Introductory remarks:
"Iconium is divided about Paul's message. When the unbelieving part plans to stone them, they flee to Lystra. Paul heals the lame man and the people call Barnabas and Paul, Jupiter and Mercurius. They are horrified and they cry out to the crowd that they are men and are witnesses of the true God. Jews from Antioch and Iconium induce the people to stone Paul. Paul rises back up after the stoning. They preach in Derbe. They revisit the places they had been and set up churches in each city. They return to their base in Antioch and tell of their journey" (Brenda's Survey of Acts).
This chapter may be outlined as follows: Paul and Barnabas at Iconium vv. 1-7; Paul and Barnabas at Lystra vv. 8-20; the return to Antioch in Syria vv. 21-28.
J. Vernon McGee presents a very good background to Paul's Galatian ministry in his commentary:
"The people for whom the province was named were Gauls, a Celtic tribe from the same stock which inhabited France. In the fourth century B.C. they invaded the Roman Empire and sacked Rome. Later they crossed into Greece and captured Delphi in 280 B.C. At the invitation of Nikomedes I, King of Bithinia, they crossed over into Asia Minor to help him in a civil war. They were a warlike people and soon established themselves in Asia Minor. In 189 B.C. they were made subjects of the Roman Empire and became a province. Their boundaries varied, and for many years they retained their customs and language. The churches, which Paul established on this first missionary journey, were included at one time in the territory of Galatia, so this is the name, which Paul would normally give to these churches.
The people were blond Orientals. These Galic Celts had much of the same temperament and Characteristics of the majority of the American population, which came out of that same stock in Europe and the British Isles. Caesar had this to say of them: 'The infirmity of the Gauls is that they are fickle in their resolves, fond of change, and not to be trusted.' Another writer of that period described them as 'frank, impetuous, impressible, eminently intelligent, fond of show, but extremely inconstant, the fruit of excessive vanity.' Paul wrote them a very harsh letter because they needed that kind of letter. The majority of the people in the United States are like them. That is the reason so many cults and 'isms' have begun in this country. We are a fickle people. One day we follow one leader, and the next day we follow someone else. It is amazing to watch the polls of our political candidates. If they make one statement, one slip of the tongue, the entire population shifts from them to someone else. We are fickle people - very much like the Galatians.
All of this should make this section especially interesting to us. Martin Luther used the Epistle to the Galatians for the Reformation because it was written to folk who are like we are."
Paul and Barnabas at Iconium
Verse 1, "And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed."
LGT "And it came to pass in Iconium, they together entered into the synagogue of the Jews, and spoke so that both of the Jews and Hellenists, a great number believed."
Iconium was a Roman province. As I mentioned before it was Paul's practice to go first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The Hellenists were Greek speaking Jews, and some were proselyte Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas preached first in the synagogue with the result that a great many of the Jews believed. The Holy Spirit was speaking through Paul as He ministered to these Jews.
Barnes notes on Iconium:
"Iconium was the capital of Lycaonia. It is now called Konieh, and is the capital of Caramania. Konieh extends to the east and south over the plain far beyond the walls, which are about two miles in circumference . . .. Mountains covered with snow rise on every side, excepting toward the east, where a plain, as flat as the desert of Arabia, extends far beyond the reach of the eye. Little, if anything, remains of Greek or Roman Iconium, if we accept the ancient inscriptions and the fragments of sculptures, which are built into the Turkish walls. The city wall is said to have been erected by the Seljukian sultans: it seems to have been built from the ruins of more ancient buildings, as broken columns, capitals, pedestals, bas-reliefs, and other pieces of sculpture contribute toward its construction. It has eighty gates, of a square form, each known by a separate name, and, as well as most of the towers, embellished with Arabic inscriptions . . .. I observed a few Greek characters on the walls, but they were in so elevated a situation that I could not decipher them."
Verse 2, "But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren."
LGT "But the Jews, who refused to believe, stirred up and exaggerated evil in the souls of the Gentiles against the brethren."
