the one God raised up

Acts 13:13-43 (JDV)

Acts 13:13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.
Acts 13:14 They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
Acts 13:15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”
Acts 13:16 Paul got up and motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen!
Acts 13:17 The God of this people Israel selected our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty arm.
Acts 13:18 And for about forty years he put up with them in the unpopulated region;
Acts 13:19 and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
Acts 13:20 This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
Acts 13:21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Acts 13:22 After removing him, he raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my desire.’
Acts 13:23 “From this man’s posterity, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Savior, Jesus.
Acts 13:24 Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism signifying repentance to all the people of Israel.
Acts 13:25 Now as John was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But notice – someone is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’
Acts 13:26 “Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this rescue has been sent.
Acts 13:27 Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.
Acts 13:28 Though they found no grounds for the death penalty, they asked Pilate to have him taken out.
Acts 13:29 When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.
Acts 13:30 But God raised him up from the dead,
Acts 13:31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his testifiers to the people.
Acts 13:32 And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.
Acts 13:33 God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by getting Jesus up, as it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father.
Acts 13:34 As to his getting him up from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.
Acts 13:35 In view of the fact that he also says in another passage, You will not let your Sacred One see decay.
Acts 13:36 You see, David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, went to sleep, was buried with his ancestors, and decayed,
Acts 13:37 but the one God raised up did not decay.
Acts 13:38 Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of mistakes is being proclaimed to you.
Acts 13:39 Everyone who believes is justified by him from everything that you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:40 So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
Acts 13:41 Look, you scoffers, marvel and disappear, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you.”
Acts 13:42 As they were leaving, the people urged them to speak about these matters the next Sabbath.
Acts 13:43 After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and persuading them to continue in the grace of God.

the one God raised up

Paul’s message in Pisidian Antioch centers on a single, decisive claim: Jesus of Nazareth stands utterly alone in human history. No other figure—prophet, king, or sage—shares His distinction. Paul builds this argument by drawing a sharp contrast between Jesus and even the most revered figure in Israel’s memory, King David. David was chosen, anointed, and celebrated, yet he died and, like all others, experienced decay. His tomb remained as evidence of his mortality. Therefore, when the Scriptures spoke of a “Holy One” who would not see corruption, the promise could not have referred to David. It pointed forward to someone greater.

That someone, Paul insists, is Jesus. He alone was raised from among the dead never to die again. Others in Scripture had been restored to life, but only temporarily; death eventually reclaimed them. Jesus’ resurrection, however, was permanent, decisive, and transformative. It marked Him as the fulfillment of God’s ancient promises and the inaugurator of a new age. His empty tomb became the sign that God had acted in history with finality and power.

Paul’s argument rests on two pillars: the testimony of Scripture and the historical reality of the resurrection. He does not appeal to philosophical speculation or mystical experience. He points to the written Word and to the fact that Jesus’ body did not remain in the grave. These are the evidences he offers for the uniqueness of Christ. Some listeners would marvel at this claim, not in the sense of admiration but in the sense of incredulous dismissal. They would hear the message, shake their heads, and walk away unchanged. The prophetic warning Paul cites anticipates this reaction: scoffers will look, marvel, and perish without embracing the truth.

Yet the message does not end with unbelief. Alongside the scoffers stand those whose hearts are opened, who recognize in the Scriptures and in the resurrection the unmistakable hand of God. These become followers—men and women who entrust themselves to the risen Christ and find in Him forgiveness, life, and hope. Paul’s sermon thus divides his audience, not by his own design but by the nature of the gospel itself. The resurrection demands a response, and that response reveals the posture of the heart.

Lord, we choose to follow your word and your Christ, the one you raised up.