So how did that preaching go in the other Antioch?

 “A king's favor is like dew on the grass”

(Acts 13:42-52, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 24, 2012)

[42] As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. [43] And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.The apostles Peter and Paul preached the same message as we bring to you today. Even though there are differences that show up in Paul's preaching in synagogues and in open forums that relate to the understanding of those who would hear the Word, the point of the preaching is always Jesus Christ. The death and resurrection of Jesus are always central to the faithful ministry of the Word.

It is encouraging to know that when that message was spoken in a synagogue in southern Galatia, there were people who were begging to hear more the next Sabbath. When a congregation does not want to hear more about Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection, what are we supposed to do? But many Jews and Gentiles in this Galatian Antioch not only wanted to come back next week, they began to follow Paul and Barnabas right away. These men continued to speak to them. They recognized that their reaction to the message of God's grace was a work of grace in its own right, and urged them to continue in that grace.

If you love Jesus. If you think that the power that you need in your life comes from the cross and the resurrection, you have the grace of God, and I urge you to continue in the grace of God, no matter what anyone else may feel about the worth of the message that you have embraced.

[44] The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. [45] But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.

If we do not have passion for Jesus and His message, what then? But they did have passion, and the whole city seemed to be at the synagogue the next week. Wow!

This was not the normal reaction that the Jews in Antioch received to their synagogue services. They were filled with jealousy and went straight to work on the Jesus-rejecting message that was found among so many who became consumed by envy. What is that Jesus-rejecting message? 1. Jesus is not the Messiah, 2. When Messiah comes, He will not suffer and die, and 3. What is all this nonsense about a resurrection?

What is the Jesus-receiving response to this? Here's the short answer: Jesus rose from the dead. Apparently you have decided to exclude yourself from those who want to rejoice in that news.

[46] And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. [47] For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
[48] And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. [49] And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. [50] But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

There was much more to say for those who actually wanted to listen to the Scriptures. But not everyone has an open mind. For those who only wanted to revile the ambassadors of the Resurrection King of the Jews, Paul had this conclusion to their disputing:

We came to you first as the chosen people of God. That priority was appropriate and necessary. We brought you the Word of God, just as the prophets brought the Word to your forefathers. You have determined to reject your true King. You do not want to be covered by His death, because you reject the whole category of a suffering Messiah. You reject the eternal life that the King has for those who will hear Him, a salvation that is so vast that it is like the fresh dew on the morning fields of heaven. It is time for us to go to the others who will hear that message gladly.

This was not an entirely new plan. This was the eternal purpose of God recorded for us in the Hebrew Bible. See Isaiah 49:1-7. Jesus was deeply despised and abhorred by the nation of His people. Yet even kings from the other nations of the earth would see the Light of the world, the great King who is over all, and they would fall down before Him in worship. He is the chosen Servant of the Lord. He is the Messiah. He is bringing His salvation to the ends of the earth.

The non-Jews from the city of Antioch loved this message. But this was Paul's plea to the antagonistic element within the synagogue, the Jesus-rejecting Jews. What did they think of Paul's warning? They hated it, and they especially hated the fact that the Name of Jesus, and this word of His suffering love and resurrection victory was spreading throughout all of Galatia through the word of those who heard that message and brought it to others. So they began a more organized campaign of persecution, which drove Paul and Barnabas out of their district.

Their district. God owns every district all over the world. God had appointed people to eternal life. All who were appointed by God to that life believed. They trusted in the good news of the King. They received the Word of His ambassadors like the heavenly dew on the morning grass that it is. They wanted more and more of it. And the church throughout Galatia began.

[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.

What now for Paul and Barnabas? On to the next city. Were the Christians feeling sorry for themselves? No, they had done what they should do. If the church preaches Christ, the cross, and the resurrection from the Scriptures, we do not have to feel sorry for ourselves no matter how violent or bored the opposition may become. The church was not destroyed by this vehement rejection of the Word by some. They were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

But if the ministers of the Word choose a different message. If they give people something else to fall in love with, a different Christ, a Jesus without a cross, or a hope that does not include a bodily resurrection, then we should hang our heads in shame no matter how popular that message may be. The non-Christ message, the non-cross Messiah, the non-resurrection victory is not the truth of the Word of the Lord. King Jesus will shake off that bone dry dust from His feet when He hears such a false Word, and there will be no freshness of heaven-sent joy to the hearers. We want the Word of the King. Only then will we find the peace that passes understanding. Only then will we have joy unspeakable and full of glory.

1. What was the content of the message that the people wanted to hear again?

2. How did the city respond to these events? How about the Jews?

3. How has Jesus brought salvation to the ends of the earth?

4. What was the reaction of the disciples to all these events?

OT Passage: Proverbs 19:12