The opposition to the Holy Spirit was raging outside the synagogue with the Jewish elders poisoning the minds of the Gentiles, stirring them up to oppose the brethren. The Gospel of Grace separated the true believers from those who refused to believe. The phrase the brethren was another term used for the believer; the other term is Christian, first coined at Antioch.
Verse 3, "Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands."
LGT "A long time therefore they stayed, speaking boldly upon the Lord. Who bore witness [to] the Word of His grace, giving signs and wonders to be done by their hands."
The apostles spent some time there, probably about six months, speaking boldly in the Lord. This phrase is literally, upon the Lord, that is, in complete dependence upon the Lord. The phrase who bore witness to the Word of His grace, gives a reason why Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly upon the Lord; even though the Lord was not with them physically, He spoke through them by the Holy Spirit, giving them boldness, and their messages were confirmed giving signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Paul and Barnabas had a great harvest of souls there, and this is always an act of the grace of God. Miracles were by the grace of God, for the grace of God; they were done in order to give the world notice that they were done by God, for the glory of God.
Calvin gives a good explanation of the use of miracles by Paul:
"We must note this phrase, that the Lord gave witness to the gospel in miracles, for it showeth the true use of miracles. This is, indeed, the first end, that they may show to us the power and grace of God; but because we may be wrong and perverse interpreters of them, lest they be drawn unto abuse and corruption, God doth never suffer them to be separated from His Word. For if miracles were wrought at any time without His Word; first, that was very seldom; secondly, there came but small fruit thereof; and God hath wrought miracles, for the most part, whereby the world might know Him not simply, or in His bare majesty, but in His Word. So Luke saith, in this place, that the gospel was established by miracles, not that some confused religion might possess the minds of men, but that Paul's doctrine going before they might be brought unto the pure worship of God.
Whence we may easily gather how foolishly the Papists deal, when as they endeavor to lead away the world from the reverence of God and the Gospel by bare [phony] miracles; for we must hold the principle, that those miracles which came from God at any time did never tend to any other end but that the Gospel might have perfect and full authority.
Now must we see whether the Gospel command us to call upon the dead, to burn incense to idols, to translate unto feigned saints the grace of Christ, to take in hand vowed pilgrimages, to invent profane worshippings, whereof there is no mention made in the Word of God; but there is nothing more contrary to the Gospel than these superstitions should take place. [The Papists set up images to actually assail the Gospel of God.] To the same end tendeth that which Luke saith, that the Lord granted that by the hands of His servants miracles might be done; in which words he teacheth that those were only ministers who obeyed God, and that He was the author, who used their hand and industry. Wherefore, in speaking properly, we cannot say that they were Paul and Barnabas's miracles, but the miracles of God alone, who doth so work by men, that He will not have His glory darkened by their ministry.
Furthermore, we must note the title of the Gospel, which Luke putteth in here, that it may be made to us more amiable [agreeable]; for in calling it the Word of Grace, it hath a most pleasant taste, because salvation is offered to the world in it through Christ. And we must understand the contrariety with the Law, wherein only the curse is set before us. Therefore, let us remember that God speaketh to us in the gospel to this end, that He may reconcile Himself to us, and may testify that He is merciful to us. Neither doth this hinder that is the savor [delight in] of death unto death to the reprobate, (2 Cor. 2:16), because they change not the nature thereof by their fault".
(Now I ask you: Does this sound like a man who believes that God chose some to heaven and some to Hell? If this is what Calvin believed, he sure made a glaring contradiction here)
Verse 4, "But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles."
LGT "And the multitude of the city was divided, and some were with the Jews, and some with the apostles."
Paul and Barnabas cause a division among the Gentiles with their teaching the doctrine of free grace; Paul and Barnabas were both Jews and they always preached in the synagogues first, and then to the Gentiles.
Verses 5-7, "And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, they were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyconia, and unto the region that lieth round about: and there preached the gospel."
LGT "And when there was a charge both of the Gentiles and Jews with their rulers, to insult and to stone them, being aware they fled into the cities of Lyconia, Lystra, and Derbe, and the country around, and there they were announcing the Glad Tidings."
