The book of Acts
Paul and Barnabas in
Iconium, Lystra, Derbe and return
Chapter 14
Arriving at Iconium, Paul and Barnabas again began their testimony in the synagogue, as usual.
Again, they reported the facts they had witnessed, and with conviction and power of the Holy Spirit proved that they confirmed the prophecies of the Old Testament, and called everyone to make the decision to believe that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, and trust Him for their salvation.
Again, a multitude of Jews and Gentiles believed, but the Jews who refused to believe them became their enemies, and so provoked and incited the Gentiles to act against the "brethren" (referring to Paul and Barnabas).
[It should be noted that the Lord Jesus had called His disciples "brethren" (Matthew 12:49, 25:40, 28:10, etc.), this being a common expression among the Jews (Acts 1:15-16, 2:29, 13:15, 26, etc.). In the biblical account, it seems that the first time converted Gentiles were called "brethren" was in Acts 15:1. It became very common, and eventually it was the word most used in the Epistles to refer to believers, both Jews and Gentiles (134 times), far more than "saints" (69 times), or "believers" (9 times) and least of all "Christians" (only once)].
The unbelieving Jews customarily provoked native inhabitant Gentiles to act against the apostles, also Jewish, who came to proclaim the Gospel in their locality. This is what they did in Iconium but Paul and Barnabas continued for quite some time there, speaking boldly of the Lord. He confirmed the message of His grace by performing signs and wonders by their hands (a "sign" is a proof of legitimacy, "wonder" is something good and surprising: these were the "signs of the apostle" of Paul (2 Corinthians 12:12).
Over time, factions arose among the inhabitants of the city, one of those who were in favour of unbelieving Jews and the other of the supporters of the apostles.
Finally, the leaders of those opposed to the Gospel, both Jews and Gentiles, conspired to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas. When they became aware of it they fled to Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia, and the surrounding cities. They did not keep in hiding, but dedicated themselves to preaching the Gospel throughout the district of Lycaonia.
It is clear that the apostles knew when to resist their enemies and when to run away from them. Both were filled with the Holy Spirit, and no doubt were guided by Him. They had much room in which to work, the Gospel had already reached a sufficient number of souls in Iconium, so the church could be formed and evangelism grow through the witness of the new converts. The aggression planned by the Jews served as a warning that they must work in other areas needing the Gospel.
One day while Paul preached in Lystra, among the attentive crowd was a man who, because of a defect in his feet since birth, was a cripple and had never walked. Paul “observed him intently and saw that he had faith to be healed." We do not have a clear explanation of what this meant. What seems most likely is that the man had understood who Jesus Christ was, and was ready to follow Him. Perhaps he had heard about the signs and wonders done by the apostles in Iconium, for it would have been news of great interest to him, given his condition.
As soon as Paul told him to stand up straight on his feet, this man stood up, not swaying but he leaped and walked normally. This prompt and absolute healing greatly impressed the people that saw it and they concluded that only a god could do such a thing. Therefore, they thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods who had come down to them in the likeness of men.
The king of the gods in Greek mythology, the religion that prevailed there, was Zeus and Hermes was one of his children (the Romans called them Jupiter and Mercury respectively), whose function would be to be the messenger of the gods. As it was Paul who preached and talked most, it was easy to conclude that he would be Hermes, and Barnabas was Zeus.
It seems that Paul and Barnabas were unaware of this, because the people of Lystra spoke in a language that they did not know, until the priest of Jupiter, who had a temple in front of the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gate to offer them sacrifices.
When they realized what was happening, Barnabas and Paul tore their clothes (a gesture indicating that the priest was doing an act of blasphemy - Matthew 26:65). They then ran into the midst of the people, shouting that they were men with the same nature as them, and that they were there to tell them the good news about the true living God, the Creator of all things, so they would leave their useless idolatry and convert to Him.
It is noteworthy that the apostles did not take the Old Testament and its prophecies as their basis, as they did in the synagogues: after all this people knew nothing about them, but talked about creation, a subject that interested the Gentiles a lot everywhere, and through the ages until today. They had difficulty in persuading the people, but ultimately succeeded.
However, the Jews of Antioch of Pisidia and of Iconium were determined to hush up the ministry of the two evangelists in Lystra. They came together to Lystra and persuaded the crowds to turn against Paul and Barnabas, they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
The volatility of that crowd, that was willing to accept the falsehoods spread by Jews from other cities against the two outsiders, soon after they had been prepared to worship them as gods because of the great miracle they had done among them, is surprising.
It is another example of how the Gospel of the grace of God, that demands a response from the sinner for or against repenting and submitting to the Lordship of Christ, may give rise to the most violent reactions. This is what has happened very often over time.
The world lives in darkness and hates the light because it reveals its evil deeds, as the Lord Jesus said, "… this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed." (John 3: 19-20).
The text under study says that Paul was left out of town because they supposed that he was dead. However, when the disciples came there, he rose up and entered the city, and with Barnabas left for Derbe on the next day. His recovery was miraculous, and some believe that this was the occasion to which Paul refers in 2 Corinthians 12:2, when he says he does not know if he was caught in body or spirit.
If it really was on this occasion, the vision Paul had would have given him great strengthening in his faith. With Barnabas at his side, they announced the gospel in Derbe, where they made many disciples, then returned to the cities where the Jews had persecuted and mistreated them. They evidently gave no more importance to personal safety, but took care to strengthen the churches being born in those places.
Both in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch they encouraged ("strengthened the souls") of the converts, called here "disciples", “exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God’”. These disciples had already seen the example of their masters, persevering through persecution. They also appointed overseers, called elders, in every church.
In later times Paul visited Lystra again, and there he met a young man named Timothy, one of the disciples, highly recommended by the brethren of the church that was formed there (chapter 16:1-2). Timothy became a great servant of God, who helped Paul in the formation of churches, as seen by the two epistles inspired by the Holy Spirit that Paul sent him, and preserved in the Bible.
The two missionaries then returned to Antioch of Syria, thus completing this first missionary journey, and reported to the church in that city all that had befallen them. “So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”
R David Jones
1 Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed.
2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.
3 Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
4 But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
5 And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them,
6 they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region.
7 And they were preaching the gospel there.
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked.
9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
10 said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.
11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"
12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out
15 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,
16 who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
18 And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
19 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
20 However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
24 And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25 Now when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26 From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.
27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
Acts chapter 14