John first preaching, before his coming, the baptism of penance to all the people of Israel.
προκηρυξαντος ιωαννου προ προσωπου της εισοδου αυτου βαπτισμα μετανοιας τω ισραηλ
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
By the "appearance" of which he speaks in the words, "before His very appearance," John the Baptist means the Incarnation of Christ, His appearing in the flesh. Likewise John the Evangelist often points to him, because his name was glorious throughout the whole world. See also that the writer does not speak about this on his own, but brings forward John's own testimony. Do you see how carefully he showed the present work of the divine economy?
Paul's sermon in this synagogue gives us the first example of the Apostle's wisdom and skill in acting upon the hearts of his hearers. Wishing to gain their attention and trust, he first points to how God chose them as a people set apart for Himself. Then he briefly reviews all that God did for His people until David, from whose seed the Messiah was to come in fulfillment of the promises. After this preparation, the Apostle turns to the chief purpose of his speech. He speaks of the appearance of the Messiah and of what He accomplished for the salvation of the human race. Paul now said, addressing the Jews and proselytes present, that this preaching of salvation was appointed for them.
Those whom this good tidings first reached, the Jews of Jerusalem and their rulers, refused to receive it. They did not recognize the Messiah, nor understand the prophecies read every Sabbath in the synagogue. Yet by condemning the Messiah to death, they could not destroy the promise. Rather, unknowingly and contrary to their own expectation, they served its fulfillment. For He endured all that He had to suffer according to the prophets' predictions, and rose from the dead. You did not see Him, but through faith in Him you can receive forgiveness of sins and justification, which the Law could never give. Having proclaimed this promise, the Apostle added a warning against unbelief.
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to the peninsula of Asia Minor and came to Perga in Pamphylia. From there John Mark returned to Jerusalem. Paul, with his other companions, continued the journey and advanced into the inland regions of Asia Minor. He came to Antioch of Pisidia. There the Apostle Paul's preaching about Christ made a powerful impression on the city's inhabitants. It converted many Jews and Gentiles to Christ. Yet the majority of the Jews remained deaf to the apostles' preaching. They even stirred up a disturbance against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the city. Therefore the apostles went on farther, shaking off the dust from their feet against them, according to Christ's commandment (Mt 10:14).
"Before His very appearance": that is, before the Lord entered upon His public ministry, which began with His Baptism. Then, according to His humanity, He received the Holy Spirit, or was anointed by the Spirit for His great ministry. "John the Baptist preached," and so forth.
Having quickly passed to the account of Jesus Christ as David's descendant, the Apostle Paul refers to John the Forerunner's testimony concerning Him. He reproduces John's words rather freely (cf. Jn 1:20). He says that John preached the baptism of repentance. That is, the Jews were to repent and, as a sign of readiness to receive cleansing, be immersed in the waters of the Jordan. The Apostle calls the time when Jesus Christ appeared the end of John's course, because his work was finished, though not all at once. Saint John Chrysostom gives special attention to this: "John does not bear witness simply, but thrusts away from himself the honor that all were giving him. It is not the same thing to refuse honor when no one offers it, and when many are rendering it."
One may think that the Apostle had certain special reasons for speaking in such detail about John the Forerunner. It is known that there were persons among the proselytes who knew about John's baptism and had even made use of it. Yet they had not received the power to which it directed them, as, for example, Apollos (cf. Acts 18:24-26; 19:4-6). The New Testament Zacharias, after speaking of the horn of salvation raised up from the house of David, adds: "as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old" (Lk 1:70). Likewise the Apostle, after unfolding the thought that salvation was foretold by the prophets, passes to the last and greatest prophet (cf. Lk 16:16), John the Forerunner. The reading from those prophets had just been heard with such reverence by those in the synagogue. John's ascetic image had not yet faded from the minds of many of the Apostle's hearers. The Baptist clearly testified to the person of the Savior at the end of his course (cf. Mt 3:11; Jn 1:20). The Baptist pointed not only to the person of the Messiah, to His time, and to the greatness of His work. He also pointed to the essence and character of that work, namely, that it would be inward, not outward. Immediately before His appearance, John preached the baptism of repentance. This meant such a spiritual disposition as would prepare the way to faith (cf. Acts 19:4) and forgiveness of sins (Acts 3:19). But as throughout its former history Israel always turned aside from God's straight paths, so it acted when the long-promised salvation appeared. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and the rulers did not recognize Him and crucified Him.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 13 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS