If Barnabas and Saul expected to reap the harvest of many souls at the
beginning of their missionary journeys, they would have been greatly
disappointed. Leaving the port of Seleucia, slightly southeast of Antioch,
they sailed to Cyprus. Preaching their first message or messages of record
in the synagogue of the Jews in Salamis, it is not recorded that any were
converted. The mission journey had begun but the results were yet to come.
It would be their next stop that the gospel they preached began to be
accepted. It also brought their first opposition to the message of grace.
Barnabas and Saul encountered their first enemy of the cross (as Paul would
later identity the opposition) in Elymas, a servant of the deputy of the
country. Being in a position of power, he would resist the message of grace
that would destroy his influence with the deputy.
Elymas was a wizard using magic to propagate his trade and his influence to
his master. When the deputy, Sergius Paulus, called for Barnabas and Saul to
share with him the word of God, Elymas saw immediately that it his master
believed this gospel he would lose his position of influence. He began
openly to oppose Barnabas and Saul by attempting to distort the message they
were preaching.
Elymas was a Jew and a prophet. His attempt to pervert the message of
Barnabas and Saul was evidently coming out of his understanding of the Old
Testament. In other words, it was within the tradition of the Jewish belief
that his opposition was being voiced. The aim of his opposition, however,
was not to depend truth. He was standing against Barnabas and Saul to
protect his position and his influence with the deputy.
Ultimately, the opposition of the message of grace will always come from
people who are concerned that their place is being threatened. The running
battle of the Pharisee against Jesus is well documented in the Gospels.
Although they challenged Jesus on many doctrinal positions, they too were
concerned with their place of leadership. John recorded, when the Pharisee
were told what Jesus was doing, "Then gathered the chief priests and
the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? For this man doeth many
miracles. If we let him this alone, all men will believer on him: and the
Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (11:47,48).
Regardless of the doctrinal issued raised, the opposition to the message of
grace will always come from those who fear their place, their kingdom, will
be destroyed.
Jesus illustrated the point when He said, "And this is the condemnation
[of the world], that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light . . ." (John 3:19). The reason why men oppose the
message of grace, the light, is because "their deeds [are] evil"
(3:19). What makes their deeds evil is not the actual deed itself. In the
context of both the statement of Jesus and Elymas, right things are being
done. What makes their deeds evil is they are not produced by the
manifestation of Jesus but by the effort of men. As Jesus stated, "For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the
light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God" (3:20,21).
The reason why men do such evil deeds is, again, for only one purpose.
Elymas wanted to keep his place of position and power. He had that place of
influence because he used deception. He baited (literal meaning of subtlety)
the deputy no doubt by stating that if his influence would be followed it
would produce favorable result for the deputy. His recklessness (literal
meaning of mischief) probably influence the deputy to follow his
advice. The only way he could do this, however, was to distort,
"pervert the right ways of the Lord" (Acts of the Apostles 13:10).
Paul would say later in his letter to the Colossians that men like Elymas
would do what they do in order to lead away the unsuspecting object of their
deception as booty (Colossians 2:8). Because people are not experiencing
Jesus and consequently struggling in life, they become susceptible to the
enticement of a deceiver, a magician who uses the Word of deceitfully (2
Corinthians 4:1). The unsuspecting people are captured by the enticing words
of the deceiver’s philosophy (Colossians 2:4). The persuasive preaching of
their way of life leads the people away as booty for the speaker.
Although Paul would say that the message of their philosophy is an empty
delusion (Colossians 2:8), it is often accepted because people are
struggling with life. It is only out of the fears, the insecurities, and the
weaknesses of people can a man build his own kingdom. It is only when the
people are kept as children can the influenced of a false prophet hold his
dominance (Galatians 4:1-3).
It is for this reason the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is always
opposed by those who believe they have their own personal domain of
influence. The truth will set people free from the empty delusion of the
deceivers. Consequently, the deceivers lose their position of prominence and
of power. Thus, they oppose the gospel of Jesus Christ "for every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20).
The manifestation of Jesus in the lives of Barnabas and Saul had an easy
solution for the false prophet who said he knew the way. The man, who was
making his living out of showing the deputy the way he should go, was made
blind by the hand of the Lord (Acts of the Apostles 13:11). He who said he
could see the way of truth could see no longer. He who was trying to lead
others, now had to be lead by someone else.
Although Elymas tried his best to turn away the deputy of the country from
the faith, Sergius Paulus was brought to saving faith by what he saw and
experienced under the influence of the preaching of the Word of God. He was
astonished at the instruction not of Barnabas and Saul but of the Lord (Acts
of the Apostles 13:12). The prophets and teachers had shared the gospel of
Jesus Christ and that gospel brought the first convert of their missionary
journey from Antioch.
As Barnabas and Saul departed Paphos, they came to Perga on the mainland
Northeast of Cyprus. At this point, John who had been traveling with them
departed for Jerusalem. Leaving Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia. It
is in this Antioch that Luke recorded an actual message that Paul preached
to the people. It was a message about Jesus.
When Barnabas and Saul entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, they were
invited to exhort the people. Paul standing and beckoning with his hand
rehearsed the history of the nation of Israel. He told them how God had
delivered the Children of Israel out of Egypt. How He had endured them while
they were in the wilderness. Eventually, driving out seven nations, God gave
them their promised land. He gave them judges and a king when they desired
one. First, it was Saul, the son of Cis. Then, it was David, a man who
sought God with all of his heart.
The introduction was over. Now, Paul gave them the reason the was standing
and addressing them. He said, "Of this man’s [David’s] seed hath
God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus" (Acts
of the Apostles). Jesus is always the essence of Paul’s messages both in
the Acts and in his epistles.
