Bn – Barnabas and Sha’ul Sent Out from Syrian Antioch 13: 1-12

Barnabas and Sha’ul Sent Out
from Syrian Antioch
13: 1-12

44-45 AD

Barnabas and Sha’ul sent out from Syrian Antioch DIG: What was the scene when the Spirit spoke to the leaders at Antioch? How do you think He may have spoken? How could the Spirit speak in your worship times? Cyprus is a 150-mile sail from Seleucia, and was Barnabas’ home (4:36). What might these two men be thinking and feeling as they go? Since Gentiles were already welcome in the Messianic Community (11:18), why would Paul and Barnabas go to a synagogue? Put yourself in Elymas’ place. Why and how would you oppose these missionaries? If you were Sergius Paulus, what would be your response to the missionaries after the events of verses 9-12?

REFLECT: When you are not certain what direction God is leading you, how do you go about discerning His will? What have you learned about this process by experience? What are some methods that the Adversary uses to try keeping the clear message of God’s Word from getting through to us? How do you challenge and overcome those obstacles? With what types of people do you feel most comfortable talking about the Lord? Why? When have people tried to turn you from your faith? What happened? How do you deal with such pressures? When is it right to strongly confront people who oppose the faith? How deeply does the call to reach the nations affect your praying, your heartbeat? How could this priority increase in intensity for you?

Barnabas and Paul eventually returned after delivering the financial gift for relief from the famine for the kedoshim (brothers and sisters) living in Judea (11:29). But after a while, the church at Syrian Antioch sent out Barnabas and Paul on the First Missionary Journey (to see link click Bm – Paul’s First Missionary Journey). That began the final phase of Messiah’s commission: And you will be My witnesses to the end of the earth, which was an idiom of that day for the Gentile world (1:7-8).

Chapter 13 is a turning point in Acts. The first twelve chapters have focused on the ministry of Peter, while the remaining chapters focus on the ministry of Paul. Until now, the emphasis has been on the Messianic congregation in Jerusalem and Judea; however, Chapters 13-28 describe the spread of the Gentile Church throughout the Roman world. And it was from the dynamic, doctrinally sound, Spirit-filled church at Syrian Antioch that the flag of Gentile missions was unfurled. It had spiritual leaders, with a spiritual ministry, who went on a spiritual mission, faced spiritual opposition, and experienced spiritual victory.

Spiritual leaders: Effective, strong churches inevitably have strong godly leaders, and the church at Syrian Antioch was no exception. ADONAI has always put a premium on spiritual leadership (Acts 6:3; First Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hosea 4:9; Matthew 9:36). These five men were the heart of the ministry at Syrian Antioch. There were prophets and teachers. The double use of the Greek particle te, makes the first three names prophets, and the last two teachers. Not much is known about them except for Barnabas and Paul.

Prophets played a significant role in the early Church (First Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20, 3:5, 4:11). Like the apostles, they were preachers of God’s word and were responsible to instruct the local congregations. Sometimes they received new revelation from God, as in Acts 11:28 and 21:10-11. Both of those incidents record that the prophets, in contrast to the apostles, received practical, not doctrinal revelation. The prophets’ functioned as receivers of divine revelation ended with the cession of the temporary sign gifts. Even their office, like that of the apostles, was replaced by pastor-teachers and evangelists (Ephesians 4:11-12), who were the elders and overseers (First Timothy 3:1ff; Titus 1:5-9). The prophets were so revered that the early Messianic community viewed them like their “high priests,” even though they moved from place to place.

Barnabas receives an official designation here for the first time even though he has already appeared several times in Acts. From 4:36 we learn he was a Levite from the island of Cyprus. His birth name was Joseph, but the apostles named him Barnabas, which means son of encouragement – a fitting description of this gentle, loving man.

Simeon (a Greek transliteration of Shimon, or in Hebrew meaning God has heard) was by far the most common male name in the first century Eretz (land of) Isra’el, as well as a constant favorite in the diaspora. Given the name’s popularity, this Simeon is called Niger (which means black). He was probably an Ethiopian or North African.

