Rev. A.M. Cattanach, M.A.
Second Series XI—Sabbath Days in Antioch of Pisidia
Paul and Barnabas, having sailed across the sea from Cyprus landed on the mainland of Asia Minor at Perga, and from thence they proceeded inland to the city of Antioch in Pisidia. There were many cities in the Middle East bearing the name of Antioch, but the two most famous and prominent ones were Antioch in Syria and Antioch in Pisidia. It has been from the former city that these two brethren had been sent forth to preach the word of Life, and it was now to the latter city that they came, to continue that blessed and noble work. The whole account of their story in this thriving inland centre of civilisation is taken up with their occupation on two consecutive Sabbath days. As was their custom everywhere, they “went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, ‘Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.’ ” (Acts xiii, vv. 14, 15).
The subject matter of this particular study will consist of an attempted analysis of that precious ‘word of exhortation’, given then, in response to the invitation from the rulers of the synagogue, by the great Apostle of the Gentiles. It affords us with a specimen of Apostolic preaching which is most instructive, one which preachers of the Gospel still, would do well to study, and, by enabling grace, seek to imitate. It reveals to us how the great Apostle dealt with his subject, adapting it to the needs of his audience, and how the Spirit led him into the mysteries of the Kingdom.
The effect of this word of exhortation upon the congregation in the synagogue, both in the short and in the long term, will also be analysed, and lessons laid down for such as seek to profit by what is still declared unto them of the word of Life.
Our analysis shall take the following form:
I. The Sermon at Antioch as a Pattern of Apostolic Preaching
II. The Effect of the Sermon upon the Congregation
As enabled, we shall offer a few remarks on these two points.
I. The ‘Word of exhortation’
The ‘Word of exhortation’ which they had been invited to give was indeed a wonderful word. We have the first recorded full specimen of Paul’s style of preaching, and as we ponder over it, we are not surprised to know that this was the type of preaching so greatly owned and blessed of God and, on the other hand, so hated by the enemies of the cross. This has ever been the case, in the history of the Church since those times.
Three matters appear to stand out:
- (a) Paul’s use of Scripture
- (b) Paul’s interpretation of Scripture
- (c) Paul’s specific application of Scripture
(a) Paul’s use of Scripture
A perusal of the Divine Record of this precious ‘word of exhortation’—lecture, address or sermon, as you may care to call it—must surely convince one that it was firmly based upon the Divine writings, in which was revealed the will of God, not only for Israel, God’s ancient people, but also for all men. The Apostle took as his text book, if we may so say, with all reverence, the oracles of God—the Scriptures; the law, the psalms and the prophets. All that he has to declare is founded squarely upon this infallible Rock—the impregnable Rock of Scripture, as a famous man once called it. The Scriptures of the Old Testament were to him the Word of Jehovah—in these Jehovah had spoken. ‘What saith the Lord?’ is a question oft asked in these very oracles and the answer comes plain and clear, ‘Thus saith the Lord’. When Paul would ask that same question, he would hear ‘what God the Lord will speak’, and as he listens, re-hears the voice of Israel’s Covenant God, but he is able now to use the knowledge received by supernatural teaching, to declare that this God is also the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Israel’s rejected Messiah.
He makes use of Scripture, in his address, to remind the congregation in the synagogue at Antioch of the history of Israel from the time of their sojourn in the land of Egypt until the time of David—all that he will have to say, by way of interpretation and application, is based upon the historical background, unfolded in the Scriptures. This is a point worth remembering; a point worthy to be copied.
Overall, however, is not his use of Scripture in line with the Divine Master’s own example? He took these same precious Scriptures—the LAW, the PSALMS, and the PROPHETS—and out of these he declared unto His disciples the things concerning Himself; He took them, as Paul took them, as being true to history, an infallible record of God’s special act of creation and His dealing with man thereafter. The Scripture was basic and fundamental to all that He had to declare.
No less than this will suffice today, for any who wish to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and the Master Himself, in declaring unto their fellow-men the whole counsel of God. If we take, as our starting point for any discourse, another source, we are in danger of drifting from the Apostolic standpoint; if we substitute another text-book for that of the Holy Scriptures, we are heading for the same course. Alas, how many in modern times (and not so modern also) are doing just this very thing. The method of using a verse or verses of Scripture as a text, upon which to base the discourse offered to the people, is not so common as it may once have been, not indeed as it ought to be. Let us seek grace to abide by the time-honoured and divinely-owned method of using Scripture in all our pulpit discourses, and so follow in the true spiritual Apostolic succession of Scriptural, and therefore, Gospel preaching of the Word of God.
