NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 42
A cts 1 3 : 2 8
1998
spoken about. Instead, they condemned him,
and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’
words that are read every Sabbath. 28 They
found no legal reason to execute him, but
they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.
29 “When they had done all that the proph
ecies said about him, they took him down
from the cross* and placed him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead! 31 And
over a period of many days he appeared to
those who had gone with him from Galilee
to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to
the people of Israel.
32 “And now we are here to bring you this
Good News. The promise was made to our
ancestors, 33 and God has now fulfilled it for
us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This
is what the second psalm says about Jesus:
‘You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.*’
34 For God had promised to raise him from
the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave.
He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings
I promised to David.’* 35 Another psalm ex
plains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your
Holy One to rot in the grave.’* 36 This is not a
reference to David, for after David had done
the will of God in his own generation, he
died and was buried with his ancestors, and
his body decayed. 37 No, it was a reference to
someone else—someone whom God raised
and whose body did not decay.
38*“Brothers, listen! We are here to pro
claim that through this man Jesus there is
forgiveness for your sins. 39 Everyone who
believes in him is made right in God’s sight—
something the law of Moses could never do.
40 Be careful! Don’t let the prophets’ words
apply to you. For they said,
‘Look, you mockers,
be amazed and die!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.’*”
42 As Paul and Barnabas left the synagogue
that day, the people begged them to speak
about these things again the next week.
43 Many Jews and devout converts to Juda
ism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two
men urged them to continue to rely on the
grace of God.
41
Paul and Barnabas Turn to the Gentiles
44 The following week almost the entire city
turned out to hear them preach the word of
the Lord. 45 But when some of the Jews saw the
crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered
Paul and argued against whatever he said.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out
boldly and declared, “It was necessary that
we first preach the word of God to you Jews.
But since you have rejected it and judged
yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will
offer it to the Gentiles. 47 For the Lord gave
us this command when he said,
‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
to bring salvation to the farthest
corners of the earth.’*”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were
very glad and thanked the Lord for his mes
sage; and all who were chosen for eternal life
became believers. 49 So the Lord’s message
spread throughout that region.
50 Then the Jews stirred up the influen
tial religious women and the leaders of the
city, and they incited a mob against Paul and
Barnabas and ran them out of town. 51 So
they shook the dust from their feet as a sign
13:28
Matt 27:2223
Acts 3:14
13:29
Matt 27:5960
Luke 23:5253
13:30
Matt 28:6
Acts 2:24
13:31
Luke 24:48
Acts 1:11
1 Cor 15:5
13:32
Rom 1:24
13:33
*Ps 2:7
Heb 1:5; 5:5
13:34
*Isa 55:3
13:35
*Ps 16:10
13:36
1 Kgs 2:10
13:37
Acts 2:24
13:39
Rom 3:28; 10:4
13:41
*Hab 1:5
13:45
Acts 8:6
1 Pet 4:4
Jude 1:10
13:46
Acts 18:6
13:47
*Isa 49:6
Luke 2:32
13:48
Rom 8:2930
Eph 1:45, 11
1 Pet 1:2
13:51
Matt 10:14
Mark 6:11
Luke 9:5; 10:11
Acts 18:6
13:29 Greek from the tree. 13:33 Or Today I reveal you as my Son. Ps 2:7. 13:34 Isa 55:3. 13:35 Ps 16:10. 13:38 English
translations divide verses 38 and 39 in various ways. 13:41 Hab 1:5 (Greek version). 13:47 Isa 49:6.
13:31 The fact that Jesus was raised
from the dead was well documented by
witnesses.
13:3841 Paul appealed for them
to believe the message about Jesus,
through whom there is forgiveness for
your sins.
13:39 Faith is prerequisite to being
made right in God’s sight; this was not
provided for in the law of Moses (Ps
14:13; see Rom 3:920).
13:4041 Paul closed his message with a
strong warning (cp. Heb 2:3). The Good
News must not be ignored, neglected,
or rejected, or frightening consequences
will follow.
13:4243 The message stirred up inter
est among the people, and many of
them were converted.
T H E P E N TAT E U C H
13:43 Full converts to Judaism (also
called proselytes) were Gentiles who had
gone through the rite of circumcision
to become full members of the Jewish
community, observing the Jewish law
(see also 2:11; 6:5; Matt 23:15). • The
grace of God is a key concept in the NT
to describe God’s unmerited favor shown
preeminently through Jesus Christ (see
“The Grace of God,” Acts 20:24).
13:4449 The excitement caused by the
apostles’ preaching led to a mass turnout
on the following week. This response
provoked the jealousy of some of the
Jews (cp. 4:12; 5:17), whose ability to
win converts to Judaism (13:43) was
being dwarfed by Paul’s ministry. They
verbally attacked Paul and his ministry
(cp. 6:812; 18:6; 19:9; Matt 23:13). Paul
met this hostility with a bold declaration
ISRAEL’S HISTORY
that these Jews had had their opportunity
to hear the word of God, and that since
they had rejected it, the offer of salvation
would now be given to the Gentiles (cp.
Acts 10:3435), in accord with the Lord’s
command in Scripture. The local Gentiles
welcomed the Good News and many
responded to it, so the Lord’s message
was carried throughout that region.
13:5051 Jewish opposition once again
forced Paul and Barnabas . . . out of
town. They shook the dust from their feet
as a sign of rejection, as Jesus had taught
his disciples (see Matt 10:1415; Mark
6:1112; Luke 9:56; 10:1011). That place
was then treated as pagan territory, and
other people were given access to the
message of new life in Christ.
13:52 Despite probable harassment and
POETRY & WISDOM
