Acts 13:13-25
And John left them and returned to Jerusalem… (v. 13b) Some of you may not know it, but this is a key item in Acts. It will show up later when Paul and Barnabas are ready to go off on their second missionary journey (vv. 15:36, ff.). This “John” is John Mark, also known as Mark, the writer of the second Gospel.
Paul preaching: God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin… (v. 21). A small item here… Paul mentions Saul’s lineage here, from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest of the twelve tribes of Israel, but he does not mention David’s tribe, Judah, from whom the Messiah would come. Why this disparity? Paul was himself also from the tribe of Benjamin. And the tribe of Benjamin has a storied history. Read the full story in Judges 19-20 of how Benjamin came to be the smallest tribe. So both (King) Saul and Paul came from Benjamin – worth noting that two huge Jewish leaders would come from this smallest tribe.
Beginning in verse 16 we have the first and longest of Paul’s sermons that are recorded in Acts (see https://www.leadershipresources.org/blog/list-of-sermons-in-acts/). Paul’s sermons often follow a pattern of history, Jesus, repentance, and salvation. Today we have only the first half of that sermon, with Paul tracing highlights of Jewish history before introducing Jesus and John the Baptist. The rest of the sermon, focusing on Jesus’ death, resurrection, and salvation through Him, will come tomorrow.
Slava Bohu!