Acts 13:13-41: The Centerpiece of Scripture

Acts 13:13-41: The Centerpiece of Scripture

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Acts, and today the next passage we come to is Acts 13:13-41. It says,

13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 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. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “ ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ 34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ 35 Therefore he says also in another psalm, “ ‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ 36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: 41 “ ‘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.’ ” 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

One of the most frustrating things a lot of Christians experience is wanting to read the Bible and trying to discipline themselves to read the Bible but struggling to understand the things they read. I remember, when I was a new Christian, I knew that if I wanted to grow closer to God, it was absolutely essential that I develop the habit of reading the Bible each day. So I opened my Bible and picked a book somewhat at random—the book of Isaiah, I believe—and started reading. And every now and then, I’d come to a verse that seemed meaningful and that I could understand pretty well and sink my teeth into, but for most part, I would just read over things without really understanding what I was reading. Even though I understood most of the words that were being used, I had a lot of trouble understanding what the various passages of Isaiah were saying. And, of course, that also meant I was at a loss as to how those passages connected to my life. 

And I believe that many, if not most, Christians have that same struggle—especially those who are younger in the faith. Whenever they read the Bible, they feel sort of lost—as if they’re wandering around in a strange city in a foreign country and not sure exactly where they are. If that’s you, I’ve got good news: help is on the way from Paul’s sermon here in Acts 13. Even though this passage won’t instantly make you an expert on the Bible or answer every interpretive difficulty you’ll ever have, I do believe it offers us an extremely helpful framework with which to read the Bible so that the things we read will make a lot more sense. 

Many of you have probably heard of the Rosetta Stone, I imagine—a stone discovered several hundred years ago with an ancient text written in three different languages. So three different translations of the same message. And it was by comparing these three translations with each other that scholars were finally able to do something they had previously been unable to do—crack the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics. And just as the Rosetta Stone proved to be the key in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics, there’s an interpretive key to the Bible as well that helps us understand its full meaning and significance. And we find that key in this passage. 

So look with me beginning in verses 13-14: 13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 

So Paul’s been sent out from his home church—the church in Antioch—and is now traveling around on what’s often called his first missionary journey. You can see that journey represented on the map here. And he arrives at a city that’s also called Antioch—not the same Antioch he was sent out of, but a different Antioch in the region of Pisidia. You can see it toward the upper left of the map. And the text says that Paul’s first stop in this new city is the Jewish synagogue. We’re going to see over and over again in Acts that that’s his consistent strategy. Whenever Paul enters a new city, he always goes to the synagogue first. And it makes sense when you think about it. The people in a synagogue are, of course, Jewish already and believe in the Old Testament. So there was already a lot of common ground between them and Paul. And, as we’re going to see, Paul makes good use of that common ground. Also, it was customary in synagogues that, whenever a visiting rabbi came into down, they would give that rabbi an opportunity to address the congregation. 

And that’s what we see in verse 15. It says, “After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, ‘Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.’” So Paul, of course, is like, “Well…now that you mention it, I kind of do have a few things I’d like to say.” And the rest of this passage here in Acts 13 contains Paul’s sermon. So I was going to prepare my own sermon for you this morning, but then I figured that I can’t do any better than Paul’s sermon anyway, so why don’t I just re-preach that? Therefore, the main idea of my sermon is the same as the main idea of Paul’s—and that is that Jesus is the fulfillment and consummation of the entire Old Testament. Jesus is the fulfillment and consummation of the entire Old Testament. We might say that he’s the interpretive key—or the Rosetta Stone—by which we understand the full meaning and significance of everything else. That’s the point Paul’s about to drive home to the Jews of Pisidian Antioch. 

So look how Paul begins his sermon in verses 16-23: 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 

So notice in these verses how Paul consistently emphasizes the various ways in which God was directing Israel’s history and pouring out his abundant goodness on his people time and time again. We first see in verse 17 that God graciously chose the Israelites for himself out of all the peoples of the world to be his special people—uniquely called and favored. Paul then states that God “made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt”—a second blessing on the Israelites. And, third, when the Egyptians began to oppress them, God led them out of Egypt “with uplifted arm.” Then fourth, he put up with them in the wilderness for forty years. He then, fifth, destroyed the seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave the Israelites that land as an inheritance. He then blessed them with judges and then the great prophet Samuel and then, eventually, King David—a man after his own heart. 

Yet all of these blessings were merely preparatory for the greatest blessing of all—a Savior whom God sent in the person of Jesus. Again, verse 23: “Of this man [David’s] offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.” You see, God’s people needed a lot more than a leader to deliver them from the Egyptians or the Canaanites or their other earthly enemies. They needed someone to deliver them from the greatest enemy of all—their sinful rebellion against God and the eternal judgment that would one day come down upon them. They needed a Savior. And that Savior was Jesus—whose very name indicates his ministry—since the name “Jesus” literally means “he saves.”

