But
they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.
Acts 13:51
Acts 13 [46.] Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, “It was necessary that God’s word should be spoken to you first. Since indeed you thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.’”
Acts 13 [48.] As the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. The Lord’s word was spread abroad throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of their borders. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 14 [1.] In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed. But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers. Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them, they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region. There they preached the Good News.
Meaning:
Acts 13:51 records a dramatic gesture at the end of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry in Antioch of Pisidia, a Roman colony in what is now central Turkey. Many Gentiles had joyfully believed the gospel, but some of the Jewish leaders stirred up influential people against the missionaries and drove them out. As they left, Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet, exactly as Jesus had instructed his disciples to do, and moved on to the next city.
- A Familiar Jewish Gesture
Devout Jews returning to the Holy Land from Gentile territory were known to shake the dust off their sandals so as not to bring defilement into Israel. The gesture said, “We have no part with this place.” Jesus took this custom and gave it a startling new use. When he sent out the twelve, he told them that if a town would not receive them, “shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them” (Mark 6:11).
Paul and Barnabas were applying the Lord’s instruction. By shaking off the dust against those who rejected the message, they declared that they had faithfully delivered God’s word and that responsibility now rested with the hearers.
- Rejection and Opportunity
The rejection in Antioch was not the end of the story. Paul had just announced that, since many of the Jews refused the message, the apostles would turn to the Gentiles, quoting God’s call to be “a light for the Gentiles” (Acts 13:47-48). The gospel spread through the whole region. Opposition pushed the missionaries on to Iconium, where a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed.
This pattern runs through Acts: persecution scatters the messengers, and the scattering spreads the message. God turns opposition into opportunity.
- Joy in the Holy Spirit
The verse that follows is remarkable: “The disciples were filled with joy with the Holy Spirit.” The new believers left behind in Antioch, facing hostility, were not crushed. Jesus had said, “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you… Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad” (Matthew 5:11-12).
The Significance of Acts 13:51
- Faithfulness, Not Results
Shaking off the dust was not an act of bitterness or revenge. It was a solemn warning and a refusal to be discouraged. Christians are responsible to share the gospel faithfully; the response belongs to the hearers and to God. Like Paul, we can say that our aim is to finish the race and testify to the grace of God (Acts 20:24).
- Wise and Moving Forward
Jesus sent his disciples out “as sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). Wisdom sometimes means moving on rather than staying to fight. When one door closes, God opens another, and his word continues to spread.
Cross-References:
Mark 6:11: "Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them." Paul and Barnabas obeyed Jesus’ instruction to the twelve.
Matthew 10:16: "Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Jesus prepared his messengers for opposition.
Matthew 5:12: "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you." The joy of the believers in Antioch reflects this beatitude.
Acts 20:24: "But these things don’t count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify to the Good News of the grace of God." Paul’s focus remained on faithful testimony whatever the reception.
Conclusion: Acts 13:51 shows the apostles following Jesus’ instructions when their message was rejected. They shook off the dust, refused to be discouraged and carried the gospel to the next city, while the believers they left behind overflowed with joy. Believers today can share the good news faithfully, leave the results with God and keep moving forward in the joy of the Holy Spirit.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible