Paul's First Missionary Journey- In Pisidian Antioch; Acts 13:13 – 52 Part 4

Church History: He gave them a full account of our Lord Jesus, passing from David to the Son of David, and shows that this Jesus is the promised Seed: Of this man's seed, from that root of Jesse, from that man after God's own heart, has God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus, who carries salvation in his name. Concerning this Jesus, he tells them: That John the Baptist was his harbinger and forerunner, that great man whom all acknowledged to be a prophet. Let them not say that the Messiah's coming was a surprise to them, and that this might excuse them if they had taken time to consider whether they should entertain him or not; He told them that the rulers and people of the Jews, who should have welcomed him, and been his willing, forward, faithful subjects, were his persecutors and murderers. When the apostles preached Christ as the Savior, they were far from concealing his shameful death, and drawing a veil over it. They always preached Christ crucified, and yes, crucified by his own people, by those that dwelt in Jerusalem, the holy city, the royal city, and their rulers. Their sin was that though they found no cause for death in him, had no proof against him, had no reason to suspect him, he was not guilty of any crime and yet they still wanted to crucify him. They presented their address against Christ with such fury and outrage that they compelled Pilate to crucify him, not only contrary to his inclination, but contrary to his conscience; they condemned him to so great a death, though they could not convict him of the least sin. Paul could not charge his hearers, as Peter did; “You have with wicked hands crucified and slain him.” These, though Jews, lived far enough away. Paul places his charges on the Jews at Jerusalem and the rulers, to show what little reason those Jews of the dispersion had to be so jealous for the honor of their nation as they were, when it had brought upon itself such a load and stain of guilt as this, and how justly they might have been cut off from all benefit by the Messiah. The reason for this was because they didn’t know him. They didn’t know who he was, or what errand he came into the world for. If they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Christ owned this in extenuation of their crime: “They know not what they do.” It was also because they did not know the voice of the prophets though they heard them read every Sabbath day. They did not understand nor consider that it was foretold that the Messiah should suffer, or else they would never have been the instruments of his suffering.