Lucius is a common Latin name, and he was from Cyrene on the north African coast. There is nothing to link him with the Lucius whom Paul greets in Romans 16:21 and certainly no evidence to identify him (as some have argued) as Luke the physician. The Greek Luke and the Latin Lucius are completely different names, and the rabbis consider it to be a non-Jewish name. Furthermore, there is no Church tradition that suggests that Luke was ultimately from northern Africa.

Teachers are critical in today’s Church (First Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; James 3:1). Theirs is the ministry of giving others a clear understanding of biblical truth. The distinctive aspect of the ministry of teachers is its emphasis of instruction rather than proclamation. That they are somewhat different from preachers seems obvious in the texts that discuss both, though the same gifted man can sometimes perform both functions, as Acts 15:35 clearly shows.²⁷³ Despite being highly respected as the “spiritual elite,” the status of the teachers ranked below that of the prophets, the “leaders of the generation.”

Manaen is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Menachem, meaning God is my comforter. While the name is somewhat rare both in the Eretz Israel and the diaspora, it is a fairly common Roman name. He was notable because he was brought up since childhood (Greek: suntrophos can be translated foster-brother) with Herod Antipas the Tetrarch. This was the same Herod who beheaded John (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Fl – John the Baptist Beheaded), and presided over one of Yeshua’s trials (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lp – When Herod Saw Jesus, He Was Greatly Pleased). He had been raised in Herod the Great’s household along with Herod Antipas. He was a possible source of Luke’s information about the Herods.

And Sha’ul, who needs no introduction, who of course came from Tarsus of Cilicia. Through his tireless efforts the gospel spread throughout the Gentile world (13:1).

Spiritual ministry: The church at Syrian Antioch was the base of Gentile evangelism. While the whole church was ministering to the Lord, they fasted (13:2a). The Greek word for ministering is from leitourgei, which originally meant to discharge a public office. In the Bible, however, leitourgeo means more than public service; it describes priestly service. The leaders of the Syrian Antioch church faithfully discharged the office that ADONAI called them to, and fulfilled their ministry. Keep a clear mind in all things, withstand hardship, do the work of proclaiming the Good News, and fulfill your service (Second Timothy 4:5). In the Septuagint it describes the priests who leitourgei in the Tabernacle (Exodus 28:41). Serving in a leadership role in the Church must be viewed as an act of worship to YHVH. Such service consists of offering spiritual sacrifices to Him (see the commentary on Hebrews Df – Believer’s Behavior in Relation to God: service), including prayer, oversight of the flock, studying, and preaching and teaching the Word.

Their ministering was not to the congregation, but to the Lord. It is vital to understand that ADONAI is primarily an audience of One for all spiritual ministry. Like the Macedonian believers, those in ministry must give themselves first to the Lord and only then to others (Second Corinthians 8:5). They are to make every effort to present [themselves] before God (Second Timothy 2:15), not to humans. Every godly servant, works heartily, as for the Lord, not for human masters because it is the Lord whom we serve (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV). In the last analysis, we have an audience of One.

The Bible frequently connects fasting with time of fervent, passionate prayer (Nehemiah 1:4; Psalm 35:13; Dani’el 9:3; Matthew 17:21; Luke 2:37, 5:33; Acts 14:23). Believers may become so concerned with spiritual issues that they lose the desire to eat, or they set aside food to concentrate on intense intercession. Scripture nowhere commands believers to fast, but Yeshua assumed His followers would do so (Matthew 6:17; Luke 5:33-35). In sharp contrast to the showy, hypocritical fasting of the Pharisees, when believers fast, it is for God’s eyes only (Matthew 6:16-18).²⁷⁴

Spiritual mission: It was abundantly clear that although the leaders of the Syrian Antioch church endorsed, prayed and fasted for these two men and their work, it was the Ruach ha-Kodesh who declared: Set apart for me Barnabas and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them. Here, the order is Barnabas and then Sha’ul, but after the First Missionary Journey it will be Sha’ul and then Barnabas because Paul took the lead. Regarding his name, it would be odd for the Spirit of God to keep calling this man Sha’ul if He had changed his name to Paul four chapters earlier (see Bc – Sha’ul Turns from Murder to Messiah), which of course, He hadn’t.²⁷⁵ The congregation responded in faith. Then after fasting and praying to confirm the call, they laid hands on them, they sent them off as an extension of the church at Syrian Antioch (13:2b-3).

