“Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.”
Acts 13:46 (NLT)
After Paul and Barnabas preached, the people begged them to come back. They had gotten the message of the Good News. They caught a glimpse of it. It doesn’t record it in the passage, but I’m sure many accepted Jesus. They were basically saying, “I’ve been saved, now I have to be shown how to live saved.”
The people longed for more of the good news. Paul and Barnabas were gracious, and they did come back. The people who received the Good News must have gone and told everybody about it. As a result, almost the entire city came to hear the Word of the Lord. They came to hear the Word of God, not the word of man.
But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they misjudged the situation. They thought the people were gathering for Paul and Barnabas, but they were gathering for the message of Jesus Christ. Paul and Barnabas were just the instruments, the vehicles, or the conduit of the message. Some of the Jews were jealous because of how they misjudged the situation, so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.
But praise God, Paul and Barnabas were not hindered. They did not slow down. They had already declared boldly that eternal life comes through belief in Jesus, not through our own worthiness. Paul and Barnabas courageously speak again, declaring these Jews refused to embrace eternal life by rejecting the message of Jesus. They were looking at the wrong thing; inward instead of upward. So today, do not keep looking inward and deem yourself unworthy. Look up to Heaven. Look at what Jesus has done, not you. Believe and embrace the message of Jesus, then walk in the grace God has given you, for life today and life forever.