From what transpired immediately, a week later and in the subsequent weeks or possibly months we can trace out a divinely ordained spiritual dynamic in Jewish and Gentile response to the gospel and the Christian missionary's reaction.

As Luke reports division, he highlights for us the positive response. The people invited (compare 13:15) Paul and Barnabas to speak further about these things on the next sabbath. Many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism (proselytes), however, made a definite positive decision, for they followed Paul and Barnabas (used only here in Acts to indicate Christian commitment; compare Lk 5:27; 9:23, 59; 18:22). By encouraging them to continue in the grace of God, Paul is not urging them to pursue Christ as they had trusted in God's grace given in the Old Testament (contrast Marshall 1980:229). Rather, in light of his exhortation (Acts 13:38-39) and the parallel thought at Acts 11:23, they are to remain in the salvation offered in the gospel (13:23, 26, 38-39) and not return to the performance way of obedience of the Old Testament law and Jewish tradition. This encouragement was well placed when we remember the attacks that these churches subsequently sustained from Judaizers (compare Gal 1:6-7; 3:1-6; 5:7-12; 6:11-13).

The next sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. Evidently the word had spread and brought fruit through those who had heard the gospel. Again, the preaching of the Word, in particular a word about the Lord Jesus Christ, is central to the church's missionary enterprise and its advance. The negative response seems only to be hinted at.

The initial rejection comes when the Jews' jealousy is aroused by the crowds of Gentiles flooding into synagogue service. Though envy over the newcomers' success may be a factor (Marshall 1980:229), the main issue seems to be Paul's willingness to receive Gentiles directly into the people of God. He offers them an equal share in the spiritual blessings of the Messiah's kingdom simply based on faith, without requiring that they become Jews first (Longenecker 1981:429). The Jews speak out against Paul's message abusively—from the Christian perspective "blasphemously" (compare Acts 18:6; 26:11).

The final rejection occurs when the unbelieving Jews [incite] the God-fearing women of high standing—that is, Roman women who are attracted to Judaism but have not received Paul's message (13:50). These, in turn, probably influence their husbands, the leading men or magistrates of the city (compare 28:7). Thus the Jews [stir] up persecution against Paul and Barnabas (8:1; 2 Macc 12:23) and have exile imposed on the missionaries. The magistrates banish them from the municipality. Since the magistrates' tenure was only for a year, the banishment is in effect temporary (Williams 1985:229; a violent expulsion is not necessarily indicated, despite Stott 1990:228).

Though the church's battle is for human hearts and minds and its weapons are spiritual, Christians must be prepared to face governmental attempts to restrict their evangelizing activities. Today, with the militant advance of Islam, the revival of traditional religions tied to resurgent nationalism, and secular humanism's systematic attack on religious faith expressions in public life, Christians have many opportunities to encounter the tactics employed against Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch.

In an initial but decisive withdrawal from the Jews, Paul and Barnabas set forth the divine priority of Christian mission: "to the Jew first." Although Paul consistently spoke of himself as "apostle to the Gentiles" (Rom 11:13; 15:16; Gal 1:16; 2:9), his mission was always to be carried out by going to "the Jew first" (Rom 1:16-17). This priority was a matter of theological necessity, and it applies to the conduct of Christian mission today. We must make sure Jews are not overlooked but are a priority in any evangelistic thrust into an unreached-peoples area.

The Jews' rejection of the gospel was a decision to judge themselves unfit for eternal life, the life of the age to come (compare 5:20; 11:18; 13:40-41, 48). Because of this and the Lord Jesus' mandate (Lk 24:47; Acts 1:8), Paul now turns to direct his preaching completely to the Gentiles. He finds his warrant in Isaiah 49:6, the Father's command to the Servant-Messiah. The Gentile mission is not "plan B." The declaration and quotation comfort Theophilus (and us as well) by asserting that the Gentile mission was part of God's original intent.

At their final, forced withdrawal, the missionaries [shake] the dust from their feet in protest against them (NIV adds in protest, v. 51). Some take the action as a sign of contempt, parallel to the Jews' practice of shaking off the dust of "unclean" foreign lands as they reentered the Holy Land (Lake and Cadbury 1979:160). Others, more correctly, see it, according to the Lord's instruction, as a sign of disassociation from a community doomed to destruction (Lk 9:5; 10:10-11; compare Acts 18:6). Such destruction will be so complete that if one is to avoid it, one must remove from oneself the very dust of the place. Because the disassociation is from the persecutors, Paul can later return to the city and work there.

Sometimes people reject the gospel so decisively that the only way to speak "the good news" is to inform the opponents of "the bad news" of the eternal judgment that they continue to face, in the hope that this "shock therapy" will lead to repentance (compare Rev 9:20-21; 16:9, 11, 21).

Jewish rejection never defeats the advance of the gospel (13:48-49, 52). There is always further progress. The Gentiles rejoice that the gospel is indeed for them (compare 15:31). They honor (literally, "glorify") the word of the Lord. And they believe and come to salvation (13:12; 14:1, 23; compare 13:39; contrast 13:41). Using predestination terminology, Luke is careful to point out here, as elsewhere, that this faith is above all God's work (2:41, 47; 5:14; 6:7; 11:21, 24; 21:19-20; compare Is 4:3; Dan 12:1; Lk 10:20; Phil 4:3; Rev 20:12-15; 21:27; Jubilees 30:20; 1 Enoch 104:1). We too must always keep before us the antinomy of faith as a personal human decision and as a divine gift according to God's election.

In conclusion, Luke notes that the gospel spreads to the whole region from this main garrison city with road links to five outposts (Acts 19:10). Qualitatively the gospel sustained itself in the disciples' joy though their church planter was forced to leave them (13:52; compare 8:8; 5:41; 11:23; 12:14; 15:3). Outward circumstances do not finally determine the well-being of the spiritually liberated.