At this point in the bible, the first missionary journey has now covered 550 miles or so of a 1400-mile journey. The team left Antioch of Syria and went to Selucia; there they caught a ship to Cyprus and landed at Salamis. They traveled across Cypress to Paphos; then took another ship up to Perga. From there, they went north to Antioch of Pisidia. When they were run out of Antioch, shook the dust off and went to Iconium.
Acts 14:1-3
Iconium is a city that lies along 2 major trade routes. The city dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and is one of the oldest, continuously occupied cities in the world (know and Konya today). Even with that, there are no archaeological remains of the city Paul knew. The city has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt across the centuries. This is crossroads city known for its agriculture, wheat fields, apricot and plum orchards. The city would be one of the cities of Galatia Paul would later write a letter to. Even though it was a rough start, Iconium became a Christian city and was noted as such by Eusebius when he mentioned the transition of bishops. The predominant religion was a Turkish tradition of a queen mother and her priests. Then when the Greek mythical gods came along this story was blended with the stories of Prometheus and Athena bringing new life to earth after a great flood. It’s fascinating to see the blending of false religions, myths and traditions as mankind is always looking for answers, hope and an explanation for life. When the gospel truth cam along, things began to change, but the false hopes don’t give up easily.
Paul and Barnabas may have seen things they never encountered before. Antioch may have been the most immoral of all places on earth. Many of these cities seemed to have a temple built to every god and goddess imaginable. These false gods were worshiped and honored in the strangest of ways; worshiping sacred rocks, sacrificing strange things in strange ways and worshiping in immoral ways. All these were all part of the cultural norm at the time. None of these other false religions offered anything for the forgiveness of sin. The gospel went out to the gentile world, sinful people began to find forgiveness in the gospel message.
This 1st missionary Journey is probably several months along at the end of chapter 14. Estimates for the duration of the first missionary journey range from one year to three.
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Once again, we see the pattern of Paul and Barnabas, starting at the synagogue preaching to the Jews. Among the Jews were gentile proselytes to the Jews. These were gentiles who were living as Jews and had taken on the Law of Moses. Many of these people responded to Paul and believed. A great multitude came to know Jesus.
However, wherever there are believers, there are unbelievers. These unbelieving Jews made themselves out to be enemies of the gospel. They are not just unbelievers, but they wanted to keep anyone else from believing also. They did this by poisoning their minds. This is the primary ministry of the unbeliever, one of poisoning the mind of others. This Greek word translated 'poison' means to mistreat or harm. They incited resentment and stirred up distrust in the gentile’s minds by filling them with junk that contained no truth and no hope. They promoted religion, traditions, false teaching and chasing after gods that weren't gods at all. It’s so important that believers establish themselves in Christ, are filled with the Holy Spirit and have their minds and hearts guarded against the enemy. We must be thinkers and not driven by lusts, passions, traditions, emotions and feelings.
The initial response was encouraging, Paul and Barnabas stayed for some time, quite possibly months. They spoke boldly, honestly and without fear to:
- Disciple and encourage believers.
- Not allow new believers to be intimidated by unbeliever’s actions.
- Speak into the lives of the unbelievers.
God's response to the new believers as well as those who poisoned minds was to put on a display of His power. God began to use these men to do signs and wonders to bear witness to the word of God; the word of His grace. This is a display of the power of God.
Acts 14:4-7
Division seems to be the story of every city today. We’ve managed to divide ourselves along many lines, religious lines is one of the more prominent ones. While many people chase many different things, there are really on 2 views; those who believe in the God of the bible and those who don't.
The unbelievers are not just content to be unbelievers, they are bent on making everyone an unbeliever. What makes an unbeliever so violent against something in which they don’t believe? This talk of Jesus threatens them in some way:
- Threatens the validity of their religion.
- Threatens their throne.
- Threatens the sin they love
- Threatens change even when there is no indication it was a negative change.
The ‘violent attempt’ is a specific plan to ambush them. This was to verbally attack them, incite a mob action that would lead to stoning. When they became aware, they knew it was time to leave. They went about 15 miles south to Lystra. Derbe is then another 50 to 60 miles east of that. These are cities in the region of Lycaonia. In this region there would have been a different language and different government.
See 2 Timothy 3:10-14.
