The Gospel’s Worldwide Mission Begins at Antioch

Commentary 20 on Acts 11:19-26

Fr. Pat Collins, CM

Lectio Divina

28th Sept 2026

William Barclay observes in his commentary on Acts that in these verses one of the greatest events in history is described.  Now, for the first time, the gospel is deliberately preached to the Gentiles.  There have been three steps on this journey.

First, Philip preached to the Samaritans; but the Samaritans after all were half-Jewish and formed a bridge between the Jewish and the Gentile world.

Second, Peter accepted Cornelius; but it was Cornelius who had taken the initiative. It was not the Christian Church that sought out Cornelius; it was Cornelius who sought out the Christian Church. Further, it is stressed that Cornelius was a God-fearer and, therefore, already on the fringes of the Jewish faith.

Third, in Antioch the Church did not go to people who were Jews or half-Jews, nor wait to be approached by Gentiles seeking admission; with determination and without waiting for the invitation, it preached the gospel to the Gentiles. Christianity was finally launched on its worldwide mission.

Here we have a truly amazing fact. The Church had taken the most epoch-making of all steps; and we do not even know the names of the people who took those steps. All we know is that they came from Cyprus and Cyrene. It would appear that they were Hellenists, i.e., Greek-speaking Jewish Christians who brought the kerygma to non-Jewish areas. They go down in history as nameless pioneers of Christ.  What the Church has always needed, perhaps more than anything else, is people who never care who gains the credit as long as the work is done. These Christians may not have written their names in the history books; but they have written them forever in God’s Book of Life.

Another striking feature is that this incident begins a section of Acts where Antioch would occupy center stage. Antioch was the third greatest city in the world next to Rome and Alexandria. It stood near the mouth of the River Orontes, fifteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. It was lovely and cosmopolitan, but it was notorious for luxury and immorality. It was famous for chariot-racing and for a kind of deliberate pursuit of pleasure which went on literally night and day. But, most of all, Antioch was famous for the worship of Apollo at Daphne, whose temple stood five miles out of the town amid laurel groves. The priestesses of the Temple were sacred prostitutes, and nightly in the laurel groves the worshippers met with the priestesses. It seems incredible, but nonetheless it is true that it was in a city like this that Christianity took a great stride forward to becoming the religion of the world. We need only think of that to be reminded that no situation is hopeless.

When the leaders of the church at Jerusalem got word of what was going on at Antioch, they sent Barnabas to investigate.  He was a Cypriot Levite who sold his land and gave the proceeds to the apostles, demonstrating his commitment to the early Christian community.  When he saw the Gentiles being brought into the fellowship of the Church, he was pleased; but he recognised that someone must be put in charge of this work.  Barnabas knew the very person. For nine years or so, we have heard nothing of Paul. The last glimpse we had of him, he was escaping by way of Caesarea to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30). No doubt, for these nine years he had been witnessing for Christ in his native place; but now the task for which Paul had been destined was ready for him, and Barnabas with profound wisdom put him in charge of it. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. The title began as a nickname.  Christian means “these Christ-folk” or “partisans of Christ.” It was a contemptuous nickname and probably intended as a form of mockery, but eventually the Christians accepted it and made it known to all the world. By their lives, they made it a name not of contempt but of respect and admiration and even wonder. As 1 Pt 4:16 says, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”