1. Acts 13:6 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How did Saul and Barnabas cross paths with a Jewish sorcerer?

Acts 13:6 (ESV)

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.

Since the false prophet named Bar-Jesus was of Jewish descent, he was probably known to the local synagogue. As a result of his association with magic, a practice forbidden by Deuteronomy 18:10–12,1 he would not have enjoyed good standing in the local Jewish community.2