Acts 14:8-13
They came to Lystra first. This is another agricultural town in the high plains. These were towns that had no real identity of their own. They were ancient Turkey, but once part of Alexander the Great's conquest and now part of the Roman Empire. The people there would speak Greek, Latin, and Phrygian among other languages. These people worshiped Zeus and Hermes. This can be found in the archaeological evidence there. An inscription was found that records the dedication to Zeus on a statue of Hermes. Another records a dedication to “Zeus before the town,” throwing light on Acts 14:13 with its reference to the priest “of Zeus before the gate.”
This man was ordained by God for this purpose. How many times in his life did he ask why? This day he found out. God would glorify Himself through this man. How did Paul see this man’s faith? The Holy Spirit gave him eyes to see the man’s desire to be healed and belief that the God of the bible could do it. This man had never known what it was to stand upright, to walk, run, jump or have freedom to move. He was in bondage. Paul observed him intently. This is the same observation Paul gave to the sorcerer. The Greek word is 'antenisas'. It looks like antenna, as if Paul was scanning the people for which God had a word. As the word went out, for one the word brought salvation, for another it was rebuke, for another it was healing. When Paul spoke loud to this man, he leapt up and walked. This man, who Paul noted was a 'certain man' didn't just hear about Jesus but believed that the power of Jesus was for him. The same thing happens today. Everyone knows of Jesus, but few respond to the news of Jesus, allowing the His power to change their life. This healing was a display of the authenticity of the message.
Acts 14:14-18
According to tradition in Lystra, Zeus and Hermes came to town incognito asking for food and lodging. Everyone turned them down but a peasant named Philemon and his wife Baucis. The gods took vengeance by drowning everyone in a flood. Then they turned the cottage of Philemon and Baucis into a temple where they were to serve as priests and priestess. The people didn’t want to repeat the previous mistake so they looked diligently for Zeus and Hermes. This may have been why the people were quick to honor Paul and Barnabas as gods.
Hermes was known as a messenger of the gods. So, since Paul was doing all the talking, they probably assumed he was Hermes. Barnabas may have a little bit more of an authoritative look about him (as well as stature). This may be why they revered him as Zeus.
The fact that these folks were talking in the Lycaonian language may be why it took them so long to recognize that they were being worshiped. Paul finally understood what they are doing and rebuked them, tearing his clothes in a Jewish reaction to the blasphemy they were hearing. He explained that he was a man like them. He encouraged them to turn from their ways and gods to the Living God, the creator. It's worth noting that when Paul preached to the Jews he showed them how God moved in the past among their forefathers. This message had no value to the gentiles that made up the general population. Paul's message to them was God's grace and provision. He wanted them to recognize it was God who brought rain and fruitful seasons and joy. It wasn't Zeus or Hermes doing this for them (or Paul and Barnabas), it was the Living God.
Paul said that they were men also; men of the same nature; men who were sinful by nature. They needed to turn from the useless things they worshiped. These are strong words. Paul was bold in declaring the truth. They couldn't just add Jesus to their pagan ways, they needed to turn from their idolatry and run to Jesus, the Living God. Paul implies their gods are not only dead but had never lived.
The Living God has always been there. All that they have and have ever had came from God. These folks would have thanked Hermes and Zeus for their blessings. Paul declares that Hermes and Zeus are nothing and provided nothing. These things come from God, whether they realized it or not. These are the things of common grace.
Paul stood to bear witness to this people at this time who their God really was. It was all he could do to keep them from sacrificing to them. It may be about this time that Paul remembers what happened to Herod when he received the praise that belonged to God.
Acts 14:19-20
In days and time when travel was difficult, we see these Jews came all the way from Antioch, 120 miles away and join with the Jews from Iconium to come and make Paul miserable. It wasn't enough to just kick him out of their towns, they diligently opposed Paul. They stirred up the multitudes into a mob that stoned Paul and threw his body out of the city and left him for dead. Some of these people who threw stones were the same folks who wanted to sacrifice to him a few verses ago. How quickly the unthinking mind can be changed from one extreme to another. As the stones were being hurled at Paul, I wonder if he was thinking about when Stephen was stoned and he was part of the process.
