---

Acts | 1-8: | 9:1-19 | 9:20-31 | 9:32-43 | 10:1-23 | 10:24-48 | 11 | 12 | 13:1-12 | 13:13-41 | 13:42-52 | 14:1-18 | 14:19-28 | 15:1-21 | 15:22-41 | 16:1-15 | 16:16-40 | 17:1-15 | 17:16-34 |  18:1-17 | 18:18-28 | 19:1-20 | 19:21-41 | 20:1-16 | 20:17-38 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23:12-35 | 24 | More Coming Soon |

---

These small group Bible studies of Acts 13:13-41 contain commentary, discussion questions, and practical application.  Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.

Acts 13:13-41 Bible Study – Paul Preaches in Antioch in Pisidia

Outline

I. Paul shares in Pisidia (13-16)
II. Paul reviews the history of the Old Testament (17-23)
III. Paul shares of Jesus and how He fulfills Old Testament prophecies (24-41)

I. Paul shares in Pisidia (13-16)

Discussion Questions

• Where did Paul and his companions travel?
• What opportunity did they have in this place?
• What did Paul do when he received an invitation to speak?
• How can we prepare ahead of time to go through open doors when they present themselves?

Cross-References

Acts 15:38-40 – But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

Matthew 4:23 – And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues.

2 Corinthians 3:14-15 – But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Paul and his companions – Another shift is seen here. Before, the group was referred to as Barnabas and Saul. Now Paul is the clear leader as he will be for the rest of the book of Acts.

2. John left them – This is John Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark. He is Barnabas’ cousin. In Acts 15:38-40, Paul and Barnabas have a dispute over Mark. Barnabas wanted to give him another chance as a member of the team, while Paul had lost confidence in him due to his leaving here in Acts 13.

We don’t know why Mark left them. Perhaps the difficulties were more than he could bear, or maybe he had matters to attend to back home. In any case, it seems that Paul was not satisfied with his reasons.

These were godly men faithfully serving the Lord and ministering together. Yet we see that even they had struggles and disagreements.

One of the top reasons for missionaries these days to leave the mission field is problems with their team and interpersonal conflicts. A study across six hundred mission agencies found team conflict as the #1 preventable reason missionaries left (Too Valuable To Lose by William Taylor – 1997).

Paul, Barnabas, and Mark, faithful though they were, were still just men, flesh and blood. They struggled with the same things we do.

Application – If you are serving on a team with other believers, do not be naïve. Expect that the enemy may want to disrupt the work by creating friction within the team. Be diligent to maintain unity.

Ephesians 4:2-3 – With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Do not merely react to problems after the fact. Work hard on the front side to prevent relationship conflicts before they break out. If there are issues, reconcile quickly before things get worse. These verses give us the qualities that we need, namely humility, gentleness, and patience.

Reflect – What are some practical ways you can maintain unity with a ministry team?

• Meet regularly.
• Quickly deal with conflicts and don’t sweep them under the rug.
• Pray with each other and pray together.
• Major on the majors and minor on the minors.
• Get together outside of “work meetings.”
• Be humble.
• Forgive.

3. Antioch in Pisidia – This was 135 miles (220 km) inland in the Roman province of Galatia. Later, Paul would write the Epistle to the Galatians to the churches in this area. It was likely also circulated and read in Antioch in Pisidia.

4. Verses 14-16 – See comments on Acts 13:5 for Paul’s strategy of sharing at synagogues first.

II. Paul reviews the history of the Old Testament (17-23)

Discussion Questions

• What does the phrase “he put up with them in the wilderness” show us about God?
• Why did Paul review Old Testament history?
• What does this history show us of God? Of people?
• How could David be called a man after God’s own heart considering the fact he committed adultery and murder?
• What promise did God make in the Old Testament?
• How does the Old Testament prepare people for the coming of the Messiah?
• Why was it important for God to wait to send a Savior instead of doing so thousands of years before?

Cross-References

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 – For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 1:31 – And in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.

Romans 3:20 – For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 7:7 – What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Men of Israel and you who fear God – Paul addressed his sermon to Jews and to anyone else who feared God. The door was open and the invitation was there for any listener to enter and be part of God’s kingdom.

