Chapter Thirteen –
First Journey of Paul
ACTS 13:6-12:
In our previous lesson, we began the first journey of Paul. It began in
Antioch of Syria and from there; Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark went down to
Seleucia. From Seleucia, they caught a ship to Cyprus and landed at Salamis.
They would share the Gospel of Jesus as Christ in the synagogues of the
Jews.
It is here, that we will begin this lesson, as they continue to work on the
isle of Cyprus. As with the previous lesson, we will look at locations and
the events that transpire in each, then summarizing the important points at
each location.
Please use the map provided:
http://www.plvcc.org/articles_live_by_faith/acts_13_map.html
Text #1:
Acts 13:6-8
“Now when they had gone through the island to
Paphos,
they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was
Bar-Jesus,
7
who was
with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for
Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
8
But Elymas
the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn
the proconsul away from the faith.”
Paphos:
This is the Roman capital of the island of Cyprus, and found on the far
western end of the isle. This is a newer city built by Augustus about ten
miles north of the old Greek city.
Cyprus is extremely mountainous on the northern shores and western half of
the island, and its character is defined by two high mountain ranges.
One of which virtually blocks the western shores, except by the southern
coastal area.
Bar-Jesus
(Elymas – Greek
– which may
be a transliteration of the Aramaic ‘wise’):
His Hebrew name renders ‘son of
Jesus’; which was a common name and variance of Joshua.
Now first
and foremost, we need to appreciate that this man, who is labeled by Luke as
a sorcerer and a false prophet is a Jew.
A sorcerer
is one who claimed to have supernatural power or knowledge (in his case,
both). The significance of him being a Jew is that the Law of Moses strictly
forbids this practice along with anything similar (witchcraft, soothsayers,
divination, magic, etc…); see:
Deuteronomy 18:9-14.
This
testifies, even before we have to deal with his obvious character issues,
that he is someone who does not care for established authority and is only
after the benefits of influence to be gained in keeping the proconsul’s ear.
Sergius –
Paulus:
Barnabas
and Saul would find the sorcerer with this Roman ruler of the isle, who Luke
defines as intelligent. Along with being intelligent, he is likewise
inquisitive and wants to hear from Barnabas and Saul.
A
remarkable memorial was found in recent archaeology (1887), discovered in
Rome
on
a
boundary stone of Claudius his name is found,
among
others,
as having been appointed (A.D. 47).
After
serving his
three
years as proconsul at Cyprus, he returned
to
Rome.
Elymas is
recorded by Luke as withstanding Barnabas and Saul in order not to lose his
powerful sway over this ruler.
Text #2:
Acts 13:9-12
“Then
Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked
intently at him
10
and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil,
you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the
straight ways of the Lord?
11
And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be
blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”
And
immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to
lead him by the hand.
12
Then the
proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the
teaching of the Lord.”
Saul –
Paul:
If you had
not noticed up to this point; in all the listings of Saul and Barnabas
together, Barnabas is always listed first up to this point by Luke. After
this statement in
verse 9, Luke will now always list
Paul first.
Saul is
from the Hebrew and means, ‘asked of
God’, and has a Greek counterpart, ‘Saulos’;
while Paul is from the Greek, ‘Paulos’
(which has its entomology in this meaning – ‘to
make to cease or desist’).
This is not
a renaming of the Apostle to the Gentiles, as Luke accurately describes that
he is also “called Paul”. Why it
is noted here as the primary designation is not noted; probably for
Theophilus, to whom the letter is written; however, it should be noted that
Paul will also record this name for himself in all of his writings to come
after this.
Filled with
the Holy Spirit:
The Spirit
of God is always referred to as the vehicle, by which these whom were chosen
to reveal and act as Ambassador’s for Christ, engaged in the promotion of
the Lord’s truth and the miracles that would confirm that word (Mark
16:20).
Paul would
describe, in his own words, that the Gospel he preached was not according to
man, but that it came by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians
1:11-12). In addition, he would tell the Christians at Corinth,
that the process of this work of the Spirit in revelation and demonstration
was such that to those who would hear and believe; they would know the mind
of Christ –
1 Corinthians 2:10-16.
Luke not
only reveals that Paul, as one of the Ambassadors of Christ, was filled with
the Spirit of God, but that which was to follow was the power of the Lord
and not of Paul.
Son of the
Devil:
We have
already glimpsed into the character of this man by noting that he was a Jew;
yet, openly practiced that which was forbidden to him by God. Paul now
leaves little doubt as to the limits of his debauchery, with extreme
expressions (“full deceit and fraud”;
“enemy of righteousness”;
“perverting the straight ways of the
Lord”).
The term
“son of the Devil” is especially
noteworthy. This is not literal, in the sense of a physical father, but used
in the sense that he willing served the Devil. This is the same use of this
term as the Lord used when speaking to Jews who believed in Him, because
their belief in Him was superficial because at heart they saw no need to
truly trust His words; note:
John 8:44
“You are of your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he
is a liar and the father of it.”
There can
be no doubt that Elymas is of this same caliber, and Paul is now going to
demonstrate the difference between the false claims of this sorcerer and the
true power of God to the Proconsul.
You Shall
Be Blind:
The power
of God made this deceiver and false advisor of the Roman Governor blind, and
having to be led around (an interesting play; as he wanted to lead and is
now having to be led). Many who read this focus on this event, and miss a
very important statement by Luke.
“Then the
proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at
the teaching of the Lord.”
The event
of the demonstration of the power of God was paramount, but only in
coordination with the teaching of Jesus as Christ! This is something that
Paul would continue to teach concerning the Apostolic authority that He had
been privileged to demonstrate; it was never intended to accomplish what
Paul as an individual wanted, but instead, note:
2
Corinthians 13:10 “Therefore I write these things
being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the
authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for
destruction.”
Summary of
Paphos:
As Barnabas
and Saul came to Paphos, they crossed paths with the proconsul and a
sorcerer who had been acting as his advisor. As the proconsul wanted to hear
from Barnabas and Saul, the sorcerer withstood them.
Saul, who will
now be called from this point forward, Paul; openly denounced the sorcerer
and struck him blind by the power of the Lord. This would give cause for the
proconsul to believe the words concerning the teaching of the Lord.
Next: “On to Antioch of Pisidia!”