Pastor's Ponderings: Tuesday Bible Study on Acts of the Apostles 13:42-52 (March 10, 2026)

March 10, 2026:  Tuesday Bible Study on Acts 13:42-52

Good morning after a rainy thundery evening. I am hoping that you are enjoying what appears to be the last truly cool day for quite a long time. Forecasts are for a severe heat wave to catch us here in the desert in about 10 days, with temperatures over 100!

I am letting you know in advance that I will be on vacation next week except for Wednesday morning through the Lenten Noon Service. Our younger boys are off from School for their Spring Break, and I hoping to spend some time with them. It really gets more difficult the older they get. They are setting their own directions, have their own friends, work, etc. In one way I am thrilled to be with them as their lives move into a new phase, but oh on the other hand, I know that they will not always be able to be that "everyday close" that I cherish so much.

Our study from the Acts of the Apostles today, finds Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in Pisidia. They have been meeting with the Jews, speaking of Jesus as the Christ and Messiah of God, sharing the news of His Resurrection, and discovering that there is a great unwillingness on the part of the Jews to listen to them. It is interesting in this passage that Luke indicates that there are women in the Jewish community who come from situations of wealth and power. They have come to be a part of the Jews in Antioch because in other communities’ marriage has come to be less valued, but in the Jewish community marriage continued to be valued and honored. So, when the Jews approach these women to encourage them to reject the teaching of Paul and Barnabas, the women become a force for getting rid of Paul and Barnabas from the synagogue. The problem that the women come to is that the Jews are telling all kinds of falsehoods about Paul's and Barnabas' teachings. Paul takes a position that the Jews have heard God's Word for them and have rejected it outright! That means that Paul who will later say that no one has a right to judge another person let alone judge themselves, now says that there is going to be no salvation for the Jews. Paul's words are that the Jews are unfit for eternal life, and he tells them that he is going to go to the gentiles in the community with God's word. Of course, based on the stories of Jesus, we discover that He has His greatest success in His ministry with the gentiles. And Christ's battle with the Jews who want to exclude others from God's Grace, finds Him rejected too. For Paul and Barnabas, the message of Jesus Christ is meant to be shared openly with all people. It is inclusive, never exclusive. Of course, churches have had open and dividing arguments about who should be able to receive Christ's life, forgiveness, and salvation, but in this passage, it is quickly apparent that the message of the Risen Lord and Savior is meant for everyone who will listen and receive the Spirit's gift of faith.  Paul speaks too of being the Light for the world through Jesus Christ. That light, according to the Gospel of John has not been overcome, but it certainly has been rejected. No wonder Jesus speaks of the Jews as being blind. Even the Light of God's truth cannot penetrate their unbelieving darkness. When Paul and Barnabas get out into the community and district of Antioch the Word of God is received with great excitement by the gentiles who live there. However, because of the exclusionary policies of the Jews, their community drives Paul and Barnabas out of their communities. It wasn't a nice request for them to leave. It became unsafe for Paul and Barnabas to be there any longer, so they head to Iconium where their teaching is broadly accepted and received with joy by the people. Antioch was an old city, established by the son of Alexander the Great in 300 BCE. The Jews had a very powerful presence there, and I suspect that they had learned how to find their way into powerful positions of authority, but in Iconium, the community was much more diverse and settled about 6BCE. In Iconium there was much less resistance, and there was great rejoicing on the part of the gentiles to have received this Word of a Living God who treasured them too. For Jesus, these people were the abundant harvest of which He speaks in Scripture. Out of this reading we need to ask ourselves, "Who will God not Love?". His answer is, "I AM here for everyone who will listen and believe". One of the things here about Paul is his tendency to fall back on the practice of the Pharisee to condemn those who were not obedient to the Law of Moses. I believe that the Spirit never stops working on those who have said no to her prodding to faith. No one is lost until they are on that final journey through the grave and gate. Then, it is probably too late! BUT maybe not even then. Only God knows for sure!

Thanks for joining me in this study today.

With the Love of Christ, Pastor Kim