What does Acts 13:27 mean?
Paul has shown how God brought salvation throughout Israel's history. Near the end of that recitation, he reminded his audience how God promised one last Savior who would sit on David's throne. The direct prophecy, referenced in Acts 13:23, may be from Psalm 132:11–12. But the Old Testament has many, many prophecies about Jesus, some very specific, such as how He didn't give a defense while on trial (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:11–14) and how He was pierced (Isaiah 53:5; John 20:25).We don't have specific details about first-century synagogue services. Likely, the leader of the synagogue chose seven readers who read from the Law and the Prophets. Then, a knowledgeable man was asked to give a sermon, as Paul is doing here. The regular service was held on the Sabbath with special services on Mondays and Thursdays.
Even in Jerusalem, where the temple still stood, there were several synagogues throughout the city for different groups and languages, and each followed a similar liturgy. They regularly read passages that should have told them Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish Messiah. But they ignored Scripture in favor of social influence and had Jesus killed, thereby fulfilling the prophecies (Isaiah 53:4–9).
The Jews in Pisidian Antioch, in the middle of modern-day Asia Minor, known of John the Baptist's message of repentance, but they might not know about Jesus' crucifixion. Paul gives them the basics in the following verses.
Acts 13:16–41 gives the transcript of Paul's message in Pisidian Antioch. It is the only recording of Paul's many synagogue sermons. Paul's message can be broken into five parts, each identified with a call to heed Paul's words: 1. God's saving work in Israel's history and promise of a future Savior (Acts 13:16–25); 2. The Savior's story (Acts 13:26–31); 3. The prophecies of the Savior (Acts 13:32–37); 4. The nature of ''salvation'' (Acts 13:38–39); 5. A warning to accept the Savior (Acts 13:40–41). Some Jews and many Gentiles do accept the message, but the synagogue leaders drive Paul and Barnabas out of town (Acts 13:42–51).
Acts 13 transitions Luke's account (Acts 1:1) fully into a record of Paul's ministry to spread the news about Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Paul and Barnabas for their first missionary journey. They teach about Jesus' offer of forgiveness of sins on the island of Cyprus and in the district of Pisidia in modern-day south-central Asia Minor. Along the way, they face opposition, desertion, and persecution: themes that will follow Paul throughout his life. But they also experience the joy of watching the people they'd least expect come to a saving faith in Jesus.
