GOOD NEWS CAUSES GREAT REJOICING
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to
bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoicedG5463
and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. And
the word of the Lord spread throughout that region. The Jews, however, incited the religious
women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against
Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. So they shook the dust off their feet
in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joyG5479 and
with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:47-52
Paul and Barnabas had been preaching to the Jews in Pisidian Antioch, but they rejected their message about Jesus. Therefore, they turned their attention to the Gentiles. The Gentiles rejoiced to learn about Jesus—the Jewish Messiah who had been rejected by His own people. Paul and Barnabas were the first to share but must not have been the only ones talking about Jesus because “the word of the Lord spread throughout that region.” In their joyous exuberance the new Gentile believers eagerly shared the Gospel with everyone they knew. The Jews in the city were aggravated by the stir caused by Paul and Barnabas and used the leading women to incite a riot of persecution against them to drive them out of town. As Jesus had instructed the Twelve when they encountered persecution or their message was not well received, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet as they left Pisidian Antioch.
Mark 6:11 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that place, as a testimony against them. (see also Matthew 10:14, Luke 9:5)
Which disciples were filled with joy? Paul and Barnabas or the people who had newly become followers of Jesus? Or both? Paul and Barnabas could certainly rejoice over new brothers and sisters added to the family of God and, also, to have been counted worthy to suffer persecution because of their love for Jesus.
13:52 When the Holy Spirit is doing his work within you, you can experience internal peace and joy regardless of your external circumstances. (46)
Tony Evans
Another reference material suggests that the new believers were the ones filled with “joy and the Holy Spirit:”
13:52 The new “disciples” left behind at Pisidian Antioch, far from being discouraged at this turn of events, were “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (47)
Expositor’s Bible Commentary
It is highly likely that both perspectives are true. Surely the missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were joyful and filled with the Holy Spirit. Upon believing the Good News of Jesus, the Gentile believers were inhabited by the Holy Spirit and experiencing the true joy of God’s presence in their lives.
Does the presence of the Holy Spirit cause you to rejoice? Do you consider it a joy to obey God even when some people react adversely to your message?
Father, may our delight truly be found in You. May true joy be seen on our faces and reflected in our attitudes. Please grow the fruit of the Spirit “joy” within us causing it to blossom in such a way that others see You.