Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” July 6, 2013

Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Saturday, July 6, 2013 Read – Acts 13:1-12 Luke has been preparing for a long time to tell us the story he begins in chapter 13. Once again Luke’s brilliant storytelling ability can be seen. We need to recall that at the end of chapter 11 Luke had told us about the growing ministry of the church in Antioch and that Barnabas had gone to Tarsus to find Saul/Paul and bring him to Antioch to help with the ministry. Chapter 11 ended with Barnabas and Saul/Paul bringing a food offering to the church in Jerusalem because of a severe famine that had engulfed the whole land. We have noticed how chapter 12 seems to interrupt the flow of the story. Why didn’t Luke just move on from chapter 11 to chapter 13 – especially since historical problems arise when the events related in chapter 12 actually happened before the famine spoken of in chapter 11? Most likely Luke has craftily used chapter 12 to build suspense for his readers – he is making us wait. Now it is time to move on. The city of prominence in chapter 13 is Antioch, and for much of the remaining story in the book of Acts, Antioch will be the center of the churches mission. The focus has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch. That is not to say that Jerusalem will be forgotten and that the church of the Apostles in Jerusalem will no longer be the point where the whole ministry of the church will receive its authentication. Luke will return us to Jerusalem in chapter 15 and once again it is Jerusalem that will give its blessing to the ministry that flows out of Antioch. Yet the importance of Antioch should not be missed. Luke’s readers need to recall that it was at Antioch that the evangelists from Cyprus and Cyrene first proclaimed the gospel openly to Gentiles (Acts 11:29). As have noted at least 15 years had passed – and as far as we know, no real outreach to the Gentile world had taken place. Even though the episode regarding Cornelius had taken place it appears that church of the Apostles in Jerusalem really didn’t “get it” after all. It will take the courage and the foresight of the people of Antioch to fulfill the Gentile mission that appears to be out of the vision of the Jerusalem church – at least for now. So the center becomes Antioch. Luke lists several important leaders of the church in Antioch. Unfortunately we don’t know anything else about most of these leaders. Luke begins with Barnabas, who we have met before, and it appears that Barnabas may have become the prominent leader of the church in Antioch. He was sent by the church in Jerusalem to verify the ministry in Antioch (Acts 11:22) and after giving his positive report apparently went back to Antioch to get into the action there. Readers of Acts should not miss this important link, though, between the Jerusalem church and the church in Antioch. Barnabas is the link. The second name listed in a man named Simeon who was also named Niger. The word Niger means “black” and it is very likely that Simeon was a black man. Later tradition has linked this Simeon with Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross for Jesus – but there is little hope to verify such a connection. That is not to say that Simeon and Simon are not the same person – we just can’t say that with certainty. The third person named is Lucius who was from Cyrene of whom we know absolutely nothing else. The fourth person named was Manaen. While we really know nothing more about him, Luke does provide us with a very interesting piece of information. Manaen was brought up in the court of Herod the Great and would have been a childhood playmate of Herod Antipas who was tetrarch of Galilee when Jesus was crucified. He is not the first Herodian mentioned in the story. Luke also has told us of a woman who was an early follower of Jesus whose name was Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod Antipas’ steward (Luke 8:3). Luke, it seems, likes to remind his readers that the Christian faith made inroads even into the political establishment – in spite of the violence that establishment meant for followers of Jesus. The last person listed is Saul/Paul – listing him last may mean that at this point Saul/Paul is of least importance. That will not be the case for long. Luke has also been skillfully preparing us for the ministry of Saul/Paul. Once again we need to marvel at his storytelling ability. He first introduced us to Saul at the time of the stoning of Stephen. Saul, we recall, held the coats of those who stoned Stephen (Acts 7:58) since he was in approval of Stephen’s murder (Acts 8:1). With a thirst for blood, Saul had begun a harsh persecution of the follower of the Way (Acts 8:3). We are introduced to Saul as an enemy of the church. Luke now lays Saul aside for a time. The next time we meet Saul is on the Damascus Road when he is encountered by Jesus. Saul, the enemy, is transformed into Saul/Paul the proclaimer of Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 9). But, once again Luke lays Saul/Paul