Paul then continues in verses 26-31: 26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 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. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 

So notice the tragedy of the situation. Even though the Jews had what Paul calls “the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath,” no less, they still failed to recognize the promised Messiah—or national rescuer—when he came. The scriptures to which many of them had devoted their entire lives to studying were being fulfilled right before their eyes, but they were oblivious. By the way, even today, it’s incredible how much Bible knowledge people can accumulate and yet miss the significance of that knowledge for their lives. The mere fact that you know the right answers to Bible questions doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve been saved or that you’re going to heaven. It’s amazing how much we can “see” without really seeing at all. And that was the case for the Jews of the first century as well—especially in Jerusalem. They were experts in some ways but clueless in others. 

Ironically, though, even as these Jews were oblivious to the fulfillment of scriptural prophecies right before their eyes, they still actually contributed to the fulfillment of some of those prophecies when they unjustly coerced the Roman governor Pilate to have Jesus crucified. At first, we might be tempted to think that Jesus being crucified was an example of things going horribly wrong. Yet, in reality, as Paul makes clear in his sermon, it was all a part of God’s plan. God had predicted it hundreds of years before it happened. For example, consider Psalm 22:16-18: 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. Now keep in mind that this was written about 1,000 years before the lifetime of Jesus and that crucifixion wasn’t even a Jewish method of execution. People at that time wouldn’t have even known what crucifixion was. Yet, incredibly, the author speaks in first person about the piercing of his hands and feet—as well as other details that we now know were a part of Jesus’ crucifixion. And, again, that demonstrates that Jesus being crucified was a part of God’s plan the whole time. 

You see, our sins cried out for God’s judgement. God’s holy and righteous nature means that he must punish sin. Yet in his mercy, he sent his own Son to bear that punishment in our place. Jesus endured God the Father’s wrath so that we wouldn’t have to. He then, as Paul says back in Acts 13, was raised from the dead and appeared to many people. 

Paul then states in verses 32-33, 32 “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’” Those verses contain the thrust of the entire sermon. “What God promised…this he has fulfilled.” The entire Old Testament was essentially a promise of One who was coming. And that person was Jesus. “What God promised…this he has fulfilled.” By the way, what a great reminder that God always keeps his promises. People may let us down, but God never lets us down. We can trust him to fulfill everything he’s ever promised us—both with regard to this life and to eternity.  

Then in verses 34-37, Paul cites more prophecies Jesus fulfilled in his resurrection, including Psalm 16:10, which states, “For you will not abandon my soul to [the grave], or let your holy one see corruption.” Another prophecy fulfilled.

Paul then brings things to a climax in verses 38-39: 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Now, it’s helpful to understand that that word “freed” is actually the same Greek word often translated “justified”—or declared righteous in God’s sight. Some translations even translate it as “justified” in this verse. So think about what Paul’s saying. “Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,” Paul says in verse 38. Sins are forgiven ultimately not through the Old Testament sacrificial system but through Jesus. And how are they forgiven? By “believing”—that is, by putting our complete trust and confidence in Jesus to rescue us. Verse 39: “…by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

The Bible’s clear that the law of Moses cannot save. We don’t need rules. We need a Savior. I once heard it described as two doctors: Dr. Law and Dr. Grace. Our first stop is at Dr. Law’s office. And Dr. Law’s specialty is diagnosing our sickness. Through the law, we see how sinful we are. By comparing ourselves to the perfect standard of God’s law, we see how short of that perfect standard we fall. That’s why God gave us the law. So we go to Dr. Law’s office in order to receive an accurate diagnosis of our condition. However, what Dr. Law can’t do is provide treatment. He can diagnose our sin, but that’s as far as his abilities go. If we want treatment, we have to go to Dr. Grace. It’s only by God’s grace, given to us in the person and work of Jesus, that our sin can be treated and cured. If we try to obtain that cure through our own efforts at law-keeping and morality—essentially trying to earn God’s favor through our own merit—we’ll die in our sin and go straight to hell. Because, again, Dr. Law is only good for a diagnosis. Only Dr. Grace can provide a treatment and cure. And that grace is found in Jesus. As Paul states so well, “…by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

So, basically, it’s all about Jesus. That’s the main idea Paul’s trying to communicate to his audience. Jesus is the fulfillment and consummation of the entire Old Testament. Importantly, this teaching is confirmed by Jesus himself. As he’s walking along a road with some of his disciples after his resurrection, Jesus explains all of this to them. Luke 24:27 states, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Again, Jesus is the fulfillment and consummation of the entire Old Testament.

And we might add that Jesus is the centerpiece not only of the Old Testament but also of the New Testament. The entire Bible is essentially one big story that revolves around Jesus. And let me elaborate on that a little bit—because this is critical to grasp if you’re going to understand the Bible correctly. You know, a lot of people think the Bible’s primarily a collection of rules and commands that we’re supposed to obey. And the Bible certainly does have rules and commands in it, but that’s not what it is most fundamentally. Others think the Bible’s primarily a collection of stories about various characters who give us moral examples that we’re supposed to follow—if they’re good—or avoid—if they’re bad. And, again, the Bible does have a lot of characters that are intended as moral examples for us, but that’s not what the Bible is most fundamentally. Instead, at its most fundamental level, the Bible is a story—a single story that encompasses everything in the history of the universe, from the very beginning to the very end. 

