Paul’s Synagogue Sermon
TRANSLATION
(13) Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. There John left them and returned to Jerusalem. (14) From Perga they went to Antioch of Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. (15) After the reading from the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent a message to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
(16) So Paul stood up and, motioning with his hand, said, “Fellow Israelites and all who fear God, listen to me! (17) The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors and made them prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt. With mighty power he led them out, (18) and, for forty years, bore with them as a caring father in the wilderness. (19) After he overthrew seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them the land as their inheritance. This took about four hundred and fifty years. (20) After that, he provided them with judges until the time of Samuel, the prophet. (21) When they asked for a king, God gave them Saul, the son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin, to rule for forty years. (22) After removing him, he raised up David to be their king. Of him God gave this testimony: ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ (23) From this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, namely Jesus, according to his promise. (24) Before his coming, John first preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. (25) As John was completing his ministry, he declared, ‘Who do you suppose me to be? I am not the promised one, but there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
(26) “My fellow Israelites, offspring of Abraham, and all who fear God, it is to us that this word of salvation has been sent. (27) Those who live in Jerusalem and their leaders, because they did not recognize him nor listen to the testimony of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled their prophecies by condemning him. (28) Although they found no basis for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. (29) And when they had carried out everything that had been written about him, they took his body down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. (30) But God raised him from the dead, (31) and he was seen for many days by those who came with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses among the people.
(32) “And now we bring to you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors (33) he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus from the dead just as it was written in the second psalm: ‘You are my Son. Today I have begotten you.’ (34) And as for his raising him from the dead no more to experience corruption, he has spoken these words: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ (35) And in another psalm he says, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption.’ (36) David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried with his ancestors and experienced corruption. (37) But the one whom God raised up experienced no corruption.
(38) “Therefore, I want you to know, my friends, that through Jesus forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, (39) and through him everyone who believes is justified, freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. (40) Take care that what was spoken by the prophets does not become true of you: (41) ‘Look, you scoffers! Be astounded and perish, for I am doing a work in your days that you will not believe, even if someone declares it to you.’”
(42) As they were leaving, the people urged them to address them again the following sabbath. (43) Now after the meeting in the synagogue had ended, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas who, as they were speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
OBSERVATIONS
This passage provides us with the sermon which Paul preached in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch. In all likelihood, Luke’s intention was to furnish us with an example of the typical message Paul would give whenever he had the opportunity to take part in a synagogue service. Paul began his message by recounting Israel’s history as God’s chosen people, particularly emphasizing the life of King David. He then linked David’s life to that of his descendant, Jesus, the promised Savior, who conquered death by his resurrection. Paul concluded his message by proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and warning those in the synagogue of the consequences of rejecting God’s gracious offer.
In addition to proper names, “Paul” (vss. 13, 16, & 43), “Perga” (vss. 13 & 14), “God” (vss. 16, 17, 21, 30, 32, & 43), “David” (vss. 22 & 34), “Jesus” (vss. 23 & 33), and “John” (vss. 24 & 25), repeated words included “sabbath” (vss. 14, 27, & 42), “synagogue” (vss. 14, 15, & 43), “land” (vss. 17 & 19), “fathers” (vss. 17 & 32), “king” (vss. 21 & 22), “raised” (vss. 30, 33, 34, & 37), and “psalm” (vss. 33 & 35).
OUTLINE
I. After the Scripture reading, the leaders of the synagogue invited Paul to address those gathered. (13-15)
II. Paul’s message focused on the salvation to be found in King David’s descendant, Jesus. (16-41)
III. At the end of the service, the people begged them to return the following Sabbath. (42 & 43)
IDEA STATEMENT
In his synagogue message, Paul proclaimed the Gospel to those in attendance.
APPLICATION
This segment of Acts describes the pattern Paul and Barnabas followed upon arriving at a new location on their missionary journey. They would normally make worshiping at the local synagogue on the sabbath a priority. They did this to meet the observant Jews and converts to Judaism who were gathering in that location for worship. Visitors were almost always asked to greet the congregation and give a brief “word of encouragement” to them. Paul would take advantage of this welcome to proclaim the Good News.
Paul would later summarize this strategy of ministry in his epistle to the Romans where he wrote, “(We go) to the Jew first and also to the Greek…” (Rom. 1:16). Since God had originally singled out Abraham and his descendants as the ones through whom he would bless the world, the church’s first missionaries were careful to make proclaiming the Good News to the Jews scattered around the Roman Empire a priority. Only after the Jews had first heard the Gospel would these apostolic messengers extend their ministry to Gentiles in those localities.