Acts 13

The Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul from the church at Antioch, and the first missionary journey begins. On Cyprus they meet opposition and a believing governor. At Pisidian Antioch Paul preaches the first full sermon recorded from him: Jesus is the promised Son of David, raised from the dead, and through Him sins are forgiven. Many Gentiles believe, while jealous opposition drives the missionaries on, yet the disciples remain full of joy.

Acts 13:1

The church at Antioch was a mixed and gifted company. Its leaders came from different backgrounds: Barnabas from Cyprus, Simeon and Lucius perhaps from Africa, Manaen from Herod’s court, and Saul the former persecutor. God had gathered them into one body.

BSA: teachers (“instructors, guides in the faith”): Teachers grounded the believers in what Jesus taught, alongside the prophets who spoke fresh words from God.

See also: Acts 11:25-26.

Acts 13:2

While the leaders were serving the Lord and fasting, the Spirit spoke. The call was not their idea. God claimed Barnabas and Saul for a work He had already appointed. Missions begins with God’s initiative and with a people listening to Him.

BSA: worshiping (“ministering to, serving”): Their worship was service offered to the Lord, not only singing or ritual. Set apart (“separate, dedicate”): The two were taken out of ordinary church duties and given wholly to God’s assignment.

Greek: λειτουργούντων (leitourgountōn, G3008) — “serving, ministering.” This is the word behind our word liturgy. It pictures public service rendered to God, so worship and work are joined together.

Acts 13:3

The church fasted and prayed again, then laid hands on the two and released them. The laying on of hands showed that the church stood behind them in fellowship and blessing. They were sent by the Spirit, and sent out with the church’s love.

BSA: laid (“to put or lay on”): Placing hands on them was a visible sign of blessing and shared commitment.

See also: 1 Timothy 4:14.

Acts 13:4

Luke stresses that the Holy Spirit sent them. They went down to Seleucia, the port of Antioch, and sailed to Cyprus, the home island of Barnabas. The journey starts in a familiar place with a trusted guide.

BSA: sent forth (“directed, guided”): The Spirit not only commissioned them but steered their path.

Acts 13:5

At Salamis they began, as Paul always did, in the Jewish synagogues, where people already knew the Scriptures. John Mark came along to help with the practical needs of the mission. Such quiet help makes preaching possible.

BSA: helper (“assistant, servant”): John served the team so that Barnabas and Paul could give themselves to the word.

Greek: ὑπηρέτην (hypēretēn, G5257) — “attendant, assistant.” The word first described an under-rower on a ship, someone who works under another’s direction. It honors humble support work.

Acts 13:6-7

At Paphos they met Bar-Jesus, a Jewish sorcerer who claimed to speak for God but did not. He served the Roman governor Sergius Paulus. The governor was an intelligent man and he was seeking, so he asked to hear God’s word for himself.

BSA: sorcerer (“magician, wise man”): He passed himself off as a wise man with spiritual power, which is what made him dangerous.

Acts 13:8

Elymas, a Greek-sounding name for the sorcerer, saw his influence at risk and resisted the missionaries. He tried to keep the governor from believing. Wherever the gospel advances, someone often has a reason to hold people back.

BSA: turn (“pervert, distort”): He tried to twist the governor’s mind away from faith, not just to argue with it.

Acts 13:9-10

Filled with the Spirit, Paul looked straight at Elymas and spoke with plain, strong words. Elymas was not simply mistaken. He was twisting the Lord’s straight paths into crooked ones. Paul’s rebuke came from the Spirit, not from temper.

BSA: filled (“empowered, completely controlled”): Paul spoke under the Spirit’s fresh power and direction, not on his own authority. perverting (“twisting, distorting”): Elymas bent what God made straight so that people could not find the way.

Greek: ἀτενίσας (atenisas, G816) — “having fixed his gaze.” It means looking steadily and intently at someone. Paul did not glance away. He faced the man with calm certainty.

See also: Acts 4:8.

