Acts 13:44-52
Dear RTB’ers,
Today, only nine verses. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. (v. 45) Here we see the Jewish leaders’ jealousy, even though in the previous verse “almost the whole city” had gathered to hear Paul and Barnabas. But rather than listen themselves, jealousy overcomes the Jewish leaders to see that they are losing their crowds. Then they get belligerent just a few verses later (see below).
But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing… (v. 50a). I’ve always been intrigued by this verse, the “devout women of high standing” being recruited by the Jewish leaders to stand against Paul and Barnabas. Why would the Jewish leaders feel it necessary for women to speak up? Did their voices carry greater weight? In a few chapters we will see just the opposite in Thessalonica, that “…a number of the leading women…” were mentioned as converts (Acts 17:4b). Later we will see more women in leading roles in Paul’s ministry.
But the Jews … drove them out of their district. (v. 50) A bit of geography here… Yesterday’s speech and today’s event occurred in Pisidian Antioch in modern-day Turkey, more than 100 miles from the coast where they landed as they left Cyprus. Then in today’s reading, when the Jews drove them “out of their district” (v. 50b), their destination, Iconium is more than 100 miles from Antioch, clearly out of their district! Then in our readings over the next two days, Lystra is twenty miles from Iconium and Derbe is another sixty miles from Lystra. So Paul and Barnabas are doing a great deal of traveling for their missionary activity.
Blessings!