Acts 13:4-12

    The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

 

    They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."

    Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

 

Guided by the Holy Spirit through a non-Jewish church leadership, Barnabas and Saul traveled about and began to proclaim God’s message – to Jews. They went to the Jewish synagogues.

 

But they did not go exclusively to the Jews. The first story of their journeys tells about two men – a Jew and a Gentile. The non-Jewish man, a proconsul named Sergius Paulus, sent for Barnabas and Saul to hear God’s word. The Jew, however, a sorcerer and false prophet, opposed them and did not want the proconsul to believe them. The Gentile paid attention; the Jew fought.

 

And judgment fell on the Jew! Again, up to this point in history, the Jews have been expecting that the Messiah would be for them and would save them, but that the Gentiles would be cursed and overcome. But now that Jesus the Messiah has come, sometimes events are going the other way! Obviously, many of the first believers are Jews and are blessed by their Lord, as expected. But it is amazing how many of the Jews are not receiving the blessing of their long-awaited Messiah. Bar-Jesus/Elymas goes blind for a time!

 

But the proconsul believes, because he is “amazed at the teaching about the Lord.” Notice that the teaching here included both words and deeds. Barnabas and Paul are there to tell the proconsul that God has sent His Son as a man to be the world’s one true and eternal ruler, and that everyone should submit to Jesus Christ and be saved – or face His judgment (we aren’t told their words, but these thoughts are consistent with what we have seen so far in the book of Acts, so I’m assuming that these thoughts were conveyed to the proconsul). Words. And then the proconsul witnesses an opponent of these words being struck blind – not by physical force, but by the unseen power of God; he witnesses just a small taste of Christ’s judgment against those who refuse to submit to Him.

 

The words and the deeds were consistent with each other. Evildoers are accountable to Jesus Christ! The proconsul was amazed by what he saw; he was amazed that Jesus was truly the powerful Judge of the world. And he believed. He had no other logical choice!

 

Father, it is a scary thing to read and realize that even now, before Jesus’ return, judgment falls on people to prove that Jesus is Lord. But Jesus really is Lord! We’re not just telling people empty words as we pass Your message on to them. There really is a terrible judgment coming. And we all really do need to be saved. And the good news is that we really can be saved by putting our trust in the same One who will one day judge those who continue to rebel. Thank You for hope! And thank You for confronting us with reality – not just in words, but in deeds. Thank You that even acts of temporary judgment can help to confirm Your message and let people know that the Jesus we proclaim is first of all Lord! Make us come alive to this truth so that we eagerly, earnestly, lovingly warn people and urge them to gather with us into Jesus’ safety.