From: Acts 13:44-52
Paul and Barnabas Preaches to the Pagans
[44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered together to hear
the Word of God. [45] But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were
filled with jealousy, and contradicted what was spoken by Paul, and
reviled him. [46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It
was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken first to you.
Since you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal
life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has
commanded us, saying, 'I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.'"
[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the
Word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
[49] And the Word of the Lord spread throughout all the region.
[50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the
leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and
Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. [51] But they shook
off the dust from their feet against them, and went to Iconium.
[52] And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Commentary:
45. The opposition of these Jews, who in their jealousy contradict what
Paul says, will from now be the typical attitude of the synagogue to
the Gospel. It emerges everywhere the Apostle goes, with the exception
of Beroea (cf. 17:10-12).
46. Paul may have been hoping that Christianity would flourish on the
soil of Judaism, that the Jews would peacefully and religiously accept
the Gospel as the natural development of God's plans. His experience
proved otherwise: he encountered the terrible mystery of the infidelity
of most of the chosen people, his own people.
Even if Israel had been faithful to God's promises, it would still have
been necessary to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. The
evangelization of the pagan world is not a consequence of Jewish
rejection of the Word; it is required by the universal character of
Christianity. To all men Christianity is the only channel of saving
grace; it perfects the Law of Moses and reaches out beyond the ethnic
and geographical frontiers of Judaism.
47. Paul and Barnabas quote Isaiah 49:6 in support of their decision to
preach to the Gentiles. The Isaiah text referred to Christ, as Luke
3:32 confirms. But now Paul and Barnabas apply it to themselves
because the Messiah is "light for the Gentiles" through the preaching
of the Apostles, for they are conscious of speaking in Christ's name
and on His authority. Therefore, probably here "the Lord" refers not
to God the Father but to Christ.
51. "They shook the dust from their feet": a traditional expression:
the Jews regarded as unclean the dust of anywhere other than the holy
land of Palestine. Our Lord extended the meaning of the phrase when He
told the disciples He was sending them out to preach, "If any one will
not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your
feet" (Matthew 10:14; cf. Luke 9:5). This gesture of Paul and Barnabas
echoes what Jesus said and amounted to "closing the case" or putting on
record the unbelief of the Jews.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.