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At Antioch occurs the separation of Barnabas and Paul, and several features of this
opening ministry fore-shadow the close of the Acts. For example: Paul's first miracle
contrasts with Peter's first miracle. Peter heals a Jew; Paul blinds a Jew. This Jew
withstands the truth, and a Gentile, who bears the same name as the apostle, believes.
Resulting from the opposition of the Jews at Antioch, there is a local turning from the
Jew to the Gentile and Paul utters that word of warning which anticipates the dreadful
quotation of Isa. 6:, with which the Jew was set aside in Acts 28: At the close of
chapter 13: we read:
"And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region" (Acts 12: 49).
and at the close of chapter 14: we read:
"And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all
that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the
Gentiles" (Acts 14: 27).
There is a very remarkable contrast found in Acts 13: and Acts 28:
"But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the
city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their
coasts" (Acts 13: 50).
In contrast with this action of the devout, the honourable, and the chief men, let us
read Acts 28::
"And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and
received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold . . . . . In the
same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius;
who received us, and lodged us three days courteously" (Acts 28: 2 and 7).
It is encouraging to observe the record of the Holy Spirit in these matters; the names
of the "devout", the "honourable" and the "chief", who expelled Paul, have gone down
into oblivion, but wherever the Scriptures are read, the name of Publius is recorded with
gratitude.
The ministry commencing at Antioch finds its sequel in the conflict concerning the
status of the uncircumcised believing Gentile and the imposition of the decrees. This, as
we shall see, constituted the middle wall of partition between the two parties in the early
church. The next section commences at Acts 15: 40. Except to call attention to the fact
that the synagogue was the centre of this witness, we have given no details of these
chapters. In them comes the vision of the man of Macedonia and the consequent
preaching of the gospel in Europe for the first time. Here also is the record of Paul's visit
to and testimony at Athens, and the beginning of the fellowship between Paul and Aquila
and Priscilla. Acts 19: 21 evidently constitutes a fresh section, for the words "after
these things were ended" seem to imply a new movement. It is precisely here that the
narrative records the fact that the synagogue was visited for the last time (19: 8), and that
the disciples were separated, and met subsequently in the school of Tyrannus. Thus