In Iconium
14
📚And in Iconium it happened that they went together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 📚But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and poisoned their minds against the brethren 📖. 3 📚Therefore, for a long time they stayed there, speaking boldly in the Lord, who gave testimony to the word of his grace by granting miraculous signs and wonders 📖 to be done by their hands.14:3 They stayed no doubt to strengthen the believers for the persecution they knew would come.⚜
4 📚But the multitude of the city was divided and part of them sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 5 📚And when there was a violent attempt made by both some of the Gentiles and some of the Jews with their rulers, to treat them outrageously and stone them, 6 📚they were aware of it, and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the region that lies around them. 7 📚And there they preached the gospel.
14:5-7 They stayed as long as they could and left when it was wise. Their death would not have benefited anyone – though they did not fear death (Phil 1:21-24; Heb 2:14-15). Lystra was a Greek town about 30 kilometers south and slightly west of Iconium.⚜
In Lystra and Derbe
8 📚And at Lystra there sat a certain man disabled in his feet, who was a cripple from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. 9 📚This man heard Paul speak. Paul looked intently at him and, perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 📚said with a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet”. And he leaped and walked.
14:9-10 Sometimes the Holy Spirit enables His servants to recognize faith at work in others.⚜
11 📚And when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men”. 12 📚And they called Barnabas, Zeus; and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
14:11-12 These people believed in many gods, as Greeks in general did. Zeus was the name Greeks gave to the one considered the chief god. Hermes they considered the messenger of the gods. The KJV here (but not the Greek) has Jupiter and Mercury. These were the names the Romans gave those gods.⚜
13 📚Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and with the people wanted to offer a sacrifice to them.
14 📚When the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of this, they tore their clothes, and rushed in among the people, crying out
14:13-14 Compare Acts 12:21-23. They saw that an awful thing (the worship of men) was about to be done and did all they could to stop it. Tearing of their clothes was to show their dismay to the crowd (2 Sam 13:31; Job 1:20; Matt 26:65). How different were these true servants of God from those in every era who like to think they are gods or even God Himself.⚜
15 📚and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with the same nature as you, and we proclaim to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea, and everything that is in them.
14:15 See Acts 3:12; Rev 22:8-9; Matt 4:10. Here are important words. They made a clear distinction between God and gods. God is “living”; He is the Creator of the universe. The gods and sacrifices to them are “useless things” from which men should turn (compare Ps 115:2-8; Isa 40:18-26; 44:9-20). And this was a part of the gospel they brought to people.⚜
16 📚In times past he let all nations walk in their own ways.
14:16 See Acts 17:30. “In times past” God was working with the nation of Israel and was giving to them the revelation of His will. For that time He permitted other nations to go their own way, not because that way was good (compare Rom 1:18-32), but because the time had not then come to send His servants to preach to them (though there were exceptions like Jonah).⚜
17 📚Nevertheless, he did not leave himself without testimony, for he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness”.
14:17 Even when the nations were without God’s revelation in the Bible, they had the revelation of God’s goodness in nature. See Ps 19:1-4; Rom 1:19-20.⚜
18 📚And with these words they could hardly restrain the people from offering a sacrifice to them.
19 📚Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there and won over the people, and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
20 📚However, as the disciples stood around him, he rose up and came 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, and encouraging them to continue in the faith, and teaching: “We must enter the kingdom of God through much trouble”.
14:22 Both the Lord Jesus and His apostles taught that believers would face troubles in this world (John 16:33; 1 Thess 3:3-4; 1 Pet 4:12), and revealed the attitude they should have toward them (Matt 5:10-12; 1 Pet 4:13). When we face troubles or persecutions or tribulation we as believers should not ask “why”? Rather if such things do not come we should ask “why not”? Paul speaks here as if God’s kingdom were in the future – he means the kingdom when it comes openly and in glory. Notes at Matt 4:17.⚜
23 📚 And when they had ordained elders 📖 for them in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed. 24 📚And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
25 And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
14:24-25 See Acts 13:13. Attalia was the chief port of the province of Pamphylia.⚜
26 📚And from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had now finished. 27 📚And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
14:27 They emphasized that it was God who moved on the hearts of the Gentile peoples and brought them to faith – it was not their own doing.⚜
28 📚And there they stayed a long time with the disciples.