In one of his letter, Paul identifies the heart of his preaching of the
Word. He said to the Corinthians,
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have
believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to
the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After
that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the
greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After
that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he
was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians
15:1-8).
Paul preached how Jesus Christ died and how He was buried in the tomb. He
also preached how Jesus rose again and how that he was seen. The message of
Paul was always the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This was his message to the people in Antioch. Jesus was "raised unto
Israel a Saviour." John the Baptist gave witness of Him saying that
Jesus, not John, was the one that God had sent. Yet, the ruler at Jerusalem
because "they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which
are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him"
(Acts of the Apostles 13:27). Through their influence, Jesus was killed and
placed in a tomb. "But God raised him from the dead; and he was seen
many days of them which came up with him from Galilee . . ." (Acts of
the Apostles 13:30,31).
Paul then emphasized the promise, which was made to the nation of his Jewish
audience, was fulfilled by Jesus being raised from the dead. Although Paul
tells of the death of Jesus, which is necessary, it is the resurrection of
Jesus that Paul stressed throughout his preaching.
To the people of Antioch, he emphasized the resurrection of Jesus by the use
of Old Testament scriptures. He said,
God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath
raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art
my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised
him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this
wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also
in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell
on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom
God raised again, saw no corruption" (Acts of the Apostles 13:33-37).
Paul wanted them to know that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and
saw no corruption of death.
It would be in the preaching of the resurrection of the dead that Paul
received his greatest persecution. The reason why he was constantly in
trouble over preaching the resurrection of the dead was that his message
cuts to the very core of man’s existence. The belief in the resurrection
of Jesus is more than just a belief in the historical fact of the
resurrection. It is the foundation of one’s faith that Jesus is alive
within the believer and lives His life through the believer. If the believer
lives by the resurrected Christ which dwells within him, then the efforts of
the believer to live for Christ becomes self-righteousness. Those who love
to trust in their self-righteousness, then, will opposed the preaching of
the resurrection of the dead.
How Paul warned the people at Antioch of this fundamental truth was,
"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that though this man
is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins . . ." (Acts of the
Apostles 13:38). With forgiveness of sin literally meaning freedom
from sins, Paul is emphasizing that Jesus did not come just to die on the
cross that man’s sins could be forgiven, and forgiven, and forgiven, and
forgiven, and forgiven. He came not to just fix the penalty of sin but He
came primarily so that man could be free from sin. When the resurrected
Christ lives in and through the believer (Galatians 2:20), sin does not
occur (Galatians 5:22,23). When the believer attempts to live for Christ,
however, sin will always occur (Galatians 5:19-21).
Paul then warned the people in Antioch, "Beware therefore, lest that
come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and
wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in
no wise believer, though a man declare it unto you" (Acts of the
Apostles 13:40,41). The warning is clear. If they become contemptuous and
think against the wonder of the resurrection of the dead, they will perish.
It is always the people who trust in their own self-righteousness that
struggle to believe that Christ lives within them to be resurrected out of
them. The resurrection of the dead is the fundamental issue of Christianity
and will always bring oppression from the world.
In Antioch, the self-righteous was there to protest the message of Paul, the
message of grace. Although the results of the message of Paul produced some
anxious to hear more, it also produced those who were envious of the
acceptance of Paul’s message. They became heated in their anger and boldly
disputed the message. They carried their opposition a step further, which
the opposition of the gospel always does, and vilified the messenger. In
defending their position and power, they attacked both the message and Paul.
The rejection of the message by the Jews did not alarm Barnabas and Saul. As
if they knew it would be rejected by their kinsmen, they immediately waxed
bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should first have
been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts of the
Apostles 13:46). The Lord had already told them that they would be "a
light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of
the earth" (Acts of the Apostles 13:47).
The Jews heard the message of Paul, yet they did not hear. Or, as Paul would
later say, ". . . if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are
lost: In whom the god of this world hath binded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). The light
of the message of grace cold not penetrate to the heart of the Jews because
their mind determined (literal meaning of judge) they did not want to
hear.
They decided they did not want to hear because if would destroy their
self-righteousness. Since their deeds were evil, they would not come to the
light for they knew their deeds would be exposed for what they were, not
produced by God. Being exposed, they would lose their position of power and
influence. The desire to protect the "I," the "me," the
"myself" will always cause the gospel not to be heard.
The rejection of the message by the Jews and the consequential turning to
the Gentiles, however, brought great rejoicing to those who heard the
message with their heart. They "glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts of the Apostles
13:48). They that were disposed (literal meaning of ordained) to let
the message of grace reach their heart were saved.
The determining factor of salvation in every generation and in every age is
the simple hearing of the Word of God. Jesus said, "It is the spirit
that quickeneth; and the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Those who
can hear the words of Jesus will experience the life of Jesus. They will be
saved.
What will keep someone from hearing Jesus will always be the working of
their mind, the disposition that they can produce their life by their
self-righteousness. What keeps everyone from being "ordained to eternal
life" is the "fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil" (Genesis 3:1-5). When anyone perceives that he can direct the
course of his life, he will not hear Jesus or come to Jesus.
The self-righteousness of man will always oppose the gospel of grace. So, it
was in Antioch. Barnabas and Saul preaching a powerful message of freedom
was nevertheless expelled from the city by a mob of persecution. Shaking the
dust of the city off their feet, they departed from Antioch and came to
Iconium. Although they were dispelled from the city by self-righteous
zealots, they still left behind many believers "filled with joy, and
with the Holy Ghost."
|
Schedule