SAUL and BAR-NABAS COMMISSIONED

Saul and Barnabas commissioned  

The Passage: Acts 12:24 – 13:13a

Structure:

a. 12:24-25, They took with them John, called Mark 

 b. 13:1, List of the disciples

  c. 13:2-5, Holy Spirit

   d. 13:6, a magician

    e. 13:7, the Word of God

   d’. 13:8, a magician

  c’. 13:9-11, Holy Spirit

 b’. 13:12, becoming a disciple

a’. 13:13a, John left them and returned to Jerusalem  

Historical and geographical context:

Turns out that Barnabas and Saul were in Jerusalem when St. Peter was released from prison. The story of St. Peter being released from a prison by a hand of an angel is so beautiful that we can lose the chronological order. Barnabas and Saul came to Jerusalem with financial support for the suffering saints of Jerusalem.

Another important fact of NT chronology – this is the first story when Saul is called Paul – importance of names and name-changes. Sometimes the changing of names can give us an additional clue for the meaning of a story. From now on Saul (being named after the first king of Israel) will “surrender” his name for the sake of another king – Christ the King. He will pick up another name that sounds similar changing only the first letter which changes the meaning drastically – small, short, little, or humble.  

Theology:

What service did Barnabas and Saul complete? Most likely St. Luke means money delivery for he uses term “diaconia” – that’s where the order of deacons comes from (cp. Acts 6:1-6). It should be contrasted with 13:2 where “worshiping the LORD” means a liturgical rite.

Antiochian church apparently had some VIPs among its members – one of them being Manaen. Which raises the question why a life-long friend of Herod lives far away from Jerusalem? Two things: first, the term “life-long friend” literally means a fellow nursing. It is possible that his mother was hired to breast-feed Herod the tetrarch (cp. Ex. 2:7-9). That can be a limit of their relationship. Second, there is also a possibility that difference of faith drove Manaen away from the Judean capital during the great persecution (Acts 8:1).  

Barnabas (son of compassion) and Saul ran into a magi named Bar-Jesus (Son of Jesus). Interesting that he had Jewish roots though a practice of magic was strictly forbidden (Deut. 18:9-14). He is also named Elymas which could’ve been a derivative of Aramaic ‘alim meaning “educated” or “wise” – very appropriate for a magus. What is interesting, “Son of Jesus” tried to prevent the missionaries to talk about “the” Jesus to proconsul.     

Conversion of proconsul. To begin with, we need to identify the status of Proconsul in the Roman Empire. Proconsul was a governor of a province in Ancient Rome. Sergius Paulus was a governor of Cyprus before 47 AD which helpful for the dating and chronology of Acts. This date is well attested by the boundary stone of emperor Claudius where Sergius Paulus is set in charge of the banks of Tiber River. Which means that the emperor (maybe unknowingly) brought very close to Rome a high official who was a Christian by a time of new appointment. It is possible that he was one of the guests of St. Paul who visited him in Rome (Acts 28:30-31).     

Other themes:

Can Elymas be compared with the deformed council of the king Théoden of Rohan? His name was Grima Wormtongue. Therefore, the sounds “i-m-a” creates a possibility for a comparison. Also, their function as a council for a “ruler” who prevents a ruler to “see clearly” – that why Elymas is punished by blindness. Nota bene: it is Saul who was struck with blindness on the road Damascus pronounces the judgement (Acts 13:10-11). He experienced the healing time of detachment of the world that brought him to the true faith. He hoped the same for a fellow Jew. Grima is punished with a prolonged silence (TLOTR, p. 514).