Note: We see the same crowd following the gospel message today. They whip up opposition on the internet, television or newspaper. They are ready to stone or crucify those who follow Christ at least figuratively, if not literally. The amount of energy and time spent opposing the gospel message is out of proportion and becomes very evident to those whose spiritual eyes have been opened. If your mind is still veiled to the truth, this opposition feels normal and natural. The hatred and vitriol shown by these people as they call Christians close minded and hateful is amazing. The judgmental attitude they abhor is evident in their own speech as they judge those of Christ.
Paul was left for dead; these Jews went home thinking their business there was done. Stoning was usually a pretty reliable way to execute someone. It wasn't normal for anyone to survive this. But God! But God had other plans. The disciples, these new believers gathered around him. In Acts 16 we'll learn of a young Christian man and his mother from Lystra whose name was Timothy. He was probably one of the disciples there that day. He witnessed the power of God and the courage and commitment of Paul.
Some believe Paul was stoned to death and resurrected. Paul may have been speaking about this in Galatians 6:17 referring to the scars of this incident. He certainly included it in the list of perils in 2 Corinthians 11:25. Is this when Paul is taken to heaven? It's possible, though we don't know.
When Paul was back up and moving around, he didn't run to the next city. Instead, he went back into the city. While he had enemies there, he would not be driven away by them but only moved by God's will. There were many believers there and Paul may have wanted to give them a final word of encouragement before leaving. His very presence was a testimony to God's power and authority over all circumstances.
Acts 14:21-28
Paul then went to Derbe. It's in this same region but about 50 miles to the east. We don't know much about this place although it had a church and group of believers there. Paul also visited Derbe on his 2nd and 3rd journey's. A man named Gaius came from Derbe and traveled with Paul on his 3rd journey.
There's nowhere in the bible that says when you come to Jesus that all your problems will go away. The people of Derbe probably all heard of the issues at Lystra. They were probably feeling the pressure also and it may well have been making life difficult for them. Paul said, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Paul left Derbe and went back to the place where he was stoned, then back to Iconium and Antioch where these Jews that stoned him had come from.
Paul and Barnabas pass back through these cities to visit the believers they left there. They have no bible, no teachers, no mature believers. How could they survive in these pagan, idolatrous and immoral societies? How did they survive against the enemies of God and His gospel? How did they survive the tribulation? It certainly wasn't by their own savvy and their own power. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. What a journey we are on, what a great adventure. Even though we will face tribulations, we know Jesus is with us.
We can imagine when Paul and Barnabas came back through these cities that these new believers had gone through what every new believer goes though. They got attacked by the enemy. Their new faith was challenged and tested. They were accused, blamed and shamed as the enemy tried to get them to let go of Jesus, or at the very least quiet their testimony and slow the growth of the church. But these tribulations the enemy thrust on the church became opportunities for these believers to realize that this faith is a reality; this salvation is real; they could lean on it and it wouldn't break, it would hold them up. And the church grew.
We need to make a little mental note right here. Later when we get to the book of Galatians, we should think of these people. These folks, who are enduring opposition from the Jews and Gentiles, are the very people to whom Paul wrote the letter of Galatians.
These new believers began to work in the gifts given them. Just like Antioch, God raised up prophets, teachers and elders. They were put in the place of leadership through fasting and prayer as these fellowships of believers were commended to the Lord. That was their only hope of survival.
Pamphylia was a region known as a place where pirates and thieves had free reign. While some things were done and that trip was completed, their work was far from completed. In fact, it is just beginning.
Upon returning to Antioch, the first ever missionary report was given. We don't know how long they were gone, but the reunion must have been good fellowship. This journey started somewhere about 46 AD. By 50 AD Paul and Barnabas are at the council in Jerusalem.
Note: There is never a number associated with the gentile conversions. When Jews are converted there are numbers given. But the number of converted gentiles is a mysterious number that seems to trigger the end times and the rapture of the church. See Romans 11:25.
This trip and the experiences would make a great movie or book all of itself. Just think of all that went on. The travel and the dangers associated with it, then Elymas the sorcerer, driven out of Antioch and Iconium, nearly sacrificed to in Lystra only to then be stoned. Those were just the highlights we know. Then we could imagine the emotional highs and lows of seeing people saved but also seeing so many reject the good news. And then the witness, direction and power of the Holy Spirit so present in their day to day lives. I imagine they enjoyed telling the folks at Antioch how this lame leaped and walked after the Lord healed him. Most went unnoticed among the chaos of the response.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)
©2008, 2014, 2021 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater
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