Acts 13:26-41
The Promise Fulfilled in Jesus
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26Brothers, children of Abraham, and you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
28And though they found no ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.
29When they had carried out all that was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30But God raised Him from the dead,
31and for many days He was seen by those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now His witnesses to our people.
32And now we proclaim to you the good news: What God promised our fathers
33He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’
34In fact, God raised Him from the dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
35So also, He says in another Psalm: ‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’
36For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.
37But the One whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
38Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
39Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you:
41‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The rulers condemned Jesus without grounds for a death sentence. They heard the prophets read every Sabbath, yet failed to recognize the One those Scriptures pointed to. Their wrongdoing did not defeat God's promise: even in condemning Jesus, they fulfilled what had been written about him.
But God raised Him from the dead,
Paul points to people who saw Jesus alive and now bear witness to him. He also explains the Scriptures. David died and his body decayed, so the promise that God's Holy One would not see decay reaches beyond David to the risen Jesus. This Savior will not return to the grave.
That matters for everyone listening. Through Jesus, Paul announces forgiveness and justification—a right standing before God that the law of Moses could not give them. Everyone who believes receives this through him. Paul is not offering another chance to build a faultless record; he is announcing what the risen Savior gives to sinners.
The invitation comes with a warning. It is possible to hear about God's work and scoff at it. Familiarity with Scripture did not keep the rulers from rejecting Jesus, and it is no substitute for trusting him now.
How We Know
Paul's argument can be followed in the passages he quotes: Psalm 2:7 speaks of God's Son, Isaiah 55:3 of the sure blessings promised to David, and Psalm 16:10 of God's Holy One not seeing decay. Acts 13:36–37 explains why Paul applies the last promise to Jesus rather than to David, whose body did decay. These references make the Scriptural reasoning visible; the claim that Jesus rose is also supported within the sermon by the testimony of those who saw him alive (Acts 13:30–31).
Questions
1 What did the rulers fail to recognize?
AnswerThey failed to recognize Jesus or understand the prophets read every Sabbath, and their judgment fulfilled those very writings.
2 What did God do after Jesus was placed in a tomb?
AnswerGod raised Jesus from the dead, fulfilling the promise made to the fathers and providing witnesses who saw Him afterward.
3 What is proclaimed through Jesus?
AnswerForgiveness of sins and justification from everything the law of Moses could not justify are proclaimed through Jesus.
4 What warning did Paul give?
AnswerHe warned them not to become scoffers who marvel at God’s work only to dismiss it, as the prophets had warned.
What This Means for Us
When we have done wrong, we may try to balance it with something good or hide it behind excuses. Paul gives us a better place to turn: forgiveness through Jesus. We can confess plainly to God and to the person we hurt, trusting Christ rather than defending our record. Making amends matters, but it cannot purchase the acceptance he gives.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for the forgiveness and new standing you give. Keep us from treating your resurrection as a small idea, and help us respond with faith. Amen.