Acts 13:11

God’s hand fell on Elymas. He was struck blind for a time, and he had to be led by the hand. The man who tried to keep others in spiritual darkness was shown what darkness is. The word ‘for a time’ suggests mercy and a chance to repent.

BSA: hand (“of divine power and authority”): This is God’s own power at work, not Paul’s.

See also: Acts 9:8.

Acts 13:12

Seeing the miracle, Sergius Paulus believed. What moved him most was the teaching about the Lord. The sign opened his eyes, but the message won his heart. The man who hunted for truth found it.

BSA: believed (“trusted in, had faith”): He did more than approve of the teaching. He put his trust in the Lord.

Acts 13:13

From Paphos the group sailed to Perga, on the south coast of what is now Turkey. Here John Mark left them and went home to Jerusalem. Luke gives no reason. Paul later remembered this departure, and the matter would come up again.

See also: Acts 15:37-39.

Acts 13:14

They went inland to Pisidian Antioch, a Roman-influenced city in the highlands. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue and sat down, ready to hear the readings and, if asked, to speak. Paul went where the Scriptures were already honored.

BSA: synagogue (“a gathering place for Jewish worship”): Synagogues gave the missionaries a ready audience that already knew God’s word.

Acts 13:15

After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders invited the visitors to offer a word of encouragement. This was an ordinary courtesy, and God used it for a great opening. The Scripture read aloud became the doorway for the gospel.

BSA: encouragement (“comfort, solace”): The invitation was for a word that strengthens and consoles the hearers.

Greek: παρακλήσεως (paraklēseōs, G3874) — “encouragement, exhortation, comfort.” It comes from the same root as the name Barnabas, ‘son of encouragement,’ and as the Spirit’s title Comforter. The word covers both comfort and a call to act.

Acts 13:16

Paul stood, signaled for quiet, and addressed two groups: born Israelites, and Gentiles who feared God and worshiped with the Jews. Both were welcome in his hearing. The message was for everyone present.

BSA: fear (“reverence, have awe of”): These Gentiles honored the God of Israel with respect and awe, though they were not full converts.

Acts 13:17

Paul starts with Israel’s story, and the story begins with God’s choice. God chose the fathers, made them a great nation in Egypt, and brought them out with a mighty arm. Everything in this history is God’s doing, not Israel’s.

BSA: stay (“sojourning, dwelling as strangers”): In Egypt they were outsiders, yet God made them grow into a people.

See also: Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 7:6-8.

Acts 13:18

For forty years in the wilderness God put up with Israel’s grumbling and rebellion. The story is not flattering to the people. It shows God’s patience and does not hide their failure.

BSA: endured (“put up with, bore with”): God bore with them patiently, much as a parent carries a stubborn child.

See also: Deuteronomy 1:31.

Acts 13:19-20

God overcame the seven nations of Canaan and gave Israel the land as an inheritance. It was a gift, not a prize earned. Paul covers a long stretch of years, then the era of the judges, down to Samuel the prophet.

BSA: inheritance (“a gift, a possession”): The land came as a gift from God, not as a conquest they had earned.

See also: Deuteronomy 7:1; Judges 2:16.

Acts 13:21

When Israel asked for a king, God gave them Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned about forty years. Paul passes quickly over this. It is only a step on the way to the king God Himself would choose.

See also: 1 Samuel 8:5; 1 Samuel 10:1.

Acts 13:22

God set Saul aside and raised up David. Paul joins together God’s words about David from Scripture. David was a man after God’s own heart who would carry out God’s will. David’s life prepared the way for the greater King to come.

BSA: found (“discovered, chosen”): God discovered in David a heart He could use, and chose him.

Greek: καρδίαν (kardian, G2588) — “heart.” In Scripture the heart is the center of a person: will, desires and loyalty. God valued David’s inner loyalty, not just his actions.

See also: 1 Samuel 13:14; Psalm 89:20.

Acts 13:23

Here is the heart of Paul’s opening: from David’s line God has brought a Savior, Jesus, just as He promised. The long story of Israel was heading toward this Person. He is not a surprise but the fulfillment.