(b) Paul’s interpretation of Scripture
It is a fact of common knowledge that there are various methods of interpreting Scripture, and consequently various schools of interpretation have developed among scholars and others who act as interpreters of the oracles of God, which are contained in the Scriptures. Even among those who follow the Reformed Theology there are various Scriptural methods of interpreting Scripture, but the basic one in such circles is that which Paul here used, and to which is often given the title of Messianic Interpretation. Strictly speaking, this is a method which is applied to the Old Testament Scriptures, whereby one seeks to interpret the message of the Old Testament in terms of the promise of a coming Deliverer, to whom is given the title of Messiah, or Anointed One. In the light of the life, ministry and death of Jesus of Nazareth, and His subsequent resurrection from the dead and ascension to the right hand of God once more, the Old Testament is understood in terms of pointing the way to Christ, and, as Jesus Himself declared in His own ministry among men, the Law, and the Psalms and the Prophets all speak with one voice—’They testify of me.’ The Old Testament is fulfilled in the New, and the New Testament is itself unfolded in the Old.
Now, here at Antioch, Paul takes up these Old Testament Scriptures, and proceeds to interpret them in terms of a coming Messiah. He begins with David (in verse 23) and declares that God, according to promise, had raised unto Israel a Saviour—quotations are given from the Psalms to support this Messianic interpretation of Scripture, while further support is obtained from the testimony of the Forerunner of the Messiah in the person of John the Baptist. As will be seen more fully, in our third point in this analysis of Paul’s sermon, he seeks to prove, above all else, out of the Scriptures themselves, that the only proper way of handling these very Scriptures is to believe that these are they which testify of God’s glorious provision for sinners, not only for Israel; for Israel first, in point of revelation and privilege, as that nation to whom Jehovah had afforded the greatest of all privileges (Psalm 147, v. 20), but also, through Israel, and because of Israel’s rejection of this promised Messiah, for the Gentile world at large.
As this interpretation of Scripture was one which we firmly believe Paul received from the outpoured gift of the Spirit of Truth, whose glorious office it is to take of the things of Christ (yes, even out of the previous Scriptures themselves) and reveal them unto believers, let us also seek grace to be instructed, as he was, and so follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, in our endeavour to declare the Word of God among our fellows. A study of Peter’s speeches, as recorded in the same book, will show that he also learned in the same school of interpretation as Paul. To them Christ was the Alpha and Omega of the Scriptures—in the glory of His Eternal Person, and in the efficacy of His finished work, He filled these precious oracles of God. May the same be true of us, not only as speakers, but also as hearers; may Christ be all to us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, so that to us too, they shall be ‘the joy and rejoicing’ of our hearts, as they were to Jeremiah of old.
(c) Paul’s specific application of Scripture
In taking the above line of Scriptural interpretation, Paul as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, proceeds now to prove, from the Scriptures, that the Messiah has come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth; in his own words, and those of the inspired penman of this precious book of Acts, to show that ‘Jesus is the Christ’. The Messianically interpreted passages of Old Testament Scripture are, in his ‘word of exhortation’, specifically applied by him to the Person and Work of Jesus, and to these we now turn for a little.
An analysis of this aspect of Paul’s sermon at Antioch provides us with three salient points concerning the life and work of Jesus, to which he refers again and again, in his ministry, by word of mouth and by letter, namely:
* (1) Christ came in the flesh in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth
* (2) Christ was crucified
* (3) Christ rose again
(1) Christ came in the flesh in the Person of Jesus
Christ came in the flesh in the Person of Jesus—the promised seed of David (verse 23). Paul reminds them of the testimony of John the Baptist regarding Jesus, that he had been at pains to point out that he himself was not, as many seemed to think, the promised Messiah, but only one whose office was to prepare the Messiah’s way and so point men to the One, in whom the promise made to the fathers had come true, even to Him of whom he so wonderfully declared, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.’ Paul takes up this testimony, inherent in the words directly quoted by him, concerning John as the one unworthy to loosen the shoes of the Messiah, and joyfully declares himself to be of one mind and spirit with John, when he says, ‘to you is the word of this salvation sent’—that salvation has appeared in the Person and work of Jesus, and no other is needed. His name is the only name given under heaven among men, whereby men must be saved.
May this word of salvation be graciously and efficaciously applied with Divine power to us too, so that we also might come to rejoice in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. For us, too, may the glory of Him who is the Word made flesh, become ‘the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father’, and may that glory remain as a glory which fills our souls.
