Acts 14:5-18

Acts 14:5-18

There was an attempt in Iconium

by both the Gentiles and the Jews,

together with their leaders,

to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas.

They realized it,

and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe

and to the surrounding countryside,

where they continued to proclaim the Good News.

At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth,

who had never walked.

He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him,

saw that he had the faith to be healed,

and called out in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet.”

He jumped up and began to walk about.

When the crowds saw what Paul had done,

they cried out in Lycaonian,

“The gods have come down to us in human form.”

They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes,”

because he was the chief speaker.

And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city,

brought oxen and garlands to the gates,

for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice.

The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments

when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

“Men, why are you doing this?

We are of the same nature as you, human beings.

We proclaim to you good news

that you should turn from these idols to the living God,

who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.

In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways;

yet, in bestowing his goodness,

he did not leave himself without witness,

for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,

and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”

Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds

from offering sacrifice to them.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am inspired by the example of Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel courageously. I trust that your Holy Spirit will guide me as I proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom in word and deed.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Persecutor Has Become the Persecuted: In the First Reading, Paul and Barnabas have just been expelled from Antioch in Pisidia by the Jews who rejected the Gospel message that Jesus was raised from the dead, that the forgiveness of sins is now available through him, and that in him every believer is justified (see Acts 13:33-50). Paul and Barnabas left Pisidian Antioch and fled to the next major city in Asia Minor, Iconium. Iconium was a city that had a population of 30,000 to 80,000 in the First Century A.D. and was located along a major trade route. Just as the persecution of Jesus’ disciples in Jerusalem (in Acts 8) led the disciples – such as the deacon Philip – to bring the Gospel message to Samaria and other areas, so too the persecution of Paul and Barnabas led them to preach the Gospel in city after city in Asia Minor and throughout the Roman Empire. The irony is that Paul was once the persecutor of the Church and tried to prevent its expansion by rounding up Christians and bringing them to trial; now Paul is the persecuted one, and, due to that same persecution, is forced to move from city to city, and, in this way, brings the Gospel message to many. 

2. First the Jews, and then the Gentiles: Paul and Barnabas began their mission in Iconium by preaching in the Jewish synagogue (Acts 14:1-2). And this was their habitual practice. They would begin their mission in a city with the Jewish population in that city. This would often lead to some Jews and “God-fearing Gentiles” accepting their message about Jesus and some rejecting it. When the rejection and persecution started, the two would turn their primary attention and focus to the Gentiles. When Jews and Gentiles began to accept the proclamation of the Gospel, this often provoked some Jews and some Gentiles, who did not believe in the Gospel, to persecute the two apostles. The First Reading opens with a planned attack on Paul and Barnabas. When they learned of the plot, Paul and Barnabas left Iconium and went on to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe. In Lystra, Paul “heals a man crippled from birth, which causes such a sensation that, at first, many in the city want to worship Paul and Barnabas. This healing puts Paul on a par with Peter, who healed a lame man, and shows that he, like Peter, is following in the footsteps of the messiah, Jesus” (Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 295).

3. The Empowering Spirit: In Lystra, the Spirit empowers Paul and Barnabas to speak out boldly on behalf of Jesus the Lord. God confirms their word by granting signs and wonders to occur through their hands. The two apostles were persecuted by the people, but defended by the Holy Spirit, who moved them to flee to the cities of Lystra and Derbe, where they again proclaimed the Gospel. The Spirit was close to the Apostles when they professed the truth, justified it, and defended it. The Spirit inspired them and spoke through their words (John Paul II, May 24, 1989). Like Jesus and Peter, Paul healed a crippled man, who professed belief in Jesus Christ. Paul and Barnabas had to respond quickly to the reaction of the people, who mistakenly equated them with Greek gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them. The healing of the crippled man was not a proclamation of the apostles’ divinity, but a confirmation of the truth of their Gospel message, namely, that the people should turn from pagan idols to the living God, who is the creator of all things. Proper contemplation of the creation around us speaks to all men and women of the one and true God’s goodness, beauty, power, and providential care.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, empower me with the Spirit today so that I might be fearless in the proclamation of your Gospel. Do not let me be discouraged by rejection or waver under trial.

Living the Word of God: Just as the Spirit opened the minds and hearts of those who heard Paul and Barnabas, so also the Spirit opens our minds and hearts to the mystery of God, who is at work in human history, and the mystery of his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. In faith and through faith, we are guided by the Holy Spirit to the understanding of the Gospel and urged on by the Spirit to preach the Gospel to all men and women. Am I willing to let God open my mind and heart? What is the Spirit urging me to do today?