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13:13 came to Perga: Twelve miles inland from the coast of Pamphylia, a Roman province in southern Asia Minor (modern Turkey). John left them: No reason is given for his withdrawal, but it became a source of irritation and disagreement between Paul and Barnabas as plans were made for a second missionary journey (15:36-40). Paul and Mark were eventually reconciled and worked closely together in later years (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11). Back to text.
13:14 Antioch of Pisidia: Not the Syrian city of Antioch where the mission originated (13:1), but a prominent city of the same name in southern Galatia that was home to a large Jewish community in the NT period. Back to text.
13:15 the law and the prophets: Scriptural readings from the Torah and the prophets formed the heart of the synagogue liturgy every Sabbath (15:21). Prayers such as the Shema (Deut 6:4) and the Eighteen Benedictions were also recited, and sometimes guest rabbis were invited to comment on the readings and exhort the assembly (13:15; Lk 4:16-21). Back to text.
13:16-41 Paul's inaugural sermon skims the highlights of biblical history from the Exodus to the coming of Jesus. He stresses that Christ fulfills the Davidic covenant by rising from the dead to an everlasting kingship (13:33-37) and supersedes the Mosaic covenant by offering the gift of divine forgiveness (13:38-39). The sermon ends with a warning that scoffers who reject this message are doomed to perish (13:41). Back to text.
13:16 you that fear God: Paul addresses Gentiles who were attending synagogue services alongside the Jews. This is why his preaching elicits faith from Jews and Greeks alike (14:1; 18:4). See note on Acts 10:2. Back to text.
13:33 the second psalm: Paul cites Ps 2:7 to explain how the rising of Jesus fulfills Yahweh's oath to give one of David's descendants everlasting dominion over Israel and the world (2 Sam 7:12-16; Ps 2:8). • Psalm 2 is an enthronement psalm probably recited on the day the kings of Israel were anointed for office and adopted as sons by Yahweh. Paul interprets it messianically, so that the "today" of the psalm corresponds to the "Sunday" when Jesus rose from the grave. This is the day when Christ's humanity was anointed for eternal kingship (Lk 1:32-33) and made to share in the glory of his eternal Sonship (Rom 1:4; CCC 445, 2606). See essay: Kingdom Restoration at Acts 15. Back to text.
13:34-35 Paul continues to build his case for the Davidic kingship of Jesus by citing Is 55:3 and Ps 16:10. • Isaiah gives hope to Israel in exile that God will restore the kingdom and blessings of David through an everlasting covenant. Psalm 16 is David's own prophecy that Yahweh will preserve the anointed Messiah from the corruption of death. Paul applies these hopes directly to Jesus: Because his humanity was rescued from death and raised to immortal life, he is the only Davidic descendant (13:23) qualified to rule the eternal kingdom promised to David. Peter made this same argument with the help of Ps 16 in his inaugural sermon in 2:24-31. Back to text.
13:39 freed: Or "justified". For Paul, Christ succeeds where the Mosaic Law failed, so that believers receive the true justification and forgiveness (Rom 6:7) that was signified but not fully conferred through the ceremonial rites of the Old Covenant (Heb 10:1-4; CCC 614, 1990). Back to text.
13:41 Behold, you scoffers: The sermon concludes with I a warning from the Greek version of Hab 1:5. • God is responding to Habakkuk's complaint that wickedness flourishes unchecked in Israel. He assures the prophet that judgment is marching toward Israel with the Babylonian army to devastate the land and haul its inhabitants into exile. Paul cautions that a similar catastrophe is in store for unbelievers who reject the gospel. Back to text.
13:46 first to you: The apostles prioritized the evangelization of Israel before reaching out to the Gentiles (3:26). See note on Acts 13:5. we turn to the Gentiles: Paul is not abandoning his mission to Israel; he is simply turning away from the hardened leaders of the Antioch synagogue. This is confirmed by his preaching to Jews in the very next episode (14:1). Back to text.
13:47 I have set you: Paul supports his Gentile ministry with a quotation from Is 49:6. • In context, Yahweh commissions his Servant first to restore the dispersed tribes of Israel and then to spread his salvation far and wide to all nations. As in Isaiah, where the Servant symbolizes both the Redeemer (individual) and the redeemed of Israel (collective), Paul contends that Jesus the Servant (3:13) continues his mission through the servant apostles who are sent to enlighten the Gentiles (26:17-18, 23). Back to text.