(2) Christ came in the flesh—but when He came unto His own, His own received Him not
Christ came in the flesh—but when He came unto His own, His own received Him not. Paul declares what John was later to write in His precious Gospel, in similar terms, as we see from verse 27 onwards. ‘They that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers . . . knew Him not . . .’ Their minds were darkened by sin—by ignorance, prejudice and hatred. He was unrecognised by them as the long-looked-for Messiah. In this very failure to know Him, they gave evidence also of what Paul terms a spiritual ignorance of the very Scriptures which they professed to revere and to understand—’They knew Him not NOR YET the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day . . .’ A wonderful statement; yet one full of sadness. Every Sabbath the prophetic portions dealing with the Messiah were being read, and yet when Jesus appeared, they failed to see in Him, the One so gloriously revealed in these very Scriptures, so assiduously read from week to week.
How true to life in a Gospel land! How many still have the Scriptures read and the record stated that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and in Him alone is salvation; yes read from week to week—every Sabbath day; and still they know Him not! He is still a stranger to them—their eyes are still blinded by the god of this world. O may the Spirit arise to breathe upon many precious immortal souls under a Gospel ministry among us!
Paul is not slow to demonstrate the outcome of this ignorance, prejudice and hatred—they crucified Jesus, although no cause of death was found in Him. We have a short summary of the historic events which culminated on Calvary. A point worthy of further examination in detail among those who may care to do so, is the phrase used by Paul in connection with these events—’And when they had fulfilled all that was written of Him . . .’ (verse 29). In other words, each step of the way was fore-ordained—yea, was even foretold in Scripture; the purposes of God were being slowly but surely unfolded and gloriously fulfilled. The part taken in these proceedings by the Jews was one which, in no way, despite the truth of the above, detracted from their guilt in putting to death the Son of God. Though Paul does not enter into the strictly doctrinal import of these events, at that point in his exhortation, one knows that they were present before his mind; he waits until the closing application, or peroration of his address, to bring this out (verses 38-41). His theme is in line with his apologetics—to prove that Jesus is the Christ and so he comes to the third point—the resurrection.
(3) Christ rose again
‘But God raised Him from the dead . . .’ verses 30-37. In this third section of his specific application of Scripture, he makes full use of the Messianic Psalms and declares, in no uncertain terms, first, the truth of the Resurrection as an historical fact (‘he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem who are his witnesses unto the people.’ verse 31). and then the Messianic interpretation of this historical fact in the specific application, by the Holy Ghost, of acknowledged Messianic portions of the Scripture, to Jesus as the Christ—’and we declare unto you glad tidings . . .’ verse 32. The promise made unto the fathers is fulfilled with their children in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead—He is thereby declared to be the Son of God with power. Other glory which shines upon the truth as it is in Jesus, when seen in the light of the Resurrection! May we too come to delight in its sunshine!
Paul moves finally to his closing word—a personal application of the doctrine inherent in all that has gone before: ‘Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren . . .’ (verses 38-61). Two points emerge for our brief consideration: (a) a confident declaration,
(b) a solemn warning.
Paul would have his synagogue congregation to know the glad tidings of full and free pardon for all their sins and reconciliation with God possible through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. In Him alone, and not in the law of Moses at all, could salvation ever be found by sinful men.
On the other hand, he would have them to beware lest, by rejecting Jesus and the offer of mercy through them alone, the judgment of the Lord would come upon them and they should perish in their hardness of heart and unbelief, and so fulfil what had once been spoken in the prophets concerning such.
II. The effect of the Sermon upon the Congregation.
In dealing briefly with this section of our meditation, it will be convenient to consider the effects of the Sermon in three stages, which for the sake of convenience, we may call (a) The immediate effect, (b) The intermediate effect, and (c) The ultimate effect.
(a) The immediate effect
Verses 42 and 43 supply us with the material here and from this we can see that there was a division between Jew and Gentile, in the congregation, over the words which Paul had addressed unto them. There are textual difficulties in these verses, which lie out-with the province of these studies, so we may overlook them for our present purposes. The Gentiles of verse 42 are to be distinguished from the religious proselytes (who were also Gentiles—a known class of synagogue worshippers in the ancient world) and if any sense is to be made of that distinction, then we must regard these as natives of Antioch, who made no such profession as the proselytes did, but for some reason or another, happened to be in the synagogue that day; shall we call them ‘casual worshippers’? When some of the more bitter Jews had departed, these Gentiles were so anxious to hear more of the good news which they had just listened to, that they desired that ‘these same words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.’ How precious the insight here into the effect upon them—instead of acting as if they had heard enough already. They are only eager to hear more and to hear more of the same theme! A good thing is worth hearing again indeed and never more so than when that ‘good thing’ is the ‘good news from a far country’. We have here a lesson which we would all do well to take to heart. Let us seek that same spirit indeed, whereby we would not be weary to hear the glad tidings—even if what we are to hear the next Sabbath be the same theme—Christ and Him crucified.
