Commentary on Acts 13:13-25

By Bob Myhan

¹³Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. 

Having, apparently, accomplished all that could be accomplished on the island of Cyprus, “Paul and his party set sail” for Pamphylia, a province of Asia Minor on the northern bank of the Mediterranean Sea situated between Lycia on the west, Cilicia on the east and Pisidia on the north. All this territory presently belongs to Turkey. Perga was about 100 miles NNE from Cyprus. The single notable thing to happen in Perga is the return of John Mark to Jerusalem. No reason is given for his decision.

¹⁴But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. ¹⁵And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, "Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."

The province of Pamphylia was in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. Pisidia lay about 100 miles north. This would be a treacherous journey. Perhaps the sight of these mountains and the dread of danger ahead caused John Mark to turn back.

From statements later made by Luke, the Holy Spirit seems to be directing the party on their journey. No reason is given for them not staying in Perga, but perhaps the reason was the absence of a synagogue there, for this is the first place they go upon their arrival in Antioch of Pisidia.

The synagogue “must have come into being during the Babylonian exile. At that time the more devout Jews, far from their native land, having no sanctuary or altar, no doubt felt drawn from time to time, especially on Sabbath and feast days, to gather round those who were specially pious and God-fearing, in order to listen to the word of God and engage in some kind of worship.” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

Having, probably, introduced themselves as they arrived, Paul and company are invited to address the people with “any word of exhortation.”

¹⁶Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: ¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. ¹⁸Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness. ¹⁹And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

 Paul, as Stephen before him, reviews the history of Israel beginning not with Abraham, as Stephen had done, but with the bringing of Israel out of bondage. He does not mention Moses, probably in order to give full credit to God for their deliverance. He covers the wilderness wandering in one simple sentence and the conquest of the land of promise in another.

²⁰After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. ²¹And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²²And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'

In a third sentence he covers the period of the judges bringing them to the days of Samuel—the last judge and the first in a long line of prophets. In a fourth sentence he covers the reign of Saul and, in a fifth, the reign of David.

Notice that, after God “exalted the people” and “brought them out,” “He put up with their ways in the wilderness.” In this way, Paul reminds his listeners of the rebellion without actually mentioning it.

Even then He destroyed seven nations and gave their land to the tribes of Israel by allotment and gave them a system of judges that lasted 450 years. This system was not to their liking so “they asked for a king” and “God gave them Saul.” But Saul did not glorify God so “He … removed him.” God then “raised up for them David as king,” and called him “a man after my own heart, who will do all my will.” Paul then moves forward to events more contemporary.

²³From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior--Jesus-- ²⁴after John had first preached, before His coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

Knowing that the people would be familiar with God’s promise to David to raise up one of David’s descendants to be both a king and a savior, Paul simply affirms that God had done that very thing at that the person raised up for that purpose was Jesus. By mentioning John’s preaching “the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel,” he implies the need of Israel to repent. Those, of course, who had not repented at the preaching of John still needed to do so.

²⁵And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.'

It was through John that God broke a 400 year silence. The last thing He had told them was,

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Mal. 4:5-6)

And, through Isaiah, God had previously said,

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isa. 40:3-5)

It should be noted that, in quoting John, Paul omits the promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

(To be continued)

A Study of the Holy Spirit (Part 9)

By Bob Myhan 

There is as much confusion and disagreement on the subject of Holy Spirit baptism (also called “Holy Ghost baptism”), as there is on the subject of water baptism. Many believe that—either as a part of the salvation experience or subsequent to it—they have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. But what does the Bible actually teach? May anyone living today rightly expect a baptism in or with the Holy Spirit?

John the Baptist made the initial promise that, though he had baptized people in water, He who was coming after him would baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire (see Matt. 3:1-12, Mark 1:4-8, Luke 3:1-17 and John 1:28-33). Notice that in only two of these passages is John recorded as saying anything about Jesus baptizing in fire (Matt. 3:10-12; Luke 3:7-17). Both passages mention fire as figurative of condemnation both before and after his reference to a baptism in fire. Therefore, baptism in the Holy Spirit and baptism in fire are not to be understood as one experience, but as two. Some of those whom John addressed would be baptized in the Holy Spirit and others would be baptized in fire. The context of John’s sermon shows that the impenitent would be baptized in fire (see also Matt. 18:8-9; 25:41). John is marking the beginning and end of the Messianic age.

But what is Holy Spirit baptism? Who was promised this baptism? Was it promised to all believers or just a few? Was it intended as the salvation experience or a post-salvation experience? Could it have been a pre-salvation experience? Is it promised to believers in the twenty-first century?

The literal act of baptism is an immersion or burial. Notice the following.

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3-4)

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Col. 2:11-12)

The word, “baptism,” may also be used in a figurative sense. Any overwhelming or overpowering experience may be called a baptism. Notice the following.

“But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)

This was spoken AFTER Jesus had been baptized in water.

But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father." (Matt. 20:22-23)

The overwhelming experience of suffering is a baptism therein. Now, since the Holy Spirit is a person and one person cannot be buried or immersed in another, literally, Holy Spirit baptism must be a figurative term for an overwhelming experience involving the Holy Spirit.

(To be continued)