13:51 shook off the dust: A symbolic curse gesture. It adapts the Jewish custom of shaking dust from one's sandals before reentering the land of Israel from Gentile territory (Mt 10:14). Back to text.
14:1 Iconium: A city of southern Galatia, more than 80 miles southeast of Pisidian Antioch. Back to text.
14:3 signs and wonders: Miracles are God's way of authenticating the divine mission of his true apostles (2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4). See note on Acts 5:12. Back to text.
14:4 the apostles: Barnabas and Paul (14:14). This is the first time Luke applies the apostolic title to men other than the original Twelve chosen by Jesus (Lk 6:13). Back to text.
14:8 Lystra: A Roman colony of retired army veterans in southern Galatia, more than 100 miles from Pisidian Antioch. Neither this settlement nor the colony in Philippi had a Jewish synagogue (16:12-13). Back to text.
14:11-18 The crowd's reaction is based on a local legend preserved by the Roman poet Ovid. It was said that Greek deities once before had made a disguised visit to this region, but the natives had refused them hospitality and turned them away. Only a single devout couple had taken them in. In thanksgiving, the gods had turned the home of the couple into a beautiful temple, and in anger, they had destroyed the dwellings of the rest. Amazed by the healing of the cripple, the crowd thought the gods were revisiting them disguised as Paul and Barnabas (14:12) and hoped to avoid the tragic mistake of their ancestors. Back to text.
14:11 in Lycaonian: The foreign dialect of the crowd explains why Paul and Barnabas did not immediately realize the gravity of the misunderstanding. Back to text.
14:14 tore their garments: A sign of protest and extreme distress (Jud 14:16; Mk 14:63). Back to text.
14:15 We also are men: Peter similarly refused divine honor in 10:26. these vain things: A traditional Jewish critique of idolatry (1 Sam 12:21). Though for centuries God permitted the pagans to stumble in the darkness of mythology and false worship, the time to enlighten all nations has come with the gospel, which urges them to turn away from lifeless idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thess 1:9). Paul preaches this same message to Athens in 17:29-31. Back to text.
14:17 witness: From the foundation of the world, God has made his deity and goodness known through the beauty and blessings of the natural order (Rom 1:20). This natural revelation was to prepare the human family for the supernatural revelation of the gospel (CCC 32, 1147). Back to text.
14:19 they stoned Paul: What began as a deification of Paul (14:11) nearly ended with his death (2 Cor 11:25). Unlike the Jews, who staged executions outside the city gates (7:58), the heathen mob stoned Paul in the city streets, only afterward dragging him out. Back to text.
14:20 Derbe: More than 60 miles from Lystra in southeastern Galatia. Back to text.
14:22 many tribulations: Paul urges believers to brace themselves for the suffering and persecution that come with being a Christian (2 Tim 3:12). Far from being signs of God's disapproval, earthly afflictions open the way to heavenly glory (Mt 5:10; Rom 8:17). Back to text.
14:23 appointed: The Greek expression means "to stretch forth hands" and alludes to the rite of priestly ordination (1 Tim 4:14; Tit 1:5). The installation of elders provided guidance and stability to missionary communities while Paul continued to travel. Acts portrays this as a hierarchical procedure, not a democratic one, i.e., it is Paul and Barnabas who ordain the elders, not the lay assembly. See word study: Elders at Jas 5:14. Back to text.
14:26 sailed to Antioch: Paul's first missionary journey ends where it began, in the Syrian city of Antioch (13:1-3). Back to text.
15:1-29 The Council of Jerusalem (ca. A.D. 49) is a defining moment in Christian history. It was convened to examine the status of Gentile believers crowding into the Church. Some insisted they must be circumcised to complete their Christian initiation (15:5), but the Council rejected the push to add circumcision to the saving grace of Christ (15:10-11). This decisive break with the national religion of Israel makes the Jerusalem Council the theological center of Acts: it shows that the Church is (1) a covenant community distinct from Judaism and (2) a catholic community that embraces all nations. Back to text.
