I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Acts 11-13

Years ago I heard that a sermon should always have three points.  Since I started this blog this has bothered me because I tend to find myself with two points to make when I write these, not three.  Today, I actually do have three points, although I am not sure how in depth I will be on all of them.

The first point has to do with what Barnabas did after he had a chance to evaluate what was happening in Antioch of Syria.  He went and brought Saul back to Antioch.  Why?  Well, Antioch of Syria was the first place where believers preached the Gospel to those not already familiar with Judaism.  Saul was highly educated in Jewish law and tradition.  In fact, Saul was probably the most highly educated believer, at least by Jewish standards of education, at this time.  As I read what Luke wrote about Saul, before he became a believer Saul was being groomed to become a member of the Sanhedrin. So, Barnabas went to fetch Saul because he considered him to be the most qualified to teach these new believers the parts of Jewish law and tradition which formed the basis of Jesus’ teachings.

From there I want to go into the roots of opposition to the Gospel message which Paul and Barnabas faced on their missionary journey.  The first instance of opposition which they faced occurred in Paphos.  Perhaps I am reading something which is not there, but it seems to me that Elymas the sorcerer was taking advantage of the governor’s curiosity about Judaism to manipulate him.  When Paul and Barnabas arrived and began teaching the governor the actual word of God, he felt threatened.  Elymas likely did not have more than a very rudimentary understanding of Jewish law and tradition, despite being Jewish.  He attempted to get the governor to stop listening to Paul and Barnabas because he realized that what they were saying would quickly reveal how much of a fraud he was.

The next time Paul and Barnabas faced opposition was from Jews who were upset at the attention they received from Gentiles.  In this case Luke tells us that those who opposed Paul and Barnabas were jealous of the large crowds they attracted.  This jealousy led them to oppose everything Paul and Barnabas had to say.  Again, I am reading between the lines a little bit, but it seems to me that Paul’s opponents here started out with some disagreement with his preaching.  I think their jealousy was twofold.  First, they were jealous that Paul and Barnabas were able to attract such large crowds to their preaching.  But the second was probably just as important.  They were jealous that Paul and Barnabas did not put all of their effort into trying to convince them.  Perhaps the most important part of what Luke tells about this incident is that these opponents went from arguing about the points on which they disagreed to opposing everything which Paul and Barnabas said.