So, sent out by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, the journey began and they went down to Seleucia, the seaport sixteen miles to the west of Syrian  Antioch, and from there they sailed to Cyprus (13:4). There had already been some evangelism in Cyprus (11:19) and some members of the church in Syrian Antioch had family ties there, including Barnabas himself (4:36). Cyprus was one hundred and thirty miles southwest of Syrian Antioch. It is a Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea and an important trade center. The Roman fleet for this region was stationed there, and one could obtain regular passage to many destinations from this port. It is one hundred and forty eight miles long and about twenty miles wide. Cyprus was close to Syrian Antioch (probably two days journey at the most), and it had a large Jewish population. All those reasons make it an ideal starting point for outreach to the Gentile world.

When they arrived at Salamis, the largest city and chief commercial center on Cyprus, they began to proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues (13:5a). Although Paul was called to be Yeshua’s emissary to the Gentiles, he invariably made it his practice throughout his life to bring the Good News of Yeshua Messiah to the Jews first. This matches with his teaching (Romans 1:16ff) and his heart’s longing for all Isra’el to be saved (Romans 9:1-5, 10:1, 11:26). With both reason and practice he thus refutes the Two-Covenant theology, which states that Jews are saved through Moshe and Gentiles are saved through Jesus. Unfortunately, few Gentile Christians have seen fit to obey Paul’s exhortation to be imitators of him (First Corinthians 11:1) in this area. Instead, if they evangelize at all, they reach out to everyone but Jews, who are often the last to have the gospel properly explained to them, so that they are left to rely on hearsay and half-truths, or, worse, are presented with error and evil in the name of the gospel.²⁷⁶

They also had John Mark (12:25), Barnabas’ cousin (Colossians 4:10), as a helper (13:5b). Mark was a native of Jerusalem (12:12) and was Barnabas’ cousin (Colossians 4:10). When Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch from Jerusalem after delivering relief aide, Mark came with them (Acts 12:25). He had undoubtedly left Antioch along with Barnabas and Paul. Clearly, Luke has included John Mark here to explain the later reference to his departure from the group. He would soon desert them and return to Jerusalem (see Bv – Disagreement between Paul and Barnabas), for now, he was a member of the ministry team, helping Barnabas and Paul carry out their spiritual mission.

Spiritual Opposition: From Salamis, the three traveled the width of the island, arriving at Paphos, some ninety miles to the west, a center for the worship of Aphrodite (Venus). The greatest festival in Cyprus in honor of Aphrodite was the Aphrodisia, held for three days each spring. It was attended by great crowds, not only from Cyprus, but also from surrounding countries. It was a city where immorality and extensive religious prostitution was commonplace. At that time, they found a man who was a magician – a Jewish false prophet, whose title was Bar-Yeshua. Like Simon (see Ba – Simon the Sorcerer), he was a deceiver who put his knowledge to evil use. He was with the proconsul (13:6-7a). All Roman provinces were divided into two classes, those that required troops and those who did not. The former were under the administration of the emperor, and the latter were administered by the Senate and ruled by proconsuls.²⁷⁷ Time and time again we find Luke giving the proper designations for the Roman officials that he mentions.

One should not be too surprised that a Roman official could be fooled by such a con artist. Romans put great stock in powers of divination and even had their own sacred oracles, especially the upper-class. Charlatans like Bar-Jesus were usually smooth and highly knowledgeable, practicing a sort of pseudoscience. And his Jewish credentials did not hurt him either. The Jews had a reputation among the Romans for their depth and insight of religious understanding. Josephus mentioned a number of such Jewish sorcerers who had great success among the Gentiles. There is even a reference to a Jewish sorcerer from Cyprus who aided the Roman governor Felix in seducing Drusilla away from her husband Azizus (Antiquities 20.236-237).²⁷⁸

