Paul's First Missionary Journey, continued

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Iconium

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Verses 1 thru 7, record Paul's efforts at Iconium. Iconium was a large city by the standards of that day. It was famous for its plum and apricot orchards. It was located on the main trade route between Ephesus and Syria. It was on the boarder of Galatia and Pisidia. It had long been famous for its rug and textile industries that used the wool from mountain goats in their products.

Notice that Barnabas and Paul again go first to the Jewish Synagogue. Even though the Jews at Antioch had treated them so harshly, they still felt it was their duty to go to the Jew first. Word must have gotten to this city from Antioch for when Barnabas and Paul got to the synagogue, thousands had gathered to hear what they had to say. Notice there were Jews and Gentiles and no distinction was made, they were approached at the same time and on the same level. Matthew Henry notes that the Jews still had their high standing here as they did at Antioch but here, the Gentiles had an equal standing.

Their message was particularly meaningful here. Verse 11 says that a great company believed, both Jew and Gentile. Many adjectives have been used to describe this message. It was said that they spoke so plainly, so convincingly, with such evidence, warmly,affectionately, earnestly, seriously and boldly. Those who heard could not help but know that it was of God. But again, Satan was at work. verse 2 says that the Jews stirred up the Gentiles.

This time, because they were jealous of the success of Barnabas and Paul, they began by making remarks about them and about those who believed. These remarks were not true and they falsely interpreted the message and the results that it had. They poisoned the minds of those who may have become a part of this early Christian movement and even worse, they allowed themselves to be used by the Jews in their efforts against Barnabas and Paul.

But Barnabas and Paul were not deterred in any way, rather, they spoke boldly without "watering down" their message. They were not afraid of anything that these disturbed Jews might do nor of those whom they had proselyted. Their message was used of God and the Holy Spirit blessed their ministry. Verse 3 says that they remained there a long time and that many signs and wonders were done by their hands.

Many miracles of healing, spiritual and physical, were done and much evidence that the Lord was with them and by His divine Grace, an abundance of good was done. But the Jews were not to be outdone. Success always brings Satan into the picture. The city became divided. Some sided with the Jews and some with the Apostles. Jesus said in Luke 12:51, "I have not come to bring peace upon the earth but rather division."

We can see why Barnabas and Paul were being condemned. Before they came, the city was united, their preaching had divided the city, but as Matthew Henry says, "It was better that part of the city be saved than all be lost even if it did divide them." Notice it is still the unbelieving Jews and some Gentiles that were causing problems for them and now they were being joined by the city rulers. The plan was to accuse Barnabas and Paul of plotting an insurrection (civil disturbance) and then, by the use of trumpeted up charges, have them stoned to death, but Barnabas and Paul hear of this plot and leave the city and go to Lystra. Friends probably got wind of what was being plotted and warned them and they made an honorable retreat.

It would appear that after they left, the trouble makers were satisfied and made no further effort to follow them. Derbe and Lystra were close together and it would appear that Barnabas and Paul spent sometime in that area preaching the Gospel.

Lystra

In verses 8 thru 20 of Chapter 14, we have recorded the miraculous healing that was done by Paul. A man, lame from birth, was in the area where Paul was preaching. The man was well known and it was common knowledge that he had no use of his legs, he could not stand nor walk. This man, led of the Spirit, upon hearing Paul preach was able to believe that the message was from God. He was also able to believe that the messenger was also from God.

Paul saw the man and perceived his faith and also his desire to be healed. Notice the difference between this man and the man at the Temple Gate that Peter healed. The man at the gate asked for money, this man asked to be healed. So Paul looking intently at the man, and seeing his great faith, said in a loud voice, loud enough for all to hear, "Stand upright on your feet." Paul did not shout to achieve personal notice but rather to inspire others to seek and expect physical and spiritual healing also.

Notice how the man demonstrated his faith. He stood up immediately, yes even leaped to his feet and began walking to and fro among them. He did not hesitate, he did not consider the fact that he had never walked before, therefore, did not know how to walk. He simply, by faith, leaped up and walked. This fulfilled scripture as prophesied in Isa. 35:1, "The wilderness of the Gentile world will be made to bloom as the rose and the lame man leap as a hart."

Now, what impression did this healing have on the people? They were amazed. They had never seen anything like it before. They shouted, "The Gods have come down to us in the likeness of men." A while back Herod spoke and the crowd shouted, "The voice of a god not of a man." Herod was struck dead, why wasn't Paul? Herod accepted their phrase, Paul tore his garment and cried out, "Why are you doing this, we also are men like you."

Luke notes that Paul spoke in Lycao'nian. This was a dialect of the Lystra-Iconium region. It was used by the uneducated mountain people whose life style was typified by their treatment of Paul. One minute he was a god the next minute they were stoning him to death. Unpredictable, uneducated, barbarian in many ways. Notice they call Barnabas "Zeus", which was Greek for the Roman god Jupiter.

