Luke-Acts session 18: The Gentile Mission (Acts 11–14)
September 22, 2023Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Outside of Jerusalem, Antioch was one of the most important centres for the early movement of Yeshua-followers. It is in Antioch that the message begins to spread not only to Jews, but also to non-Jews. Antioch would also become a sort of headquarters for Saul of Tarsus (Paul), as it is from there that he embarks on his main missionary journeys. In other words, Antioch becomes the headquarters of the Gentile mission. As we will see in a future episode, it also becomes the flashpoint for the first major controversy to rock the early Yeshua movement, and again the issue concerns Gentiles.
In this session, we look at the significance of Antioch in the book of Acts. We also take note of the subtle change in leadership of the Jerusalem community that Luke communicates in chapter 12. Finally, we take a whirlwind tour through the geography of Paul’s first mission in Acts 13-14. Along the way, we tackle several important questions: Why was it so controversial to share the gospel with Gentiles? Why does Barnabas think Saul/Paul needs to be in Antioch? Why does Saul’s name change to Paul? Does Paul give up on preaching the gospel to Jews?
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