Acts 13:42 - Meaning and Application

The purpose of this account is to clear the apostles, especially Paul, from the accusations the Jews made against him for preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul had acted with great care and after careful thought, and this passage gives one example of that. Some of the Jews were so angry at the gospel, not just when it was preached to the Gentiles, but even when it was preached to them, that they would not stay to hear it. They left the synagogue while Paul was speaking (Acts 13:42), showing contempt for him and his message, and they disturbed the whole meeting.

This showed open unbelief. Coming to hear the gospel is a public sign of faith, and walking out on it was just as public a rejection of Christ and his teaching. They were not ashamed of their disrespect, and they tried to turn others against the gospel as well. It also showed stubborn unbelief. They did not leave because they had heard enough and wanted more time to think. They left because they had already decided not to believe, and so they got away from the very words that could have convinced them. They shut their ears like a deaf snake. Justly, then, the gospel was taken from them, since they first took themselves away from it. God never leaves anyone until that person first leaves him.

The Gentiles, by contrast, were eager to hear the gospel. They asked that these same words, or words like them, be preached to them the next Sabbath. Some think they meant during the week, on one of the synagogue lecture days, but Acts 13:44 shows that they came together on the next Sabbath. They wanted the same offer made to them that had been made to the Jews. Paul had brought the message of salvation to the Jews and the Gentile worshipers, but had not directly focused on the Gentiles in this sermon. So they asked to hear of forgiveness through Christ as well. The Jews’ rejection became the Gentiles’ desire.

This shows that Paul was right to preach to them, since they invited him to do so, just as Peter was sent for by Cornelius. Who could refuse to give the bread of life to people who begged so earnestly for it? Who would not give to those at the door what the children at the table had thrown away?

They also asked to hear the teaching again. They had heard Christ’s message, but they did not fully understand it the first time, and they could not keep all they had heard in mind. So they wanted it preached to them again. It is good to hear the word of Christ more than once. What we have heard should be heard again, so it can take deep root in us. Then the nail that has been driven in will be clenched and set firmly in place. It should not trouble us to hear the same truth again, because it is safe (Philippians 3:1). The Jews made themselves worse by refusing to hear once what the Gentiles wanted to hear often. The Gentiles showed a good spirit by not following the Jews’ bad example.

Many, both Jews and Gentile converts, were moved by the preaching of the gospel. Some people claimed that when the Jews rejected the gospel, it meant that all God’s people had been cast off. Paul answers that kind of claim elsewhere (Romans 11), and he says that many Jews have believed in Christ, including himself (Romans 11:1, Romans 11:5). It was the same here. Many Jews and devout converts followed Paul and Barnabas and received further teaching and encouragement from them.

They submitted to God’s grace and were brought into its comfort, which is shown by the fact that they were urged to keep going in it. They followed Paul and Barnabas, becoming their disciples, or rather Christ’s disciples, since Paul and Barnabas were only his messengers. Those who join themselves to Christ will also join themselves to his ministers and follow their guidance. Paul and Barnabas, though sent especially to the Gentiles, welcomed any Jews who were willing to learn from them. They cared warmly for the Jews and their friends, if only they would receive the message.

They were also encouraged to continue. Paul and Barnabas spoke to them freely and as friends, urging them to continue in the grace of God, to hold on to what they had received, to keep believing the gospel of grace, trusting in the Spirit of grace, and attending the means of grace, that is, the ways God uses to strengthen faith. God’s grace will not fail those who keep walking in it.

The next Sabbath day brought a joyful response to the preaching of the gospel. Almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God (Acts 13:44). Most of the crowd was made up of Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas were likely busy during the week as well, not wasting the time between Sabbaths. They probably used every chance they had, as the Gentiles may have requested, to introduce people to Christ and stir up hope in him. They did much for the gospel through private talks and daily conversation as well as public preaching. Wisdom cries out in the busy places and at the city gates, as well as in the synagogue (Proverbs 1:20-21).

That drew a great crowd to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Some came out of curiosity because this was something new. Others wanted to see how the Jews would react to a second offer of the gospel. Many had already heard something of God’s word and now wanted to hear more, not as the word of men, but as the word of God, by which we must be guided and judged. This also showed that Paul was right to preach to the Gentiles, because he found among them the most encouraging hearers. The field was ready for harvest there, and so he had good reason to use his sickle there.