On Bar-Yeshua’s part, the fact that he had attached himself to the proconsul was no accident. The kingdom of darkness is always eager to influence those who are in power. Much of the evil in this world can be traced to the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12b; Dani’el 10:13-11:1). The Roman proconsul of Cyprus was Sergius Paulus (the same name as Paul but in Greek), whom Luke describes as an intelligent man (13:7b). As such, he no doubt had a keen interest in new philosophies and religious beliefs. That he had in his entourage a Jewish teacher (albeit a false one), showed that he had some interest in Judaism. Barnabas and Paul appeared to him to be two more Jewish teachers from whom he could learn more about the Jewish faith. Moreover, his position as proconsul prompted him to investigate this new teaching that was sweeping across Cyprus.²⁷⁹

Accordingly, Sergius Paulus summoned Barnabas and Paul and sought to hear the word of God from them. But, alarmed at the prospect of being out of a job with the conversation of the Roman proconsul, Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) constantly opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith (13:7c-8). Like many Jewish people at the time, Bar-Jesus also had a Greek name, Elymas, by which he was known at the court of Sergius Paulus. Apparently, Elymas was the Greek transliteration of an Arabic word for magician. The battle for the soul of Sergius Paulus had reached its climax.

Spiritual victory: But Sha’ul, who is also Paul, had had enough of the magician’s interference. Taking the lead in this challenge, and being filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh, Paul fixed his gaze on him (13:9). Here the one sent to the Goyim is called both Sha’ul and Paul (see Bm – Paul’s First Missionary Journey: Paul is Sha’ul and Sha’ul is Paul). The decisive shift from the name Sha’ul to Paul happens only after Paul sets off on his missionary journeys among the Gentiles. From now on, Luke will call him Sha’ul only in regards to his past (22:7, 26:14). The name Paul appears 132 times in Acts 13-28.

Then, Paul said, “O you, full of all deceit (Greek: dolos, meaning a snare, a thing to lure someone into a trap) and trickery (Greek: radiourgias, meaning fraud), son of the devil (instead of being Bar-Yeshua, the son of Jesus, he is the son of the devil), enemy of all righteousness – will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?” Bar-Jesus had been deceiving the proconsul with all his false claims. This event is an illustration of the lesson that Yeshua taught in the parable in Matthew’s gospel (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ev – The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds), and His explanation (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Fa – The Parable of the Weeds Explained). Wherever ADONAI sows His true children (the wheat), the Adversary comes along and sows a counterfeit (the weeds) child of the devil. Paul recognized that Elymas was a child of the devil (John 8:44),²⁸⁰ and dealt with him accordingly.

Remembering his own blindness (see Bc – Sha’ul Turns from Murder to Messiah), Paul knew that by the darkening of the eyes, the mind’s darkness might be restored to light.²⁸¹ Thus, justice was tempered with mercy and Paul declared: Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and not see the sun for awhile.” It was probably meant to be a warning and intended to act as a stimulus to conversion, although we do not know whether it achieved this result.²⁸² As so often happens, ADONAI used a miracle to confirm the authenticity of His messengers and the truth of His word. Immediately, cloudiness and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord (13:10-12). Significantly, it was the teaching about the Lord, not the stunning miracle he had just witnessed, that prompted Sergius Paulus to believe and be saved. This became a very important incident because from this point Paul very clearly takes the lead between he and Barnabas.

A Roman Gentile responds to the gospel, whereas a Jew, with supposed religious connections, rejects the same message. The contrast is intentional, and this would turn out to be the pattern of evangelism in the book of Acts.²⁸³

It is well to remember the lesson of these verses. Leading someone to Messiah is not merely an academic exercise, nor is it a matter of making a successful sales pitch. Rather, it involves all-out spiritual warfare against the forces of hell. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist when the times are evil, and after you have done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm then! Buckle the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness (Isaiah 11:5). Strap up your feet in readiness with the Good News of shalom (Isaiah 52:7; Psalm 9:17). Above all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Psalm 28:7, 76:3, 91:4-5). And take the helmet of salvation (Isaiah 59:17) and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Isaiah 49:2).

Lord, You say: Pay attention to Me, My people, give ear to Me, My nation. For Torah will go out from Me, My justice as a light to the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone out, and My arms will judge the nations. The coastlands will wait for Me – for My arm they will wait expectantly (Isaiah 51:4-5). ADONAI, I want to be part of this great work in my day, in whatever way You desire: Speak, for Your servant is listening (First Samuel 3:10).