|
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
|
Commentary & Explanation
|
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
|
CHAPTER 13
Saul and Barnabas called to missionary service—Saul, now Paul, curses
a sorcerer—Christ came of the seed of David—Paul offers the gospel
to Israel, then to the Gentiles.
|
|
|
1 NOW there were in the
church that was at Antioch certain aprophets and
teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saula.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and
afasted, the bHoly Ghost said,
cSeparate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
dcalled thema.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and
alaid their hands on them, they sent them
away.
|
1a certain prophets and teachers; as
Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and
Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul
Now both Barnabas and Saul had prior been active in missionary work as
teachers of the Gospel. The question here is when it states that 'certain
prophets' were present, one thinks of Apostles, but none are mentioned.
Perhapst only the 'teachers' were mentioned by name and the Prophet Apostles
remained unnamed and only referenced as 'certain Prophets'. Thus it is
considered that this is not likely Paul's and Barnabas' call not only to do
missionary work among the Gentiles, but also to the Apostleship. In this
chapter Saul's name will be changed into Paul, perhaps as a result of his
ordinantion. That Barnabas was named first may be that he was once before
considered to be an Apostle and the leading candidate. That Saul was
mentioned last seems to imply that he was one of the least considered
candidates. But as the next verse indicates, it is the Spirit which yields
the revelation as to who is to be called. Which two Apostles are being
replaced or if the First Presidency is moving to be separate from the
twelve is not clear. We know that James the brother of John was killed but
who replaced him is not given.
2a the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them
This separation is an ordination to the work. And hereafter both Barnabas
and Paul (Saul) seem to be considered Apostles.
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
4 ¶ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the
word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to
their ministera.
|
5a they had also John to their
minister This John is likely John Mark as he is mentioned in the
last chapter. But one cannot totally rule out that John the Apostle was not
present and even Peter or Cephas, as they both have ministered to the saints
of the area, though likely those of the Hebrews.
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos,
they found a certain asorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew,
whose name was Bar-jesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius
Paulus, a aprudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul,
and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by
interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the
faith.
|
|
1a
D&C 128:20;
2a
Mark 9:2 (2-13);
Luke 9:29 (28-36);
John 1:14;
2 Pet. 1:16 (16-19);
TG
Jesus Christ, Glory of;
|
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled
with the aHoly Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all
mischief, thou achild of the
devila, thou
benemy of all crighteousness, wilt thou
not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is
upon thee, and thou ashalt be bblind, not
seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
|
10a O full of all subtilty and all
mischief, thou child of the devil It is the course of those
who stand against and in the way of truth to work according to the cunning
and craftiness of the lies of deceit of Satan, mixing half truths with
misconceptions and falsehoods. That Paul immediately perceived this of
Elymas Bar-jesus (son of Joshua) indicates Paul working by the discernment of
the Holy Ghost and his immediate action against one who could be counted as
among the likes of Sherem (Jacob 7:1-2), Nehor (Alma 1:2-15) and Korihor
(Alma 30:6-21) and even other such anti-Christs of the Book of Mormon.
|
|
Paul and His Company
One needs consider that this is the
historical record of Luke to the Gentiles, and up until now, Luke
placed Barabas before Saul or Paul. Luke is writing a history in retrospect.
