26 "Brethren e , sons of Abraham's family , and those among you who fear God , to us the message of this salvation has been sent . 27 "For those who live in Jerusalem , and their rulers , recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath , fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 "And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed . 29 "When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb . 30 "But God raised Him from the dead ; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem , the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people . 32 "And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers , 33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus , as it is also written in the second Psalm , ' YOU ARE MY SON ; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.' 34 "As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead , no longer to return to decay , He has spoken in this way : ' I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and SURE blessings OF DAVID .' 35 "Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ' YOU WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY .' 36 "For David , after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation , fell asleep , and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay ; 37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay . 38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren e , that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things , from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses . 40 "Therefore take heed , so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you: 41 ' BEHOLD , YOU SCOFFERS , AND MARVEL , AND PERISH ; FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS , A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER e BELIEVE , THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.' "
42 As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath . 43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas , who , speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God . 44 The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord . 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds , they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul , and were blaspheming . 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said , "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first ; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy e of eternal life , behold , we are turning to the Gentiles . 47 "For so the Lord has commanded us, ' I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES , THAT YOU MAY BRING e SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH .' " 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord ; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed . 49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region . 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city , and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas , and drove them out of their district . 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium . 52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 13:26-52
Commentary on Acts 13:14-31
(Read Acts 13:14-31)
When we come together to worship God, we must do it, not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God. The bare reading of the Scriptures in public assemblies is not enough; they should be expounded, and the people exhorted out of them. This is helping people in doing that which is necessary to make the word profitable, to apply it to themselves. Every thing is touched upon in this sermon, which might best prevail with Jews to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah. And every view, however short or faint, of the Lord's dealings with his church, reminds us of his mercy and long-suffering, and of man's ingratitude and perverseness. Paul passes from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is his promised Seed; a Saviour to do that for them, which the judges of old could not do, to save them from their sins, their worst enemies. When the apostles preached Christ as the Saviour, they were so far from concealing his death, that they always preached Christ crucified. Our complete separation from sin, is represented by our being buried with Christ. But he rose again from the dead, and saw no corruption: this was the great truth to be preached.
Commentary on Acts 13:32-37
(Read Acts 13:32-37)
The resurrection of Christ was the great proof of his being the Son of God. It was not possible he should be held by death, because he was the Son of God, and therefore had life in himself, which he could not lay down but with a design to take it again. The sure mercies of David are that everlasting life, of which the resurrection was a sure pledge; and the blessings of redemption in Christ are a certain earnest, even in this world. David was a great blessing to the age wherein he lived. We were not born for ourselves, but there are those living around us, to whom we must study to be serviceable. Yet here is the difference; Christ was to serve all generations. May we look to Him who is declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, that by faith in him we may walk with God, and serve our generation according to his will; and when death comes, may we fall asleep in him, with a joyful hope of a blessed resurrection.
Commentary on Acts 13:38-41
(Read Acts 13:38-41)
Let all that hear the gospel of Christ, know these two things: 1. That through this Man, who died and rose again, is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins. Your sins, though many and great, may be forgiven, and they may be so without any injury to God's honour. 2. It is by Christ only that those who believe in him, and none else, are justified from all things; from all the guilt and stain of sin, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses. The great concern of convinced sinners is, to be justified, to be acquitted from all their guilt, and accepted as righteous in God's sight, for if any is left charged upon the sinner, he is undone. By Jesus Christ we obtain a complete justification; for by him a complete atonement was made for sin. We are justified, not only by him as our Judge but by him as the Lord our Righteousness. What the law could not do for us, in that it was weak, the gospel of Christ does. This is the most needful blessing, bringing in every other. The threatenings are warnings; what we are told will come upon impenitent sinners, is designed to awaken us to beware lest it come upon us. It ruins many, that they despise religion. Those that will not wonder and be saved, shall wonder and perish.
Commentary on Acts 13:42-52
(Read Acts 13:42-52)
The Jews opposed the doctrine the apostles preached; and when they could find no objection, they blasphemed Christ and his gospel. Commonly those who begin with contradicting, end with blaspheming. But when adversaries of Christ's cause are daring, its advocates should be the bolder. And while many judge themselves unworthy of eternal life, others, who appear less likely, desire to hear more of the glad tidings of salvation. This is according to what was foretold in the Old Testament. What light, what power, what a treasure does this gospel bring with it! How excellent are its truths, its precepts, its promises! Those came to Christ whom the Father drew, and to whom the Spirit made the gospel call effectual, Romans 8:30. As many as were disposed to eternal life, as many as had concern about their eternal state, and aimed to make sure of eternal life, believed in Christ, in whom God has treasured up that life, and who is the only Way to it; and it was the grace of God that wrought it in them. It is good to see honourable women devout; the less they have to do in the world, the more they should do for their own souls, and the souls of others: but it is sad, when, under colour of devotion to God, they try to show hatred to Christ. And the more we relish the comforts and encouragements we meet with in the power of godliness, and the fuller our hearts are of them, the better prepared we are to face difficulties in the profession of godliness.