15:1 you cannot be saved: For centuries, circumcision was the rite of initiation into the covenant family of Abraham (Gen 17:9-14) and the Mosaic religion of Israel (Lev 12:3). It was a badge of Jewish identity that entitled one to share in the blessings of the Old Covenant. The absolute necessity of circumcision in Jewish tradition implied that any male who was uncircumcised was destined for destruction (Jubilees 15:26). Back to text.
15:2 appointed to go up: The local Church in Antioch looks to the apostolic Church in Jerusalem for doctrinal guidance. Back to text.
15:5 the law of Moses: Circumcision was the first of many ceremonial precepts mandated by the Torah. Accepting it meant accepting the entire "yoke" (15:10) of the Mosaic covenant with all its animal sacrifices, dietary laws, ritual washings, Sabbath restrictions, etc. (Gal 5:1-3). Back to text.
15:7-11 Peter quells the debate with a decisive pronouncement: Jews and Gentiles alike are saved, not by the flint knife of circumcision, but by faith in Christ alone. He argues this from the precedent of Acts 10:44-48, where the Spirit first came upon the Gentiles as a sign that God accepts them into the Church just as they are (15:8-9). To insist on circumcision after this event is to fight against the revealed will of God (15:10). Back to text.
15:11 we believe: Peter speaks as the head and spokesman of the apostolic Church. He formulates a doctrinal judgment about the means of salvation, whereas James takes the floor after him to suggest a pastoral plan for inculturating the gospel in mixed communities where Jewish and Gentile believers live side by side (15:13-21). Back to text.
15:13 James: A close relative of Jesus (Gal 1:19) who became the leader of the Jerusalem Church after Peter first fled the city and began to travel. See note on Acts 12:17. Back to text.
15:14 Symeon: The original Semitic name of Peter transliterated into Greek (Heb. Shime'on, Gen 29:33). It is used of him only here and in the Greek text of 2 Pet 1:1. Back to text.
15:16-18 James sees confirmation of Gentile conversions in the Greek OT. • The opening line of his extended quotation alludes to Jer 12:15; the bulk of it comes from Amos 9:11-12; and the final line alludes to Is 45:21. They all envision Yahweh gathering the Gentiles into his covenant family in the messianic age. See essay: Kingdom Restoration. Back to text.
15:20 write to them: James sets forth a pastoral initiative to promote fellowship and preempt foreseeable friction between Jewish and Gentile believers coming together in the Church. The result is an apostolic letter from Jerusalem to the Churches in Syria and Cilicia that requires Gentile converts to observe a minimal code of religious purity— abstinence from idol foods, sexual immorality, and the consumption of blood in meat or by itself (15:23-29). The Jews abhorred these practices as cultural expressions of idolatry. James is saying that even though the Gentiles are exempt from the ritual observances of Judaism (circumcision), they are still expected to break away from the ritual observances of paganism. Allusions to this decree appear in 1 Cor 8-10, 1 Thess 4:3, and Rev 2:14, 20. See essay: Paul, Idol Food, and the Jerusalem Council at 1 Cor 8. • The decree is shaped by the laws of Lev 17-18 that govern the conduct of Gentile sojourners living in the company of Israel. They were forbidden to eat meat consecrated to idols instead of to Yahweh (Lev 17:7-9), to consume blood (Lev 17:10-12), to eat meat not properly drained of blood (Lev 17:13-14), and to engage in various forms of sexual immorality, such as incest, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality (Lev 18:6-23). Though several such laws are enjoined on the foreigner in the Torah, only these four prohibitions are applied equally to Israelites and sojourners and threaten to cut violators off from the covenant. • According to the Council of Florence in 1442, the apostolic decree was only a temporary measure to facilitate unity among Jews and Gentiles in the early Church. The binding force of its food restrictions was relaxed once the ethnic circumstances that made them necessary passed away. Back to text.
15:22 Judas . . . Silas: The Jerusalem delegation sent to deliver the Apostolic Decree to the Church of Antioch (15:30). Silas is also known as "Silvanus" (2 Cor 1:19) and became a trusted member of Paul's missionary team (15:40). Back to text.
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