Acts 14:19-28

Acts 14:19-28

In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium

arrived and won over the crowds.

They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,

supposing that he was dead.

But when the disciples gathered around him,

he got up and entered the city.

On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

After they had proclaimed the good news to that city

and made a considerable number of disciples,

they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.

They strengthened the spirits of the disciples

and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,

"It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships

to enter the Kingdom of God."

They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,

with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord

in whom they had put their faith.

Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.

After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.

From there they sailed to Antioch,

where they had been commended to the grace of God

for the work they had now accomplished.

And when they arrived, they called the Church together

and reported what God had done with them

and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Then they spent no little time with the disciples.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and all-knowing. Grant me your protection today as I face the trials, temptations, and tribulations that await. Guide me always with your Love so that I do not waver in my commitment to you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Conclusion of the First Missionary Journey: In the Acts of the Apostles, we read about the conclusion of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. They started their journey in Antioch in Syria, having been chosen by the Holy Spirit for this mission (Acts 13:2). They sailed first to Barnabas’ homeland, Cyprus, and then spread the Gospel in the southern part of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). They preached in the cities of Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. During their ministry in Lystra, Jews from Antioch in Pisidia and Iconium incited the people to stone Paul (possibly for blasphemy). They left him for dead outside the city. Paul, though, was undaunted by the stoning and, on the very next day, went with Barnabas to the city of Derbe. After making disciples for Christ there, Paul and Barnabas fearlessly retraced their steps and appointed presbyters (elders or priests) in cities they had evangelized. “These presbyters had oversight and authority over local churches, while individual apostles like Paul and Barnabas evangelized a wider region. The word for ‘appoint’ in the Greek literally means to ‘stretch out the hand’ and likely had a technical sense of laying on of hands for ordination. Here at the outset of the early Church, there is already a sense of order and hierarchy” (Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 295). Paul and Barnabas eventually returned by boat to where they started and were commissioned – the Church of Antioch in Syria.

2. A First Lesson from the Journey: Paul and Barnabas learned two important lessons from their journey. First, they learned that we enter the kingdom of God through tribulations (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16). Preaching the Gospel meant sharing in Christ’s suffering and rejection. Earlier in the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:41). Today’s Psalm (Psalm 145) proclaims the glory of God’s kingdom, a kingdom that is established not through political maneuvering, power plays, and military strength, but through redemptive suffering and death. When Paul was stoned almost to death, this did not lead him to cower in fear and change his message. On the contrary, it emboldened him, and he went back to each of the cities he had been forced to flee and appointed elders (priests) in each city to carry on the mission and ministry he started.

3. A Second Lesson from the Journey: As a second lesson, Paul and Barnabas saw clearly that God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. When they saw the Jews in Pisidian Antioch reject the Gospel message (Acts 13:45-48), they turned to the Gentiles, following the Lord's command in Isaiah 49:6. Jews and, with them, many Gentiles came to believe in Jesus Christ and received his salvation. Through their acceptance of and belief in the Gospel, the Gentiles entered into the New Covenant that was inaugurated and established by Jesus at the Last Supper and on the Cross. On the outside, it looked like Paul and Barnabas were not granted peace. There were heated discussions between the Jews and themselves, the crowds were incited against them, and Paul was stoned and left for dead. However, from God’s perspective, the two Apostles enjoyed true, divine peace, and they were eager to share that peace with the Jews and the Gentiles. This peace is a fruit of reconciliation with God, a fruit of the undoing of the ancient curse of Adam, a fruit of new life in the Spirit of God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Incarnate Word of God, bless me with the gift of your wisdom and strength. I need your wisdom to see all things as you do and in the light of eternity. I need your strength to persevere through trial and temptation and come to enjoy eternal life with you and the Father.

Living the Word of God: What lessons have I learned from my faith journey? Have I ever been ashamed of the Gospel message or the teachings of the Church? When have I preached the Gospel effectively? What life-lessons have I learned so far from the daily Easter reading of the Acts of the Apostles?