2. Paul reviews Old Testament history leading up to Jesus –

Paul reviewed some of the key events in the Old Testament:

• The multiplication of the people in Egypt
• The forty years in the wilderness
• The victory over the Canaanites and being brought into the Promised Land
• The judges period
• The establishment of kings
• David and God’s promise to bring a Savior

Reflect – Why did Paul mention these events?

It seems that Paul wanted to establish to the Jews (it was predominantly Jews as he was speaking at a synagogue) that The Way was not some new sect. They were not preaching against the Old Testament. Their faith was rooted in and naturally flowed out of the Old Testament. This gospel wasn’t a new or different thing. Rather, it was merely the next step of God’s plan and a fulfillment of prophecies He had already made.

Paul did not ask them to switch paths, but instead to simply take the next step on the path that God had already laid out thousands of years before. It was not illogical or counter to their faith. It was the very essence of it.

Note that when Paul preached to largely Greek or Roman audiences, he did not start in the Old Testament as he did here. But with the Jews, both Peter and Paul generally started with the common ground that they shared.

Reflect – What lessons can we learn from them about how to connect with our listeners when sharing the gospel or preaching?

3. Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior –

Acts 13:23 – Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

This is Paul’s key point. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Messiah to the nation of Israel who would be descended from David. This prophecy is made in more than one place in the Old Testament. Here is one.

Isaiah 9:6-7 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Paul’s message can be summarized in one sentence.

Because Jesus is the promised Messiah, you should place your faith in Him.

III. Paul shares of Jesus and how He fulfills Old Testament prophecies (24-41)

Discussion Questions

• What is a baptism of repentance?
• When John said, “I am not he,” what did he mean?
• From what actions should the leaders have recognized that Jesus was the Messiah?
• What prophecies should they have seen Jesus fulfill, but instead turned a blind eye to?
• How did they fulfill prophecy by rejecting and condemning Jesus?
• Where in the Old Testament was it written that the Messiah would die (verse 29)?
• Why does he call the cross a “tree?” What is the Old Testament connection?
• What proof did Paul give of Jesus’ resurrection?
• How did Paul explain David’s words that the Holy One would not see corruption? Do you think David knew what he was prophesying?
• In verse 39, freed from what?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Paul shares of John the Baptist – John was respected by many Jews who recognized that he was a prophet. He clearly denied being the Messiah, but pointed to Jesus as the Messiah (John 1:29, Matthew 3:11).

2. The religious leaders did not recognize Him or the prophecies – They should have known better. They were familiar with the Scriptures, which were read every Sabbath day. But they did not see that these pointed to Jesus.

Reflect – Why did they miss this obvious fact?

To some extent, they saw what they wanted to see. They wanted a deliverer to save them from Rome and make Israel into a great empire. Therefore, they would have gravitated toward prophecies showing the Messiah’s ultimate victory and kingdom. There are many prophecies about that. But they overlooked prophecies about His suffering (Isaiah 53, Genesis 3:15, Psalm 22, Daniel 9:26, Zechariah 12:10).

Pareidolia is when a person sees a pattern in something random. For example, he sees a “pizza” in the night sky as he associates certain shapes with familiar images. The human mind has the tendency to see what we want to see. The religious leaders perhaps even subconsciously sifted out the prophecies of Jesus that didn’t match their expectations. They narrowed their vision and were looking for a very specific type of person. Jesus didn’t fit their expectations so they rejected Him, although all the signs and fulfilled prophecies were there.

Application – Do we keep an open mind studying the Scriptures or do we pick out what we like? What do we do with those passages that make us uncomfortable and that challenge our lifestyle?

Many want to have their ears tickled. They hire preachers whose goal is to make them comfortable. Then they listen to short pep talks on how much God loves them. Uncomfortable topics like sin, judgment, and hell are ignored in favor of more positive and uplifting messages.

Let us pay careful attention to listen to the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:27 – For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Do not just pick out verses that you like.

3. They took him down from the tree –

Acts 13:29 – And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

Under the Old Testament law, the person who was hanged on a tree was cursed.

Deuteronomy 21:23 – His body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.

New Testament writers equate the cross with a tree (Acts 5:30, 10:39, 1 Peter 2:24). Both were wooden. And in both cases, the “criminal” was hanged shamefully in public view for all to see.

In Deuteronomy, the people agreed to be cursed if they didn’t keep the whole law.

