"Having Influence" - Comments on Acts 13:1-12

(1) Discerning God’s Will (v.1-3)

In the first three verses we see the church in Antioch gathered together seeking to understand what decisions to make – particularly, in this case, who to send off on the broader mission of sharing the gospel of Jesus with the Gentiles. It was while they were worshipping, having prepared themselves by fasting, that they became convinced that it was Barnabas and Saul who were God’s choices in this matter. This was not a decision that could be made entirely by human intellect, for only God could really know all of the capabilities of the people involved, and all the details of the challenges ahead that they would have to face.

First the Christian community fasted, which would generally mean going without food, but could also include going without anything that would tend to distract the people from God and show a preference for human desire as opposed to spiritual necessities. So they wholly committed themselves to an experience of God through neglecting anything that would tend to get in the way of this, and thus were then free to fully give themselves to each other and to God in worship. It was now that they could really hear the Holy Spirit speak.

Having heard that it was to be Barnabas (the prophet encourager from Cyprus) and Saul (the converted teacher from Tarsus) that were set apart by God, the gathered community then committed themselves to prayer to confirm that they had understood the Spirit’s direction correctly and perhaps to begin to grapple with the implications of all this. One of these implications would be the need to commit themselves to an acknowledgement that Barnabas and Saul would be going in their name, acting on their behalf, and they would have to support these two missionaries in every way they could.

This is the pattern by which churches today lay hands upon their called and chosen vessels for ministry and mission service. This is both an acknowledgement of special giftedness and a calling of God, with a symbolic touch of solidarity, encouragement and ongoing prayer support. However the main point of these verses to us – is that it was when the people were most focussed on God (rather than themselves) that they received the guidance they were searching for. We already know that each one of us has been sent to our neighbourhood and workplace and schoolyard for the gospel, however it will be some of the detail of the nature of our corporate witness that we will need the Holy Spirit’s clear direction on.

(2) Working as a Team (v.4-5)

What has become known as Paul’s “first missionary journey” began by heading for Barnabas’ home island of Cyprus. They began speaking about Jesus where it was most natural – in the Jewish synagogues. It was to be when they became more well-known for their hopeful and life-changing message that they would have the opportunity of sharing with interested Gentiles. And when this happened, and when God’s Spirit started bringing people to faith, then such missionaries as Saul and Barnabas were going to need help. At this time they were able to draft John Mark (the traditional author of the second gospel) into their team.

The assistant role that John Mark played has been widely discussed: from administration tasks such as travel plans and accommodation, through to ministry areas such as discipling new converts. Whatever the case, it is clear that people like John Mark were recruited and selected to carry out important roles that the apostles, prophets and teachers were not suited to or didn’t have the time to do properly. So we see here the beginnings of the “body of Christ” philosophy later written about by Paul in 1 Corinthians – that if the gospel is to be successfully spread, then all the unique and varied God-given giftedness in the church will have to be brought together as a unified whole.

(3) Interest and Opposition (v.6-12)

The Governor of the Roman colony of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus, was one who was very much interested in the message that Saul and Barnabas had been sharing around this island. As such, Luke refers to him in this text as an “intelligent man” (v.7), therefore he was thoughtful and inquiring concerning the deeper matters of life. However, there was someone else, who for their own reasons, not only opposed these missionaries, but also sought to get in their way and disrupt any positive relationships they sought to build.

This man was known as “Bar-Jesus” or “Elymas” and is described as a “magician” and “false prophet” – indicating that he had some attraction and influence (in the superstitious Roman world), yet was a fraud – completely and actively opposed to the ways of God, and a very dangerous man. He was perhaps seeking to endear himself to the governor by promising him knowledge of the future through which he could exercise greater levels of control. [It is interesting in Acts, that often when a thrust is made for the gospel into a new area, there is opposition.]

Paul was able to recognise very quickly the inner nature and destructive behaviour of this man, and would not stand idly by while negative influences were being brought to those he was seeking to “save”. Paul identified this man’s lies and opposition to all that was “righteous”; he might have been known as “Bar-Jesus” (“son of Jesus / son of salvation”), but clearly he was really a “son of the devil”. Paul had a creative way of dealing with this situation! He rendered him blind, symbolising his inner darkness, his spiritual blindness.

Paul himself had become blind as part of his conversion experience, new light dawning for him as he reflected on his past sin and the truth of Jesus. All of us have to at some stage deal with our spiritual blindness and inner darkness and receive the light of Christ. Hopefully this can be a smooth transition for those who are interested in the spiritual side of life and respond positively to the sharing of the gospel. Others will find themselves in great despair and danger like this “magician/false prophet”, yet will still have the opportunity of repentance and conversion; for it is only said that this “Bar-Jesus” will be blind “for a while” ie. a temporary state with an undetermined time-frame, that would probably depend on how he reacted to all this.

We will find many people today … in the places that we traverse … interested in the hope and faith that we have; especially if we’re able to first and foremost offer them acceptance and friendship. But it is also possible that we will face opposition – sometimes right in our face, other times behind our backs. There will be people so caught up in their own agendas, and feeling so confronted by our message, that they set their minds to making sure we don’t have the access we need to the people who are open to our witness to Jesus.

You might be sharing your heart with someone, only to be interrupted by another person set on (for any of a number of possible reasons) putting up barriers between you and them, or confusing them with other alternatives or suggestions, or indeed trying to discredit you in some way. If and when this happens, we will need to find creative ways of dealing with it. [Perhaps if you have experience of this, you could talk to me about it.] This whole area of speaking the truth directly (and protecting the welfare of the humble enquirer), yet doing so in a spirit of grace and love (allowing for the repentance of any aggressor) is a tricky one!

However, we probably shouldn’t assume anyone is an opponent until they prove themselves to be one, lest we become too negative, too timid, and miss opportunities to enrich people’s lives. After all, whereas it may have been thought that Roman Governors would be the most difficult to deal with, the first one Paul encountered became a believer! And, it was over and against the worthless falsehoods of the “magician” that the Governor probably saw the truth of Paul’s gospel. Opposition may well be what causes previously closed doors to open. The church has actually had some of its brightest moments in times of persecution and great challenge.

As our church seeks to make an impact with its witness to Jesus in this community, there will be those who seek to hold us back or push us to the side. If this is the case, it may be an indication that we are being successful in our mission, and we will need the power of prayer to see us through such opposition. How did Paul deal with the opposition put up by the so-called “magician” Bar-Jesus (verse 9)? Through being filled with the Holy Spirit! May we be filled by the Holy Spirit enough to recognise opposition when it arises and know how to deal with it.

(4) Saul becoming Paul (v.9)

In verse 9 of Acts 13, we have the transitioning in the name of the great Apostle. It’s not as if Saul changed his name – Saul would have been his name in a Hebrew setting, and Paul in a Greek setting. But this is itself the clue to the significance here. It is at this point in history that the Christian message in the hands of its greatest missionary is taken with the full authority of the Holy Spirit into the Gentile world. This is no longer a new stream of Jewish religion, but the transforming power of God unleashed on the whole Roman world; thus now Saul must be known by his Greek name Paul.

Notice the positive and impacting influence Paul was able to have! He was both able to put an opponent in his place, and strongly influence a Roman Governor toward faith in Jesus. Paul was obviously able to share over some period with Sergius Paulus, as we read that it was such significant and relevant teaching that, supported by the effective silencing of an annoying distraction, led this official toward Christian belief.