BSA: Savior (“rescuer, deliverer”): Jesus is the one who rescues His people, as the name Jesus itself indicates.

See also: 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Matthew 1:21.

Acts 13:24-25

John the Baptist prepared the way by calling all Israel to repent. At the end of his work he made plain that he was not the Messiah. He was unworthy even to untie the sandals of the One coming after him. True servants point away from themselves.

BSA: repentance (“turning away from sin, changing one’s mind”): John asked for a real change of heart and direction, not only an outward washing.

See also: Mark 1:7-8.

Acts 13:26

Paul now applies the history to his hearers. The message of salvation has been sent to them, both Israelites and God-fearing Gentiles. It is not a distant story but a word delivered to the very people in that room.

BSA: salvation (“rescue, spiritual deliverance”): Salvation is a rescue from sin and death, not just a better religious life.

Greek: ἐξαπεστάλη (exapestalē, G1821) — “was sent out.” It is a strong form of the verb ’to send’ that gives us the word apostle. The message has been sent out with authority to these hearers.

Acts 13:27-28

The Jerusalem leaders did not recognize Jesus, though the prophets they read every Sabbath described Him. By condemning Him they unknowingly fulfilled those very words. Pilate found no crime, yet they pressed for His death. Even human blindness served God’s plan.

BSA: recognize (“know, understand”): They had the Scriptures in hand but did not understand whom those Scriptures described.

See also: Luke 23:13-15; Acts 3:17-18.

Acts 13:29

Everything written about the Messiah’s suffering came to pass, down to the burial. Jesus was taken from the tree and laid in a tomb. His death was real, and the burial confirms it, which prepares for the next verse.

BSA: tree (“wood, cross”): The tree means the cross, where Jesus took the place of one who is cursed.

Greek: ξύλου (xylou, G3586) — “wood, tree.” Peter and Paul both use this word for the cross. It recalls the law saying that one hanged on a tree is under God’s curse, which Jesus bore for others.

See also: Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13.

Acts 13:30-31

These words turn the story: ‘But God raised Him from the dead.’ People had done their worst, and God overturned it. Those who had followed Jesus from Galilee saw Him alive over many days and now bear witness to Israel.

BSA: witnesses (“those who testify”): The apostles tell what they themselves saw, not what they have heard secondhand.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:3-6.

Acts 13:32-33

This is the good news: what God promised the fathers He has now done for their children by raising up Jesus. Paul quotes the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son.’ The resurrection openly declares who Jesus is and shows that God keeps His word.

BSA: raising up (“resurrecting, exalting”): God lifted Jesus from the grave and set Him in honor as the promised Son.

See also: Psalm 2:7; Romans 1:4.

Acts 13:34

Paul links the resurrection to a promise in Isaiah. A body that never decays can give lasting blessings, and God promised David blessings that are holy and sure. Christ risen, never to die again, is the guarantee that those promises stand.

BSA: sure (“faithful, trustworthy”): The blessings are certain because they rest on a Savior who lives forever.

Greek: ὅσια (hosia, G3741) — “holy things, faithful mercies.” The word carries the sense of devoted, covenant faithfulness. The promises to David are God’s loyal pledges, and Jesus’ resurrection is how He makes them good.

See also: Isaiah 55:3.

Acts 13:35-37

Paul quotes another Psalm: God’s Holy One will not see decay. David served his generation and died, and his body decayed, so David could not be speaking of himself. The words fit Jesus, whom God raised and whose body never decayed.

See also: Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:29-32.

Acts 13:38

Here is the point of it all: through Jesus, forgiveness of sins is announced to you. Forgiveness is not earned or bargained for. It is proclaimed as a gift and offered to every hearer, with Jesus as its source.

BSA: forgiveness (“pardon, remission”): It means a real release from sin’s guilt, a pardon given and not just a wish.

Greek: ἄφεσις (aphesis, G859) — “release, sending away.” The word means to let go or set free. Sins are not merely overlooked. They are released from the person who carried them.