Paul taught that Jesus became this curse on our behalf.

Galatians 3:13 – Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”

Deuteronomy 27:26 – Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

They didn’t and we can’t. Jesus is the only person who is not inherently cursed because He is the only one who kept the law perfectly. Jesus not only took our curse upon Himself, but He took on a double curse. He took on the curse we were under for not keeping the law, plus the curse of dying a shameful death on a tree. We deserved both. He deserved neither.

He took the curse onto Himself and therefore set us free from the curse of a shameful death that we deserved.

Reflect – How should we react to Jesus taking the curse of a shameful death for us?

4. Prophecies of David referring to Jesus –

Paul refers to three prophecies of David that are fulfilled in Jesus.

A. You are my son, today I have begotten you.

Psalms 2:7 – I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

This is a royal coronation psalm which was applied to the king of Israel. But like many Messianic psalms, it points further to Jesus, who is the “only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16, KJV).

The author of Hebrews also refers to this prophecy and uses it to show that Jesus is greater than the angels.

Hebrews 1:5 – For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”?

Jesus’ resurrection shows that He is the Son of God, as He often referred to Himself. He has the position and authority that comes with that. Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah who would sit on the throne of David.

B. I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David –

Paul is quoting Isaiah 55:3. His wording is slightly different because he is quoting from the Greek Septuagint.

Isaiah 55:3 – Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.

Paul ascribes this prophecy to Jesus, telling all the Jews present that the Davidic covenant is fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the eternal king promised to the nation of Israel.

C. You will not let your Holy One see corruption.

This prophecy comes from Psalm 16:10, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

Peter also quoted this passage and applied it as a Messianic prophecy (Acts 2:25-28) of Jesus’ resurrection.

Paul continues to quote Old Testament passages of a figure they looked up to. There were few people in Jewish culture as revered as David. He was king during Israel’s golden age. They were all aware of the Davidic covenant and were waiting for David’s descendant to appear as the Messiah.

David, as great as he was, stayed dead. Jesus did not. David prophetically pointed to that when he said that “You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.”

Paul then quotes those and expounds that those words refer to Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David. Here is another partial fulfillment, total fulfillment prophecy. It was partially fulfilled in David’s life in that David would be raised again one day to eternal life. However, David, when he had served his purpose in that generation, was buried and his body decayed. This prophecy was then completely fulfilled in Jesus. He was raised in three days before his body decayed. Jesus’ resurrection is the firstfruits pointing to our eventual resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:20 – But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Peter and the disciples were personal eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection.

God’s amazing plan was predicted ahead of time. It was written clearly in Scripture. The Jewish religious leaders of that day should not have missed it. But they did. Even so, it was witnessed by the disciples as well as Paul. It was credible and high time they believed!

5. Through Jesus they could receive forgiveness –

Acts 13:38-39 – Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

What a breath of fresh air this should have been for them. The Israelites had been living under the Mosaic law for well over one thousand years. It was good, but it was strict and due to their sinful nature was impossible for them to fully obey. For the nation as a whole, as well as individuals, it was failure after failure. Each failure meant more sacrifices had to be offered. It was a cycle of guilt, shame, and bondage. It had served its purpose. It had shown them they needed help. But now that help was here!

Paul proclaimed to them that their time of bondage was over. They could be truly free if they would repent and accept Jesus and the forgiveness of sins He offered. They could finally come out from rituals and rules and into a true relationship with the Lord, who seemed so distant before.

Isaiah 61:1-2 – – The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.

Reflect – Share how Jesus delivered you from bondage and set you free.

Application – Jesus has done so much for us. Let us live worthily.

Ephesians 4:1 – I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

6. Beware – Paul closes with a warning.

Acts 13:40-41 – Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

God did an amazing work in Christ. Sometimes His work is so tremendous that it is almost unbelievable. Paul is encouraging them not to scoff, but to believe it.

Reflect – What are some of the “unbelievable” things God has done in history?

Unbelievable is just another Tuesday for God. Things that seem impossible to us are normal for Him.

Application – The opposite of scoffing at God’s work would be believing and sharing it. Be observant about what God is doing around you and in your life. Be ready to share testimonies with others. You have likely met people who clearly see God’s work all around them and excitedly share it with others. Let’s follow their example. This week, find an opportunity to share a testimony with someone about what God is doing in your life.