Zeus was the chief deity of the ancient Greek and a temple had been built to him in Lystra. He was always depicted as carrying a thunderbolt. To them, this was Barnabas, he appeared to be the chief and spoke with a loud voice. They called Paul Hermes, the Greek for the Roman god Mercury. This god was called the "messenger" of the gods and to them this is what Paul was. According to Greek mythology, Zeus always took Mercury with him everywhere he went as a spokesman. So they assumed that the two gods had chosen to come to Lystra as Barnabas and Paul.

The Temple to Zeus was located at the gate to the city, standing as its protector and guardian. The Priests at the Temple heard the news and decided that they should pay their respects to the honored pair, so they sacrificed oxen and put garlands on the heads of Barnabas and Paul. Notice Barnabas and Paul protest in the usual Jewish manner, they tare their garments. They were more concerned that the credit for the healing went where it belonged, and that God received the honor not themselves. It would have been so easy to have accepted all this honor and phrase for themselves, and certainly it would have opened up the city to them and their message and no one would have dared dispute them or be disrespectful to them in any way.

But they did not, they could not for Christ had put honor enough upon them by calling them to be apostles. Notice how they demonstrated that they were not gods by rather ordinary men like the others there, "They rushed out amongst the crowd." Had they been gods, they would have separated themselves from the crowds. They also declared that the doctrine that they preached , "The Good News Doctrine", was not designed to acknowledge nor honor their pagan gods but rather to abolish all gods accept the one true and living God, the One who had made the heavens and the earth and the seas and all that were in them.

They stressed the debt that was owed by all people to this God for His patience for He could have, long ago, destroyed them for their idolatry. But verse 16 says that He allowed all nations to walk in their own way, hoping they would see the error of their ways as none were without excuse. The Gentiles had the witness of their conscience and the Jews the revelation of the scriptures and the words of the Prophets, and all people had the evidence of His care in the rain and fruitful seasons that provided for their physical care.

All this knowledge and wisdom in these words of Paul only further demonstrated to there people that surly they must be gods and it took great care and argument to restrain them from offering a sacrifice to them. Finally, Barnabas and Paul get them straightened out. They were not gods, as they thought, they were Apostles of Jesus Christ.

Then trouble arrived from Antioch and Iconium. Probably the same Jews that had created trouble before. These Jews had heard of the great honor that the people of Lystra had put upon Barnabas and Paul and they couldn't stand still for that, so they came to Lystra and by lies and false accusations, they caused the people there to rise up against them. They incited the people to the point that they rioted and did not wait for any judicial judgment but rather took up stones and threw them at Paul. He was knocked down and out and assuming him dead, they dragged him out of the city, not even according him a potter's burial.

Barnabas and the believers followed the raging crown unable to do anything. After the crowd left, they went to Paul, assuming him dead, but were sorely surprised when Paul got up and returned into the city. Tradition had it that Paul was very much crushed and lacerated by the stones and had truly passed out from blows to the head. Nothing short of a miracle could have healed Paul to the extent that he was able to get up and return to the city. We would expect that it would require weeks for Paul to recover to the extent that he could travel but verse 20 says, "The next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe", where they preached the Gospel and made many disciples.

Backtrack

From Derby they back tracked and went back to Lystra, Iconium and finally Antioch.

Paul's experience at Lystra was similar to Christ's, one day they cried, "Hosanna", the next, "Crucify Him."

Timothy's home was at Derby and it would appear from what we read in Second Timothy that Paul met Timothy in Antioch before he and Barnabas started this journey and that Timothy may have accompanied them. They stayed as long as they thought fit at Derby and then returned to Antioch by way of Iconium and Lystra. Notice on their return trip they concerned themselves with teaching. The first time they preached the Gospel, this time they sought to give them assurance of their salvation.

They also encouraged them to continue in their new found faith and witness by their lives and their word to the lost around them. Lastly, they warned them of the persecution that was sure to follow, but encouraged them not to be weary for it is thru tribulation that we enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

They also elected leaders in each of the congregations, ordained them with prayer and fasting and committed them to the Lord. From Antioch in Pisidia, they went to Attalia, on the coast where they got a boat and set sail for Seleucia in Syria and then, a short distance on foot, to Antioch in Syria from which they had started this journey.

Report Time

Notice what happened when they got home. They gathered the church together and gave them an account of all that had happened during the year that they had been gone. Notice their statement, "They declared all that God had done with them." They took no credit as they could do nothing apart from the Holy Spirit. but God, working thru them, brought many souls into a saving relationship with Christ. Most astonishing was the work that was done among the Gentiles.

It was a great celebration for Barnabas and Paul had been ordained, set apart, and sent out by this congregation. As the two missionaries told of their great success, surly there was great pride and joy experienced by these people knowing that they had had a part of that journey.

Barnabas and Paul had earned a well-deserved rest. They remained there for quite some time with these people whom they had come to know and love. Matthew Henry says, "They stayed longer than they wanted to because they loved these people and found it very hard to leave." Well as we have seen in the past, good times did not last long for these early Christians. Problems have a way of arising. This brings us to our next lesson.

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