The Jews were filled with jealousy. They would not receive the gospel themselves, and they were angry to see so many others crowding after it (Acts 13:45). When they saw the large crowd, they also saw how much encouragement this gave Paul to keep preaching. He saw people coming to him like doves to their windows, and among that crowd many, likely most, would be reached by Christ. That made the Jews envious. They resented the influence the apostles had with the people, and they were troubled to see the synagogue so full when Paul was preaching.

This was the same spirit that once worked in the Pharisees against Christ. They were upset when they saw the whole world follow him, and when the kingdom of heaven was opened, they would not enter themselves. Worse still, they were angry with those who did go in.

They also opposed the teaching the apostles preached. They spoke against what Paul said, found fault with everything, and kept raising objections. They contradicted him, and when they could find no real reason to object, they turned to insults and blasphemy against Christ and his gospel. People who begin by arguing often end by blaspheming. The natural person, who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, moves from simple contradiction to open contempt.

So the apostles publicly declared that they were free from any further obligation to the Jews and at liberty to bring the word of salvation to the Gentiles, with the Jews' own silent consent. No Jew should blame the apostles for taking the gospel to the Gentiles, because the Jews had already refused it themselves. Their own act shut that complaint forever. As the saying goes, a fair offer and a refusal count as a full answer in law. The Jews had the gospel offered to them, and they would not receive it, so they had no right to object if others did.

When Paul and Barnabas said this, they grew bolder. They had been cautious about the Gentiles before, lest they offend the Jews or put a stumbling block in their way. But there is a time when gospel preachers must show the boldness of a lion, along with the wisdom of a serpent and the harmlessness of a dove. When opponents become bold, Christ's defenders should not become timid. As long as there is hope of helping those who resist, they must be taught with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:25). But when that approach has been tried again and again without success, they must speak plainly about where such resistance leads.

The boldness of the gospel's enemies should encourage its friends, not frighten them. Paul and Barnabas knew they had a good cause, and they trusted the God who would support them. They had offered the Jews gospel grace fairly, and now they gave them fair warning that they would take it to the Gentiles, in hope of stirring the Jews to jealousy, as Paul later says (Romans 11:14).

They first admitted that the Jews had the right to hear the message before anyone else. It was necessary that God's word should first be spoken to them, because the promises were made to them, and Christ was first sent to the lost sheep of Israel. Christ's command that repentance and forgiveness be preached beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47) also showed that the Jews were to be reached first. The children were to be fed first (Mark 7:27).

Then they charged the Jews with refusing the offer. They would not accept it, and in fact would not even bear the offer being made. They treated it as an insult. If people push the gospel away, God justly takes it from them. Why should bread be given to those who hate it and call it worthless? Why should the privileges of the gospel be forced on those who reject them? In doing so, they judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life.

In one sense, all of us must judge ourselves unworthy of everlasting life, because nothing in us or in our works can earn it. We must feel that truth deeply. But here the meaning is different. The Jews showed by their actions that they were not fit for eternal life. They threw away their own claim to it and gave up every right they pretended to have. Since they would not receive life from Christ, the only one through whom it comes, they would not have it at all.

Because of this, Paul and Barnabas turned to the Gentiles. If one group will not receive the message, another will. If the first guests refuse the wedding feast, those from the roads and hedges must be invited so the feast will have guests. If the nearest kinsman will not do his duty, he should not complain if another does it (Ruth 4:4).

They also defended this step by saying they had a divine command for it. The Lord Jesus had told them to bear witness in Jerusalem and Judea first, and then to the farthest parts of the earth, to preach the gospel to every creature and make disciples of all nations. This matched what had been foretold in the Old Testament. When the Messiah seemed, in view of Israel's unbelief, ready to say, "I have labored in vain," he was assured that, even if Israel was not gathered, he would still be honored. His blood would not be shed in vain, his purchase would not be wasted, his teaching would not be useless, and his Spirit would not be sent in vain. God said, "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

Christ is not only the Savior, he is salvation itself. He is our righteousness, our life, and our strength. Wherever Christ is meant to bring salvation, he is set up as a light first. He gives understanding, and by that light he saves the soul. He is, and will be, light and salvation to the Gentiles, even to the ends of the earth. People of every nation are welcome to him, some from every nation have already heard of him (Romans 10:18), and in time all nations will become his kingdom.

This prophecy has already been partly fulfilled in the setting up of Christ's kingdom in this island of ours, which lies, as it were, at the ends of the earth. It is a corner of the world, and the prophecy will be fulfilled even more when the full number of the Gentiles is brought in.

The Gentiles gladly accepted what the Jews rejected with scorn (Acts 13:48-49).

There has never been a shortage of heirs in the world. Through the Jews’ fall, salvation has come to the Gentiles, and the Jews’ being set aside has meant the reconciling of the world. Their loss has become rich gain for the Gentiles, as Paul explains at length in Romans 11:11-15. The Jews, like natural branches, were broken off, and the Gentiles, like branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in instead (Romans 11:17, Romans 11:19).

Here we are told how the Gentiles welcomed this happy change in their favor. First, they took comfort in it: when they heard this, they were glad. It was good news to them that they could come into covenant and fellowship with God through a clearer, nearer, and better way than by submitting to the ceremonial law and becoming Jewish converts. The wall that separated them was gone, and they were as welcome to the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom as the Jews themselves. They could share in the promise without first coming under the Jewish law. This was truly good news for all people.

Our being brought into the possibility of salvation should fill us with joy. When the Gentiles only heard that the offers of grace would be made to them, that the word of grace would be preached to them, and that the means of grace would be given to them, they were glad. They said, in effect, “Now there is some hope for us.” Many people grieve because they doubt whether they belong to Christ, when they should be rejoicing that they do belong to him. The golden scepter is held out to them, and they are invited to come and touch its tip.

Second, they gave God praise for it: they glorified the word of the Lord, that is, Christ, the eternal Word, as some understand it. They showed deep respect for him and spoke highly of him. Or, more likely, this means the gospel itself. The more they learned of it, the more they admired it. What light, power, and treasure the gospel brings! How excellent are its truths, its commands, and its promises. How far it rises above every other religious system. How clearly divine and heavenly its source is.

This is how they glorified the word of the Lord, and God himself has said that he has magnified his word above all his name (Psalm 138:2), and will make it honored and glorious (Isaiah 42:21). They glorified the word of the Lord, first, because the knowledge of it was now spreading and no longer limited to the Jews. The glory of the word of the Lord is that the farther it spreads, the brighter it shines. It is not like the light of a candle, but like the sun going out in its strength. Second, they glorified it because it had now come to them. Those speak best of the honor of the word of the Lord who speak from experience, because they have been humbled by its power and comforted by its sweetness.

Third, many of them became more than mere professed believers. They became truly obedient to the faith: as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. God, by his Spirit, worked true faith in those whom he had already chosen in his eternal plan for everlasting happiness. Those believed to whom God gave grace to believe. By his secret and mighty work, he brought them under the authority of the gospel of Christ and made them willing on the day of his power.

They came to Christ because the Father drew them, and because the Spirit made the gospel call effective in them. This is called the faith produced by the power of God (Colossians 2:12), and it is said to come by the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 1:20). God gave this grace to all those among them who were appointed to eternal life, for those whom he predestined, he also called (Romans 8:30). Or, it may mean that as many as were ready for eternal life, as many as were concerned about their eternal condition and wanted to make sure of eternal life, believed in Christ, in whom God has stored that life (1 John 5:11), and who is the only way to it. Yet even then, it was still the grace of God that worked in them.

In the same way, only those captives took advantage of Cyrus’s proclamation whose spirits God had stirred up to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5). Those who are brought to believe in Christ are those whom his grace has made willing to seek eternal life and make that their aim.

Fourth, when they believed, they did all they could to spread the knowledge of Christ and his gospel among their neighbors (Acts 13:49). The word of the Lord was spread through the whole region. When it was welcomed so gladly in the chief city, it soon reached all parts of the country. These new converts were eager to share with others what filled their own hearts so fully. The Lord gave the word, and then a great company spread it abroad (Psalm 68:11).

Those who have come to know Christ themselves will do what they can to lead others to him. People in large and wealthy cities that have received the gospel should not try to keep it to themselves, as if it were only fit for educated or refined people, like learning and philosophy. They should do what they can to have it published in the country among ordinary people, including the poor and unlearned, who have souls to save just as much as they do.

Paul and Barnabas, after planting the seeds of a Christian church there, left the place and went elsewhere to do the same. We are not told here that they worked miracles to confirm their teaching and prove it true. God often used miracles then to persuade people, but he could also do his work without them when he wished. Bringing faith to birth by the direct influence of his Spirit was itself the greatest miracle in those who received it. Still, it is likely that they did work miracles, since we find they did in the next place they visited (Acts 14:3).

Now we are told how the unbelieving Jews drove the apostles out of that region. First they turned their backs on them, and then they struck out against them (Acts 13:50). They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas. They pushed the mob to harass them as they walked through the streets, insulting them on the way. They also stirred up the magistrates to oppose them by putting them in prison and punishing them. When they could not answer the wisdom and Spirit by which Paul and Barnabas spoke, they turned to these brutish methods, the last refuge of stubborn unbelief. Satan and his agents are most angered against gospel preachers when they see them succeeding, and then they are sure to raise persecution against them. So it has often been the lot of the best people in the world to suffer harm for doing good, and to be persecuted instead of honored for the good they have done for others.

Notice what method the Jews used to cause trouble: they stirred up the devout and honorable women against them.

They could not win much influence on their own, so they turned to some prominent women in the city. These women were friendly to the Jewish faith and were Gentile converts attached to it, often called devout women. They were zealous in their own way, but also stubborn, and it was easy to stir them up against the gospel by false reports and twisted claims, as if Christ’s message destroyed all religion, when in fact it completes and fulfills true religion.

It is a good thing to see honorable women devoted to worship and serious about God. Since they often have fewer worldly duties, they should give more time to their souls and to fellowship with God. But it is sad when, under the name of devotion to God, they develop hatred for Christ, as these women did. Women persecutors are a shameful sight. Can they forget the tenderness usually expected of their sex? And honorable women should ask how they could stain their honor and do something so base. Still more shocking, these were devout women. Would they kill Christ’s servants and think they were serving God? Let all who are zealous make sure their zeal is guided by knowledge.

Through these devout and honorable women, the Jews also stirred up the leading men of the city, the magistrates and rulers who had power there. These leaders let themselves be used by this hostile crowd, people who would not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves and would not let others enter either.

The opposition went so far that the apostles were driven out of the region. They were banished and sent out under authority, as if handed from one officer to another until they were forced beyond the district. This was not just fear, but open violence. In God’s wise rule, this was one way he kept the first planters of the church from staying too long in one place, as in (Matthew 10:23), where Jesus told them to flee to another city when persecuted, so they could more quickly carry the gospel through the cities of Israel. God also used this to make fair-minded people more warmly inclined toward the apostles, since people naturally feel for the persecuted and think better of those who suffer wrongfully. Casting the apostles out likely made many people ask what harm they had done, and it may have won them more friends than tolerating them would have done.

The apostles then showed how they treated the unbelieving Jews, as in (Acts 13:51): they shook the dust off their feet against them. When they left the city, they did this in the sight of the people at the gate, or at the border of the land, in the sight of those sent to see them gone. By this act, they showed they wanted nothing more to do with them and would take nothing from them, because they were not seeking the people’s goods, but the people themselves. Dust belongs to dust, and they would let it stay where it was.

They also showed their disgust at the Jews’ unbelief. Though these people were Jews by birth, by rejecting the gospel of Christ they put themselves, in effect, in the same class as pagans and the openly ungodly. Jews and Gentiles are equally acceptable to God if they believe, and equally guilty if they do not. In this way, the apostles also showed that they were not afraid of them and did not value their threats, which they saw as powerless. It was as if they were saying, “Do your worst. We are not afraid. We know whom we serve, and we know whom we have trusted.” At the same time, they left behind a witness against them, proving that the gospel had truly been offered to them, and that would stand against them on the day of judgment. The dust itself would testify that the gospel preachers had been there, but had been driven out. Christ had told his disciples to do this, for the same reason, (Matthew 10:14) and (Luke 9:5). After leaving them, they went to Iconium, not mainly for safety, but for more work.

This was the state they left the new believers in at Antioch, as in (Acts 13:52). When the disciples saw the courage and cheerfulness with which Paul and Barnabas bore the insults done to them and kept on with their work anyway, they were encouraged too. They were very joyful. One might have expected that, after Paul and Barnabas were driven out, and perhaps forbidden to return on pain of death, the disciples would be crushed with grief and fear. They might have thought that if the first workers in Christianity left, the whole work would soon collapse, or that they themselves would be banished next. That would have been even harder for them, since it was their own city. But instead, they were filled with joy in Christ, with a settled confidence that Christ would carry on and complete his own work in them and among them. They believed he would either keep them from trouble or strengthen them under it, so their fears were overcome by their joy.

They were also courageous, strongly moved to hold fast to Christ no matter what trouble came. This seems to be especially what is meant by their being filled with the Holy Spirit, since the same language is used of Peter’s boldness (Acts 4:8), Stephen’s courage (Acts 7:55), and Paul’s strength (Acts 13:9). The more we taste the comfort and strength that come with true godliness, and the fuller our hearts are of them, the better prepared we are to face the hardships that come with confessing Christ.