Why Antioch Sent Away Its Best

Luke gives us this scene from the church at Antioch:

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I’ve called them.” And so after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and they sent them off. (Acts 13:2–3)

Now in a vacuum, that kind of runs along with the story we expect, right? It feels like what we know from the book of Acts: churches starting more churches. In fact, because of Paul’s writings, we generally know him as a church planter.

But the truth is, this right here is actually an incredibly important turning point in the story of the church. A moment I would argue is a continuation of the conviction that built such a surprising leadership in Antioch to begin with.1

Because up until this point in the book of Acts, we’re seeing a lot of evolution in the thinking of the early church. There’s Peter reinterpreting the Hebrew scriptures in the surprising light of Christ’s resurrection. We saw that with his sermon in Acts 2. And then we get to see him working out the implications of that sermon. He has this vision that reformats not just how he views the rules, but how he thinks about the people around him. Remember, the vision is ostensibly about food. But Peter comes out of it saying, “Now God has shown me I should not call anyone impure” (Acts 10:28).

Don’t mistake it. Peter gets it. This isn’t about diet. It’s about the expanding story of God’s grace in the world…

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