Acts 13
Barnabas, Saul, and Doctor Know-it-All
The passage opens with a description of the leaders of the church in Antioch of Syria, who are "prophets and teachers." Among them are Paul and Barnabas, who are set apart by the Holy Spirit for the work of spreading the gospel.
The church in Antioch prays and fast, asking guidance from the Holy Spirit, through obedience they send Paul and Barnabas on a mission to the neighboring cities of Cyprus and the surrounding area. The two men set out, accompanied by John Mark, and begin preaching the word of God in the synagogues of these cities.
As they travel, they encounter opposition and persecution, but they remain steadfast in their mission to spread the gospel. In the city of Paphos, they encounter a magician named Bar-Jesus, who tries to resist the message of Paul and Barnabas, but is struck blind by the power of God.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, a wizard was often thought of as a person with magical or supernatural abilities who could control spirits, cast spells, and perform other forms of divination.
In the context of Paphos, a wizard was likely seen as a powerful and influential figure who could use his abilities for good or evil. The wizard in this passage, Bar-Jesus, is depicted as an opponent of Paul and Barnabas and their message of the gospel.
However, the Bible teaches that all forms of divination and magic are opposed to the will of God and are ultimately powerless in the face of God's truth. In this passage, we see the demonstration of God's power over the works of magic and the defeat of Bar-Jesus as he is struck blind.
It is important to note that the biblical view of magic and divination is vastly different from the way these practices were viewed in the ancient world, and the Bible consistently condemns all forms of magic and divination as incompatible with the worship of the one true God.
I love how we see Saul (Paul) takes care of Bar-Jesus . . .
“They traveled the length of the island, and at Paphos came upon a Jewish wizard who had worked himself into the confidence of the governor, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man not easily taken in by charlatans. The wizard’s name was Bar-Jesus. He was as crooked as a corkscrew. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul in, wanting to hear God’s Word firsthand from them. But Dr. Know-It-All (that’s the wizard’s name in plain English) stirred up a ruckus, trying to divert the governor from becoming a believer. But Saul (or Paul), full of the Holy Spirit and looking him straight in the eye, said, “You bag of wind, you parody of a devil—why, you stay up nights inventing schemes to cheat people out of God. But now you’ve come up against God himself, and your game is up. You’re about to go blind—no sunlight for you for a good long stretch.” He was plunged immediately into a shadowy mist and stumbled around, begging people to take his hand and show him the way.”
Acts 13:7-11 MSG
But then this leaves the question. . . Jesus said i can do all the same things he did and even more, This here is an example of that. . . Can i strike people blind?? and equally can i open a blind person's eyes. . .
Don't Take This Lightly
Paul and Barnabas travel to the city of Antioch in Pisidia, where they preach in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Many of the Jews and Gentiles in the city are receptive to their message and a large number of people become believers.
If you watch, their preaching to the Jew's is usually a recount of Jewish history with an emphasis on the prophetic coming of the Messiah which they tie into Jesus, Explaining how he fulfilled the law of Moses and opens up a new Covenant with us.
“When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.”
Acts 13:44-45 MSG
(The population of Antioch in the 1st century, during the time of Paul and Barnabas, is not precisely known. However, Antioch was a major city in the Roman Empire at that time, with a population that could have been anywhere from several tens of thousands to several hundred thousand people.
Antioch was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, known for its wealthy and diverse population, and was a major center of trade and commerce. As such, it would have been an important city for Paul and Barnabas to visit on their missionary journeys, as it would have provided a large audience for their message of the gospel.
Despite the challenges they faced in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were able to make a significant impact in the city, with many people coming to faith in Jesus. This passage in Acts 13 shows the growth and spread of the early Christian church, even in the face of opposition and persecution.)
However, the leaders of the Jews in the city become jealous of Paul and Barnabas and begin to oppose their message.
“But Paul and Barnabas didn’t back down. Standing their ground they said, “It was required that God’s Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you’ve made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we’re on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded when he said, I’ve set you up as light to all nations. You’ll proclaim salvation to the four winds and seven seas!””
Acts 13:46-47 MSG
“Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave. Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples. * * *”
Acts 13:50-52 MSG
The two apostles leave the city and continue their journey heading to Iconium.
Genesis 43
“The famine got worse. When they had eaten all the food they had brought back from Egypt, their father said, “Go back and get some more food.””
Genesis 43:1-2 MSG
Jacob initially refuses to send his sons to Egypt, fearing that his youngest son, Benjamin, will be taken from him as his brother Joseph was taken many years earlier. However, the famine in the land continues to worsen and Jacob realizes that he has no choice but to send his sons to Egypt to buy food.
We get to see Judah stand up here. If you recall in Genesis 37. . . "Judah said, “Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not kill him—he is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed."
Here we see the brother's arguing with Jacob about taking Benjamin with them to Egypt, Jacob is a hard pressed no on the issue and is very distraught about losing his sons.
“Judah pushed his father Israel. “Let the boy go; I’ll take charge of him. Let us go and be on our way—if we don’t get going, we’re all going to starve to death—we and you and our children, too! I’ll take full responsibility for his safety; it’s my life on the line for his. If I don’t bring him back safe and sound, I’m the guilty one; I’ll take all the blame. If we had gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over.””
Genesis 43:8-10 MSG
Judah's act of taking responsibility for Benjamin in Genesis 43 can be seen as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice and leadership that Jesus would demonstrate in his own life. Just as Judah was willing to put himself at risk for the sake of his family, Jesus would give his own life for the sake of humanity.
Additionally, Judah's growth and redemption as a leader in Genesis 43 can be seen as a reflection of the transformative power of God's grace and love, which is fully embodied in Jesus. The fact that Jesus came from the line of Judah and fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah demonstrates the power of God's plan and the significance of Jesus as the Savior of the world.
Jacob caves and sends the brothers to Egypt, He loads them up with with gifts and extra gold to pay back double what was returned to them. The men took the gifts and went to Egypt.
Joseph sees his brothers coming and has his servant's prepare a meal and hosts them in his own home. This made the brothers very nervous as they thought he was setting a trap for them. They decided to talk to Josephs steward and explain their situation to him in hopes that he would give the message to Joseph and spare their lives. The steward reassures them that everything is in order and that it must have been God who gave them back their money, and then releases their brother Simion back to them.
They set up all their gifts to present to Joseph and wait. When Joseph arrives he presses the with questions about Jacob, he marvels over his little brother then runs out of the room and begins to cry. When he returns, he has his servants arrange the table and seat his brothers by birth order, which really confused the brothers as how would anyone there know their birth order. Joseph makes sure that Benjamins plate is filled far more than any of the other brothers plate. . .
- This is so fun to read. I can't imagine the stress and anxiety this situation would have put on these men, They are so convinced that God is going to get revenge on them for what they had done to Joseph. Here they are in the highest official of Egypts own home being fed very generously. . .
Have you seen those movie scenes where right before the captives are going to be fed to wild animals they are themselves generously fed? Perhaps this is what they thought was going to happen to them. Might as well drink up!
Genesis 44
“Joseph ordered his house steward: “Fill the men’s bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one’s money at the top of the bag. Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food.” He did as Joseph ordered.”
Genesis 44:1-2 MSG
The next chapter starts out with Joseph packing his brothers up and replacing their money as well as including his own cup. . .
Before they can get very far, Joseph sends his house steward after them and has him accuse them of stealing the chalice!
“They said, “What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that! Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan—do you think we’d turn right around and steal it back from your master? If that chalice is found on any of us, he’ll die; and the rest of us will be your master’s slaves.””
Genesis 44:7-9 MSG
I think these boys are too quick to make promises in their state of fear . . .
“They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection. The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin’s bag.”
Genesis 44:11-12 MSG
Here again we see them being treated by their birth order. This had to have been so nerve racking as each one of them spills out everything they have with them to prove their innocence. Each one finding their money returned to them once again, and going down the line working towards Benjamin . . no cup.
I can just picture each brother growing more and more nervous. Looking down the line at Benjamin praying that he didn't do something as stupid as steal from this Egyptian man they have been so terrified of.
The chalice is found in Benjamin's bad and they all rip their clothes in despair and head back to confront Joseph about what has taken place. When they get back Joseph continues at them with accusations about how they have betrayed him.
Judah to the rescue.
“Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, “What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves—we’re all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice.””
Genesis 44:16 MSG
Judah here is begging Joseph to take them all as slaves and let Benjamin go free for the sake of their father. He lays out that Benjamin is very important to his father because he and Joseph were the only sons from that mother, and as they have to tell the story to avoid admittance to betraying Joseph tell it as tho he was dead. He explains that by keeping Benjamin he will be committing their Father to death.
I wonder if Joseph was looking for a confession here, or just testing the hearts of his brothers.
The chapter ends with the pleading for mercy, Judah exchanging his life for Benjamins.
““So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don’t make me go back and watch my father die in grief!””
Genesis 44:33-34 MSG
Psalms 41
Psalm 41 is a psalm of David, which expresses the themes of trust in God, the experience of illness and suffering, and the hope for restoration and deliverance. The psalm begins with a declaration of trust in God, who is described as a source of protection and comfort.
The psalmist then reflects on his experience of illness and the betrayal of a close friend, who has spoken ill of him behind his back. Despite the suffering and opposition he faces, the psalmist remains confident in God's protection and promises to continue to trust in Him.
The psalm closes with a prayer for deliverance, asking God to restore the psalmist's health and remove the shame and dishonor brought on by his enemies. The psalmist also asks God to repay his enemies for the harm they have done, and to bless those who remain loyal and show kindness.
Throughout the psalm, the psalmist demonstrates a strong faith in God, even in the face of difficult circumstances. This faith serves as an encouragement to those who are struggling with illness or persecution, reminding them that God is a source of strength and comfort in times of trouble.
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