Martin Luther said, “Where the Lord builds a church, the devil builds a chapel . . .” Through the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, Jesus was building his church. When the people regathered the following Sabbath in Pisidian Antioch, almost the whole city showed up. So, who made it “almost” the whole city? Who were the naysayers or apathetic folks who missed the word of the Lord? God was clearly at work.
Never underestimate the negative power of jealousy. Crowd size remains a matter of contention to this day. The crowd listening to Paul and Barnabas was larger than the typical synagogue crowd. This awakened envy in the leaders of the Jewish community. So they heckled. Maybe they threw tomatoes or the first century equivalent. “That’s what he thinks,” someone shouted as Paul preached.
Paul and Barnabas responded by turning their attention to the Gentiles. “We had to give you first chance,” they explained to the opposition. Quoting Isaiah 49:6, Paul proclaimed that God’s grace was not only for the restoration of Israel but also a light to the Gentiles so that salvation might reach the ends of the earth. Delighted to be included, the Gentiles responded joyfully to the good news about the Lord. The ones who had been appointed for eternal life believed. Notice the sequence. God appointed them before they believed. Salvation is always God’s idea first. With those Gentiles we must agree, “What a great idea!” Luther was right: Where the Lord builds a church, the devil builds a chapel. To which one will we belong?