Thus, though Barabas was chief in authority over the mission, it is from the
eventual perspective of 'Paul' being the apostle to the Gentiles from
which Luke is writing, and thus from the incident of Elymas Bar-jesus, Luke
begins to reference the mission party according to Paul and begins to place
Paul's name ahead of Barnabas. And it is from thence that Luke uses the name
of Paul instead of Saul. Whether this had anything to do with the
'ministration' of John at Paphos (Acts 13:5), perhaps that marking when
Paul was first ordained an apostle by John and even renaming him Paul
instead of Saul or not remains to be discovered. We have to remember this
is in a day in which the Holy Ghost would communicate and administer the
workings of the kingdom, and whether Peter was notified by the Holy Ghost
as to the direction of John or whether John had come under the direction of
Peter to so set apart Saul to the office is of unknown particular. Further,
within the apostleship, assignments change. Perhaps Saul is given charge
over the mission to the Gentiles at this sequence in time under the hand of
John though Barnabas is senior in age of apostleship. Certainly it is just
after this that the work takes on the effect of the Jews rejecting and the
Gentiles receiving according to the parable of the wedding feast. And after
all, Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles, and not particularly know as the
apostle unto the Jews. It is also likely that Barnabas was much older and
Paul being younger and stronger became the anointed and appointed 'spokesman'
of the now pair of apostles (Acts 14:4). This gives weight to why Barnabas
was viewed in the role of 'Jupiter' and Paul as 'Mercurius' by certain of the
Gentiles. There is presidence of such a relationship from Moses and Aaron,
to Joseph Smith and the likes of Oliver Cowdery and Sydney Rigdon and even
down to and throughout the Israelite traditions of the 'high chief' and
'talking chief' of the Polynesians.
|
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos,
they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and aJohn departing from
them returned to Jerusalem.
|
|
|
14 ¶ But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 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.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his
hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that afear God, give
audience.
|
|
|
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers,
and exalted the people when they dwelt as astrangers in the
land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And when he had adestroyed seven
nations in the bland of Chanaan, he divided their land to
them by lot.
|
|
|
20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto
them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have
found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own
aheart, which shall fulfil all my will.
|
|
|
23 Of this man's aseed hath God
according to his bpromise raised unto Israel a
cSaviour, Jesus:
24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
|
|
|
26 Men and brethren, children of the stock of
aAbraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is
the word of this salvation sent.
27 For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in
him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be aslain.
|
|
|
29 And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30 But God raised him from the dead:
31 And he was aseen many days of
them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his
bwitnesses unto the people.
|
|
|
32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that
the promise which was made unto the
afathersa,
33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their
children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the
second psalm, Thou art my aSon, this day have I begotten
thee.
34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the
dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I
will give you the asure mercies of David.
|
32a the promise which was made unto the
fathers Now these 'fathers' not only include Abraham, Issac and
Jacob, but they go back to Adam and the likes of Enoch and Noah. And that
promise made unto the 'fathers' was the very covenant of God with man to
provide a redeemer, that men might be redeemed from the fall of Adam and
that their sins might be atoned for through the blood of Christ unto making
men alive again in God unto the coming back into his presence and into the
kingdom of the heaven. These are the promises made to Adam, Enoch, Noah,
Abraham and on down through the seed of the covenant of the Firstborn, even
through Joseph (D&C 27:10) and Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:9) and unto Christ (see
Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph).
|
|
35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God araised again,
saw no bcorruption.
|
|
|
38 ¶ Be it known unto you therefore, men
and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the
aforgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are
ajustified from all things, from which ye could not be
bjustified by the claw of Moses.
|
|
|
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for
I work a work in your days, a awork which ye shall in no
wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
|
|
|
42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue,
the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next
asabbath.
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of
the Jews and religious aproselytes followed Paul and
Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of
God.
|
|
|
44 ¶ And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were
filled with aenvy, and spake bagainst
those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and
cblaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said,
It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to
you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
aGentilesa.
|
46a It was necessary that the word of
God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
Gentiles This is precisely a fulfilling of the teaching of the
parable of the wedding feast by Christ which the Jews rejected and those of
the streets were to be compelled to be brought in in the stead thereof
(See Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 14:1-24).
|
|
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying,
I have set thee to be a alight of the Gentiles, that thou
shouldest be for bsalvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad,
and glorified the word of the Lord: aand as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed.
49 And the word of the Lord was
apublished throughout all the region.
|
|
|
50 But the Jews astirred up the
devout and honourable bwomen, and the chief men of the
city, and raised cpersecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 But they shook off the adust of
their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|