the granting of which to all humanity was the main goal of the coming of the Messiah, subject to faith in Him. "Behold, we speak to the Gentiles." “These words,” says St. Chrysostom - filled with great meekness. He did not say: we are leaving you in order to show that it was possible to return here again, and this removal is not due to your insult, but - this is what we are commanded. The pagans must hear the Word of God, but it depends not on us, but on you, that they will hear before you...” Acts 13:47. For this is what the Lord commanded us: I have made You a light to the Gentiles, so that You may be a source of salvation to the ends of the earth. To prove that the apostles’ preaching to the pagans was not an unauthorized action and was fully consistent with the Divine plan for the salvation of the world, the apostles refer to the saying of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 49:6), which expresses God’s definition of the Messiah as the light of the pagans and the salvation of all people to the ends of the earth. In this definition of God, the apostles see for themselves, as it were, a commandment of God and the greatest justification for their activities in the eyes of the Jews, for whom a reference to the commandment of the Lord Himself to teach all languages ​​(Matthew 28:19) could not have such power as a reference to the words of the prophet. Acts 13:48. The pagans, hearing this, rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were ordained to eternal life believed. “Hearing this,” i.e. God's decree concerning the acceptance of pagans into the Church of Christ, witnessed by the apostles. “They glorified the word of the Lord,” i.e. new teaching, new faith, Holy Gospel. “Who were given unto eternal life,” as a result of God’s foreknowledge of their freely good activity (cf. John 6:44; Rom. 8:29–30). Acts 13:49. And the word of the Lord spread throughout the country. “The Word of the Lord”, i.e. gospel sermon. Acts 13:50. But the Jews, inciting the pious and honorable women and the leading people in the city, launched a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their borders. Acts 13:51. They, having shaken off the dust from their feet, went to Iconium. “He shook off the dust from his feet on them” (Matthew 10:14), as a sign of the cessation of all communication. “We went to Iconium” - to the southeast of Antioch of Pisidia, a densely populated city at that time, considered either Pisidia, Lycaonia, or Phrygia. Acts 13:52. And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. “The disciples” - i.e. The Pisidian Christians were “filled with joy” instead of losing heart from the persecution of the apostles. “Such is the power of the Gospel! - exclaims Theophylact (cf. Chrysostom). “The teachers were persecuted, but the students rejoiced... The suffering of the teacher does not take away the boldness of the student, but makes him more cheerful.” You might be interested in: