In yesterday’s first reading (Acts 13:26-33) Paul continued his discourse begun on Thursday on salvation history and on how Jesus was handed over by the leaders of his people into the hands of the Romans for execution. He addressed his words both to the Jews in his audience (“descendants of Abraham’s family”) and the gentile converts (“others who fear God”). Paul makes it clear that the Jerusalem leaders and the people in the city failed to recognize the true identity of Jesus as the expected Messiah. However, he does not in any way accuse them to his hearers. In doing what they did, Jerusalem was only fulfilling the well-known words of the Old Testament prophets—prophets whose readings were heard every Sabbath in the synagogue, and hence with which his hearers would be familiar. And, by handing over an innocent man unjustly into the hands of Pilate, they were simply accomplishing everything about Jesus that had been foretold in those same ancient readings.
But it was not the end: “…God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people.” According to Luke’s account, Jesus appeared to his disciples for 40 days. Paul and his companions now are proclaiming this good news of what God has done for his people through Jesus Christ.
Paul’s words are an unambiguous invitation to the Jews of Antioch to become believers and disciples. In today’s reading (Acts 13:44-52) the whole city is coming to hear them speak the word of God. But they also have incurred the jealousy of some Jews who hurled abuse at the two men. Perhaps they believed that the word of God was only for them and not for Gentiles—pearls were not to be thrown to swine.
Paul and Barnabas (Paul is now regularly mentioned first) took this as a sign to transfer their energies to preaching among the Gentiles, who responded enthusiastically. Paul’s fellow-Jews in Antioch had shown themselves unfit to hear the Gospel: “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the gentiles.” He had to speak to the Jews first—and he will do this in other places as well—because the Gospel came to and was intended for the Jews first. Paul, of course, was himself a Jew and had great compassion for his people. This is expressed very well in his letter to the Romans (see Romans 9:1-5; 10:1-3).
We are told that the two Apostles spoke out these words “boldly”. The courage and confidence of the Apostles has been already stressed by Luke on a number of occasions. Luke repeatedly attributes these qualities to Paul, and Paul himself lays emphasis on them in a number of his letters. Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues which should be the characteristic of every Christian. On the other hand, they turn to the Gentiles because the Lord had told them to be: “…a light for the gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” Christ is also the light of the Gentiles—he himself had said “I AM the Light of the World”—but since only the Apostles’ witness can spread this light, Paul considers this prophecy as a command that he must carry out.
The Gentiles responded enthusiastically. After receiving the Word from Paul and Barnabas: “…they were glad and praised the word of the Lord, and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.” These are the ones whose names are “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20) and in “the book of life”. For Christians, the first and necessary condition for this predestination to glory is faith in Christ. As a result of the Gentiles’ enthusiasm for the message, “the word of the Lord spread throughout the region.”
However, some of the Jews continued their harassments. They incited prominent women who were believers (though not necessarily Jews) and leading men to stir up attacks on the two missionaries. They eventually managed to drive the two Apostles from the city. Following the teaching of the Gospel, they shook the dust of the city from their feet (see Matthew 10:14 and Luke 9:5). In doing this, they showed the severance of responsibility and the repudiation of those who had rejected their message and had brought suffering to the servants of the Lord.
They now continued on to the town of Iconium, lying to the east of Antioch on the southern borders of the province of Galatia. Its modern name is Konya. In Paul’s time it was an important crossroads and an agricultural center for the central plain of Galatia.
Far from being discouraged by their experience in Antioch, we are told that: “…the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” It teaches us a lesson we continually need to learn. The preaching of the Gospel, in spite of its message of love and forgiveness and justice and its rejection of all forms of violence, can incur vicious and violent opposition. We should neither be surprised nor discouraged by this. On the contrary, like the Apostles, we should rejoice that, with Jesus, we suffer for proclaiming the message of life and love: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!