Early in Paul’s first missionary journey, he and his company came to Antioch in Pisidia. Luke records for us that upon arriving they “went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day” (Acts 13:14). We read later in Acts that ministering the gospel first to the Jews was his custom. “Now…they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead: and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ” (Acts 17:1-3; emphasis added).
In Antioch Paul preached as he did elsewhere that “God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus” (Acts 13:23). The Christ (Messiah) that Israel was seeking came as their Savior, but they “knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day” (Acts 13:27). Israel was looking for a king to deliver them from Rome, not a Savior who would deliver them from their sins. They were blinded to their need, though the scriptures they read in their synagogues testified to such. We, too, can miss the message of God’s word because we come to it with a predisposed bias of what we want to hear instead of a ready mind to embrace its teaching.
Paul had confirmed through the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed their Messiah, the Son of David, because God had raised him from the dead. Prophecy had long ago testified “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption…but he, whom God raised again [Jesus], saw no corruption” (Acts 13:35-37). The message of Christ’s resurrection was the glad tidings that Paul preached. “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39).
We could have wished for a better response from his Jewish audience. Luke writes “And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul (Acts 13:44-45). What happened next is significant for us today who are not of Jewish descent.
“Paul and Barnabus 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 Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). God used the Jews’ resistance to the message of Christ to open the door wide to the Gentiles. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).
Israel’s rejection of their Messiah when he came the first time swung the gospel door wide open to any and all who believe. Our own country has been blessed by the advance of the gospel since its founding. Even so, many are in churches that no longer preach the gospel and all too often we, like those Jews in Antioch, sit under the proclamation of God’s word blinded by our own desires.
From the Chaplain 