aside having him safely shipped off to Tarsus. As we have noted above, Luke reintroduces Saul/Paul only to set him aside once more with the interruption of chapter 12. Of course all of this does reflect historical reality but it also builds suspense for the reader and heightens the importance of Saul/Paul in the story. Luke is a master storyteller who does not miss an opportunity to speak to his readers and carry them into the story. The action really starts in Antioch when the Holy Spirit speaks during the worship experience of the church in Antioch. Exactly how the Holy Spirit spoke is a mystery – just as God’s leading always is. Luke does not tell us exactly how this happened or how long it took for the church in Antioch to listen. Had the Holy Spirit been attempting to speak the same message in Jerusalem through the experience with Cornelius – only the Jerusalem church wasn’t listening? One can only speculate. But, eventually the church in Antioch heard what they became convinced was the word of the Holy Spirit telling them to “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:3). What was that work to be? The church fasted, prayed, laid their hands upon Barnabas and Saul and sent them off. Readers of Acts need to note that it was the whole church that took action. Barnabas and Saul are not “free agents” doing their own mission. They are called and commission by the whole church. God, it seems, has placed much trust and much responsibility into the hands of his people, the church. We soon find out that the work to which the Holy Spirit has called Barnabas and Saul/Paul is to spread the good news to others – they become itinerate evangelists. Their first mission field is the island of Cyprus – a natural destination since Barnabas was from there. It is crucially important that we notice that Luke tells us when they landed on the island of Cyprus the first place they went to proclaim the good news was to the Jewish synagogues as they made their way across the island (Acts 13:5). We often speak of the mission of Paul to the Gentiles but that is not the way that Luke tells the story! Barnabas and Saul/Paul are first missionaries to the Jewish people they find along their way! Luke does not tell us much about the success or failure of their mission to the Jewish people on Cyprus. Eventually they make their way to the western shores of the island to the capital city of Paphos and Luke introduces us to a Gentile leader – Sergius Paulus who was the proconsul or governor of the island. Readers of Acts are reminded of Cornelius who, though he was not a ruler, was a prominent Gentile Centurion. The story surrounding Sergius Paulus was a peculiar story. Sergius Paulus had a court magician, something that was quite common in that time since these court magicians often examined the yokes of eggs and the livers of animals to tell the fortunes of their leaders. Sergius Paulus’ court magician was a Jewish man – which would have made him very detestable. To make matters even more unusual, Luke tells us his name was Bar-Jesus. Later we are told that his name was Elymas which Luke tells us is the translation of his name. Elymas is not the translation of Bar-Jesus but it does have to do with bringing light so perhaps the name Elymas is connected with the word magician and not with Bar- Jesus. Bar-Jesus means “son of Jesus” which connects with Saul/Paul’s outburst against this man – Saul calls him a “son of the devil” which he really was. Saul/Paul’s outburst seems genuine given the hostility he once exhibited toward the followers of Jesus – Saul/Paul seems to have a temper. His outburst against Elymas spares no words and his “miracle” of making Elymas blind for a time has caused readers of Acts to ponder. Does God sanction “negative miracles” which might really be spoken of as “curses”? Of course, readers of Mark’s gospel were confronted with the same thoughts when Mark tells them that Jesus cursed a fig tree (Mark 11:12ff.). Perhaps the blinding of Elymas was meant to remind Luke’s readers of the blinding of Saul, himself. Neither blinding was permanent. Perhaps there was hope the Elymas might repent as Saul did. At any rate, the whole event was impressive for Sergius Paulus and he became a believer – the only convert mentioned on the island of Cyprus. One more thing needs to be noticed in this text. Luke tells us, almost as an aside, the Saul was also known as Paul (Acts 13:9). This is the first time Luke refers to Saul as Paul. Saul was his Jewish name and Paul was his Roman name. We have been tempted to call him Paul all along because that is the name most familiar to us. We can stop referring to him with his double name, Saul/Paul, from this point on and simply call him Paul. The mission venture endorsed by the church in Antioch has begun. And readers of Acts need to notice that so far it has been mostly a mission to the Jewish people. Strangely, the only convert mentioned is a Gentile. That may have something to say about the rest of the story. But, for now it is crucial that we notice that Barnabas and Paul begin in the Jewish synagogues.