In addition to this evidence of Divine power at work that day in Antioch, we have the record of verse 43 where we see that some of the Jews did follow Paul and Barnabas, as did also the ‘seekers’ among the Gentiles (i.e., the regular worshippers). It would appear that the sermon was blessed to these people, for Paul and Barnabas persuade them to continue (to carry on abiding, literally) in the grace of God. Elsewhere, this phrase refers to believers and there seems no reason to change its meaning here; these brethren had indeed ‘found grace’ and were now encouraged to go on in the strength of that grace. May there still be some, among ourselves, of whom such words would convey the true spiritual status of their souls, and for whom the means of grace would more and more become a means of strengthening and nourishing in their most holy faith.
(b) The intermediate effect
Verse 44 gives us a wonderful testimony to the power of the truth, when blessed by the Spirit. ‘And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.’ O what a week in Antioch that must have been! No record is given us of Paul’s activities during the intervening days but we may rest assured that he was not idle. And now the Sabbath dawns again—who will come to the synagogue where Paul is to preach? Not merely the Jews; not even the regular worshippers also; but almost the whole city—the word had spread abroad and multitudes gathered to the hill of God with one accord—to hear the word of God. Could they not truly sing as they ascended that holy hill;
‘I’ll hear what God the Lord will speak;
to his folk he’ll speak peace,
And to his saints . . .’ Ps. 85 v. 8?
Yes, indeed; what a triumph for the glorious Gospel message! Would to God that such days might come to us! Days such as Scotland has seen before, when thousands flocked to hear the word of God, from the mouth of His chosen ambassadors, and drank in every word as cold waters to a thirsty soul.
(c) The ultimate effect
The sight of such a visible triumph for the power of the Gospel could not pass unnoticed in the kingdom of darkness, so the Prince of Darkness must do all he can to wreck the good work, if not finally to overthrow it altogether. The sight of the multitudes filled the Jews who believed not with envy and the old hatred flared up and thus, in verse 45, we find them opposing Paul in what he had to say in an endeavour to destroy the good previous effects of his discourse. Their method was twofold: (1) contradicting the things spoken. (2) blaspheming against the things spoken.
The former represent a more honourable method, since it suggests that atmosphere of the law court or debating society, where statements are challenged or refuted in a reasoned manner, calmly and dispassionately. It can thus be used in a good sense, though obviously here the Jews were in the wrong, in that they were arguing against an interpretation of the Scripture, which had Divine authority for its usage. Paul and Barnabas are not slow to take up this challenge and as they waxed bold they made known that the Jews were thus casting away the glorious privileges within their grasp, and so rendering themselves unworthy of eternal life. We have here the first distinct reference to a deliberate turning to the Gentiles, as opposed to the Jews, to preach unto them the unsearchable riches of Christ.
As a fruit of this, the Gentiles rejoiced and many believed (verses 48 and 49).
When reasoned argument fails to achieve the desired effect, evil men resort to less honourable methods of opposing declarations and propositions with which they do not agree. So here, we have the Jews resorting to the less honourable, nay, the abominable, method of ‘blaspheming’ against the things spoken. In other words, they resorted to miscalling, reviling, cursing or swearing, abusive language, mud-slinging tactics or worse. Their venom poured forth against Paul and Barnabas, and this was linked up with actual ‘stirring up’ of the zealous among the inhabitants of the city—’devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city’ (a representative gathering of church and state, male and female). Their aim was to get rid of Paul and Barnabas—if they could not prevail by fair means, they would do so by foul, and so we read, they ‘raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coasts (verse 50).
To this second method of opposition Paul and Barnabas had but one answer—that taught them by the Master Himself: ‘They shook the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium’ (verse 51). They left them, not indeed of their own accord, as they had done in Cyprus, but yet with dignity and of their own free will, following the Divine injunction for such a situation.
Paul and Barnabas, as itinerant missionaries, could afford to leave thus. The disciples, whose homes were in Antioch, were differently placed; yet God in His own gracious way, provided for their needs too. Though left to carry on alone, we find that they were not alone—’And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost’ (verse 52). These few words sum up, for us, the real essence of the ultimate effect of this great ‘word of exhortation’ in the synagogue at Antioch. The victory lay with the Lord, as always. Paul and Barnabas may be expelled, but the disciples remain; the seed sown bears fruit, the enemy has not altogether prevailed.
Surely, herein lies the great lesson for us to carry away with us from our study of this episode in the life of the Apostle Paul. Let us not be weary in well-doing; let us seek to be filled with that same joy and to go on in that same strength, for Jesus Christ is ‘the same yesterday, today and forever’. These were precious Sabbath days at Antioch; may we also have many precious Sabbath days, in our lives, to remember, not only in time, but also, throughout the endless ages of eternity.