Acts 13:42–52: A Light for the Gentiles
Introduction
Throughout the Book of Acts, we will repeatedly encounter a similar story. God’s appointed missionaries come bringing the gospel in some place. In response, some will reject Christ, while others will rejoice in Christ as he is offered in the gospel. The ultimate explanation of the difference between the two responses is not racial, for both Jews and Gentiles believe in Jerusalem and in Judea, and then in Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. Indeed, the difference cannot be explained by any factor within the people themselves, but only by God’s grace: “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (v. 48). Although the counsels of God are unsearchable, we nevertheless see the effects of those counsels in the two different responses every time the gospel is preached: the world divides around Christ.
Discussion Questions
1. What had Paul preached about in the sermon from the previous passage (Acts 13:13–41)? Where did that sermon conclude (Acts 13:40–41)? What was the immediate response of the hearers on the day that he preached it (vv. 42–43)? What do Paul and Barnabas mean when they urged the “Jews and devout converts to Judaism…to continue in the grace of God” (v. 43)? What does it mean for us today to continue in the grace of God when we hear God’s Word preached?
2. What is the reason that the Jews of the synagogue in Antioch Pisidia rise up to oppose Paul’s preaching the next Sabbath (vv. 44–45)? Why did the large crowds cause them to be “filled with jealousy”? Why are we often tempted to become territorial and exclusive in our churches? How does this temptation lead us to forget that we too were undeserving sinners in need of a Savior? Why might an exclusive attitude lead to outright rejection of our gracious Savior (v. 46)?
3. How clearly did Christ command his church to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)? How clearly was this mission to reach the Gentiles prophesied in the Old Testament (v. 47; see Isa. 49:6)? Why do the Gentiles rejoice at this word from the Lord (v. 48a)? How many of the Gentiles believed this good news (v. 48b)? Why do you think the conversion of these Gentiles led to a further spreading of the gospel in that region (v. 49)?
4. What kind of persecution arose against Paul and Barnabas because of the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles (v. 50)? What did Paul and Barnabas do when the persecution increased (v. 51)? Why did they shake off the dust of their feet (Matt. 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:11)? How were the disciples able to be filled with joy in spite of their persecution (v. 52)? Where have you experienced the joy of the Lord in the midst of opposition to his gospel?