Acts 13:39

Everyone who believes is justified, declared right with God, from what the law of Moses could never clear. The law showed sin but could not remove it. In Christ, trust in Him brings what the law could not.

BSA: justified (“made righteous, declared innocent”): God pronounces the believer right in His sight, as a judge acquits.

See also: Romans 3:20-24; Galatians 2:16.

Acts 13:40-41

Paul ends with a warning from Habakkuk. God was about to do something that mockers would not believe even if told. Those who scorn the good news risk ruin. The warning is given in love, so the hearers take heed while there is time.

BSA: scoffers (“despisers, those who scorn”): To scoff is to wave God’s work away, and it leads to perishing.

See also: Habakkuk 1:5.

Acts 13:42-43

The message struck home. People asked to hear more next Sabbath, and many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas. The missionaries urged them to hold fast to God’s grace. The gospel begins by grace, and it continues by grace.

BSA: continue (“remain, persevere”): Faith is not a single step but a steady staying in God’s grace.

Greek: προσμένειν (prosmenein, G4357) — “to stay with, remain faithful to.” It means to hold on to something and not drift away. Grace is meant to be a home to live in.

Acts 13:44-45

The next Sabbath almost the whole city came to hear. Some Jewish leaders saw the crowds and were filled with jealousy, so they contradicted Paul and spoke against God’s word. Envy blinded them to the good news they had waited for.

BSA: jealousy (“envy, zeal”): Their zeal turned sour into envy when others shared what they thought was theirs.

Greek: ζήλου (zēlou, G2205) — “zeal, jealousy.” The same word can mean noble zeal or bitter envy. Here zeal for their own standing replaced zeal for God.

Acts 13:46

Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly. God’s word had to go to the Jews first, as His chosen people. But because they rejected it, the missionaries now turned to the Gentiles. By refusing the message, the hearers judged themselves unworthy of eternal life.

BSA: necessary (“a divine obligation, a moral requirement”): Going to the Jews first was part of God’s order, not just a convenience.

See also: Romans 1:16.

Acts 13:47

Paul found his commission in Isaiah. The Servant of the Lord is a light to the nations, and the apostles carry that light on. Salvation is meant to reach the ends of the earth, and Gentiles are not an afterthought.

BSA: light (“source of spiritual illumination, beacon of hope”): Light shows the way out of darkness, and the gospel does that for the nations.

See also: Isaiah 49:6; Luke 2:32.

Acts 13:48

The Gentiles rejoiced and praised the Lord’s word, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. Christians understand ‘appointed’ in different ways, but all agree on this: faith is a gift to be welcomed with joy, and God is the one who brings people to life.

BSA: appointed (“ordained, chosen”): Those who believed were ones God had marked out for eternal life.

Greek: τεταγμένοι (tetagmenoi, G5021) — “appointed, arranged, set in place.” This was used for soldiers set in ranks or things placed in order. The picture is of people put in their place by God.

Acts 13:49

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. Opposition in one synagogue could not hold it back. New believers carried the message to nearby towns and villages.

BSA: spread (“was published, went through”): The word traveled widely, carried by those who had received it.

Acts 13:50

The Jewish opponents stirred up devout women of standing and the city’s leading men. Using their influence, they raised persecution and drove Paul and Barnabas out. People of respectable religion can be moved to oppose the truth.

BSA: drove (“expelled, forced out”): The missionaries were pushed out of the district by force, not by argument.

See also: 2 Timothy 3:11.

Acts 13:51

Shaking the dust off their feet was a sign of leaving those who had refused, handing them over to God’s judgment. The missionaries did not argue further. They moved on to Iconium and kept preaching.

See also: Matthew 10:14.

Acts 13:52

The new disciples were left behind without their teachers, yet they were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Persecution did not crush the church. The Spirit gave them gladness that no one could drive out.

BSA: filled (“completely controlled, made full”): Joy and the Spirit filled them to the full, even in hard times.

See also: John 16:22.