Acts 13:42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see the wisdom of Paul? He not only moved those who heard him to wonder then, but also stirred in them a desire to hear him again. He sowed certain seeds, yet did not complete or conclude his discourse. He did this to draw them and dispose them toward himself, and not to weary their souls by giving them everything at once. He said, "Through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you" (Acts 13:38), but he did not show how this takes place. Yet let us return to what was said above. The people did not simply follow the apostles. How did they follow? They asked that they preach the same things again, and they showed their zeal in deed.

You have seen Paul's wise discernment. To bind the Gentiles to himself and dispose them favorably, and also not to scatter their attention by giving them everything at once, he first uttered several hints and left them unresolved. By this he awakened in the Gentiles a desire to hear him another time. He said that forgiveness of sins was being proclaimed to them, but he did not explain how this forgiveness would be accomplished. He did not baptize them at once, because it was not the proper time. "On the next Sabbath" means "on the coming Sabbath," as is clear below.

These words, filled with meekness, at first made a favorable impression. In the name of the whole assembly, they asked Paul to preach also on the following Sabbath, so that he might unfold the teaching set before them in greater detail.

From Paphos Paul and his companions sailed to the peninsula of Asia Minor and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark returned from there to Jerusalem, while Paul, with his other companions, continued the journey and went deeper into the interior regions of Asia Minor. He came to Antioch of Pisidia.

Here the preaching of the Apostle Paul concerning Christ made a powerful impression on the inhabitants of the city and turned 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).

"As they were going out" of the synagogue, "they begged them," and so forth. As may be inferred from the connection of the discourse, Paul and Barnabas, after the former had delivered his speech in the synagogue, expressed their intention to depart. They left the assembly before its formal dismissal, which is mentioned only in the following verse.

They could do this as strangers and guests, while the native attendants remained in the synagogue until the customary formal dismissal of the assembly. At this time, when they expressed their intention to leave and did leave, the request was addressed to them to speak of the same things at the next synagogue assembly, on the following Sabbath. For synagogue assemblies took place on the Sabbaths (v. 14).

The impression made by the apostle’s speech was strong. Some asked the apostles to speak the same teaching on the following Sabbath. Many Jews and proselytes at once followed the apostles, so that they might hear them further.

The apostles, speaking with them at length, probably converted some of them to such an extent that they felt within themselves the influence of the gift of grace. Therefore the apostles urged them to remain in Christ and in His grace.

"Why did he not baptize them at once? The time had not yet come," says Saint John Chrysostom. "They had to be taught, so that they might be firmly convinced."