And it’s very helpful to understand that story if we’re going to understand the various passages we encounter in the Bible because, well, it’s kind of like a movie. Imagine that you started watching a movie halfway through. Is that movie going to make very much sense to you? Probably not. You’re not going to have any idea what’s going on or what struggle the characters are facing or what problems need to be solved. You’re just kind of lost. And that’s how a lot of people feel when they read the Bible. But if we understand the overarching story of the Bible, it makes reading the Bible and understanding the things we read a lot easier.

So here it is in extremely abbreviated form—the storyline of the entire Bible in less than five minutes. And this will be familiar to those of you who attended the seminar on How to Study the Bible a few weeks ago. The story begins with Creation, recorded in Genesis 1-2. God created this world and declared it to be “good.” And it was good—it was a perfect paradise. We also read about how God created humans in his image. We’re created to resemble God and for a relationship with God. Then, after Creation, we read about Corruption in Genesis 3-11. The first humans, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God. As a result of that rebellion, all of creation was immediately plunged into brokenness and dysfunction and sin. That’s the problem that everything else that’s described in the Bible after Genesis 11 is intended to solve. Creation has been corrupted, and that means we need a Savior. We then read about various Covenants God made with his people. That stretches from Genesis 12 all the way through the last book of the Old Testament—the book of Malachi. God made sacred agreements, called “covenants,” with Abraham, Moses, and David that all pointed toward a future Messiah who would come to fix God’s broken world. This Messiah is pictured and promised again and again, as we’ve already seen today. 

Then, finally, he comes. Another word for Messiah is “Christ.” And the biblical books Matthew through John record his earthly ministry. This long-awaited Messiah or Christ is named Jesus and accomplishes the rescue we so desperately need. He does that through his sinless life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection. Then, before Jesus ascends into heaven, he commissions the Church to tell the world about him. The church consists of all those who put their trust in Jesus—not just Jews but Gentiles as well—and has the mission of making disciples of all nations. We find records of the church engaging in this mission as well as instructions for the mission in the biblical books of Acts through Jude. Then, finally, comes the Consummation, which we’re still waiting for today and which is recorded in the book of Revelation. Jesus will one day return not as a meek infant but rather as the conquering King to provide full and final rescue for his people. That involves punishing his enemies—those who have rejected him—and bringing about a perfect paradise known as the new creation—a new heavens and new earth. No longer will we have to suffer in this broken and corrupted world. Instead, Jesus will make all things new. And the beauty of the new creation will surpass even that of the original creation. 

So that’s the storyline of the Bible. Again, it’s one cohesive story, and that story centers around Jesus. Even passages in the Old Testament are written with him in mind. So I promised at the beginning to give you a Rosetta Stone of sorts for understanding the Bible. Well, here it is—a framework for interpreting the Bible with Jesus at the very center. He’s the interpretive key we need to understand the full meaning and significance of every biblical passage. Every passage from Genesis to Revelation relates to Jesus in some way—and it’s not until we’ve considered that connection that we’re able to understand the full meaning and significance of each passage. And, by the way, this is a big part of what we mean around here when we speak of being “gospel-centered.” Every passage of the Bible whispers the name of Jesus. Even if his name isn’t explicitly stated in every passage, if you listen closely, it’s being whispered. 

And you’ll notice that’s an important part of the preaching at this church as well. We believe that people need more than just entertaining stories or practical advice for a better life on Sunday mornings. People need Jesus—and not just fluffy truths about Jesus but substantive ones. And until we’ve preached Jesus in whatever passage of Scripture we’re studying, we haven’t really preached that text faithfully. That’s why you’ll hear Jesus preached and the gospel presented every single Sunday at this church. We haven’t been faithful to a biblical text until we’ve seen its connection to Jesus. 

You know, let me just say that life application is good. We believe in life application so much, in fact, that, pretty much every Sunday, we take a few moments at the end of the sermon to consider the application of that biblical passage for our lives. Hopefully you also do that when you read the Bible on your own. If you don’t, you’re kind of wasting your time reading the Bible. Yet, as critical as it is to connect the Bible to our lives, keep in mind that the Bible doesn’t ultimately revolve around you. It revolves around Jesus. And that’s something we have to be very deliberate about remembering. It seems like our natural tendency is to be very “me-centered” in just about everything—including our Bible reading. It’s sort of comparable to the way people used to think, several centuries ago, that all of the planets revolved around the earth. They thought we’re at the center of everything. Yet, of course, we now know that the planets revolve not around the earth but around the sun. Similarly, if we’re not careful, we can approach the Bible as if the whole thing revolves around us, when, in fact, it revolves around Jesus. 

So let me encourage you not to stop applying the Bible to your life. Obey God’s commands, follow godly examples, let the Bible be your guide for life. Yet make sure your focus as you do that isn’t merely on doing all of the right things or checking all of the right boxes of obedience. Instead, let your focus be on knowing and loving Jesus. That’s what it’s all about—knowing and loving Jesus. That’s the source of all true obedience anyway. It’s all an outflow and overflow of our love for the Lord. So, to sum everything up: Jesus is the centerpiece of the Bible. Is he the centerpiece of your life?