Paul and Barnabas, with their followers, enjoyed peace for a season, and then the rulers of the synagogue instigated a mob of both Jews and Gentiles alike, to begin a rush on those preaching the Good News; it didn't take long for the rulers to feel the jealous rage against the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the grace of God always divides mankind. When legal proceedings fail, the Jews always revert to violence. Paul and Barnabas becoming aware of the oncoming violence hightail it to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lyconia (see map at the beginning of this chapter). They fled in order to save their own lives so that they would be able to continue preaching the Good News. The Lord uses many ways to spread the Word of God, and persecution happens to be one of them.
Paul and Barnabas at Lystra
Verse 8, "And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:"
LGT "And a certain man in Lystra, impotent in the feet, sat, lame from his mothers womb, who never walked around."
Coming into Lystra, Paul and Barnabas find this certain man, sitting on the outskirts of town, having been crippled from birth; this was an impossible case to cure, in man's eyes. There was no synagogue in this town.
Verse 9, "The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,"
LGT "This [man] was hearing Paul speaking: who, having looked intently on him, and seeing he has faith to be made whole,"
After Paul looked intently on the lame man, there was something he saw that made him believe that this lame man had faith: faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Paul, having the gifts of the Spirit, not only could heal this man, but he had discernment to know that he had faith. The faith of the lame man in the Word of God spoken by Paul was his healing.
Verse 10, "Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked."
LGT "Said with a loud voice, Stand up on thy feet upright. And he leaped up and walked around."
"As we have seen, Paul and Barnabas had the gifts of an apostle. They came into these places without any New Testament with the message of the gospel. What were their credentials? How could they prove their message was from God? The sign gifts were their credential - they needed them. Today we have the entire Bible, and what people need today is to study this Bible and to learn what it has to say. If only we could get people to do that!" (McGee).
Verse 11, "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lyconia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men."
LGT "And the crowds, having seen what Paul did, lifted up their voices in Lyconian, saying, The gods, having become like men, are come down to us."
Paul had spoken to the people in Greek, and after he had healed the lame man, the people responded in the Lyconian dialect which Paul and Barnabas did not understand; Robertson states, "Hence it was not till preparation for offering sacrifice to them had begun that Paul understood the new role in which he and Barnabas were held." Barnes notes on the phrase the gods, having become like men, are come down to us: "Many of their gods were heroes, whom they worshipped after they were dead. It was a common belief among them that the gods appeared to men in human form. The poems of Homer, of Virgil, &c., are filled with accounts of such appearances, and the only way in which they supposed the gods to take knowledge of human affairs, and to aid men, was by their personally appearing in this form."
Verse 12, "And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker."
LGT "And they called Barnabas Zeus; and Paul Hermes, because he was the leader in speaking."
Hermes was the speaker for Zeus, and Zeus was the older looking of the two; "Hermes was of beautiful appearance and eloquent in speech, the inventor of speech in legend. Our word hermeneutics or science of interpretation comes from this word" (Robertson).
Vincent notes on this verse:
"The Greek names of these deities were Zeus and Hermes. As the herald of the gods, Mercury is the god of skill in the use of speech and of eloquence in general, for the heralds are the public speakers in the assemblies and on other occasions. Hence he is sent on messages where persuasion or argument is required, as to Calypso to secure the release of Ulysses from Ogygia (Odyssey i., 84); and to Priam to warn him of danger and to escort him to the Grecian fleet (Iliad, 24:390). Horace addresses him as the eloquent grandson of Atlas, who artfully formed by oratory the savage manners of a primitive race (Odes, 1:10). Hence the tongues of sacrificial animals were offered to him. As the god of ready and artful speech, his office naturally extended to business negotiations. He was the god of prudence and skill in all the relations of social intercourse, and the patron of business and gain. A merchant-guild at Rome was established under his protection. And as, from its nature, commerce is prone to degenerate into fraud, so he appears as the god of thievery, exhibiting cunning, fraud, and perjury. He represents, so to speak, the utilitarian side of the human mind . . . . . In the limitation of his faculties and powers, in the low standard of his moral habits, in the abundant activity of his appetites, in his indifference, his ease, his good nature, in the full-blown exhibition of what Christian theology would call conformity to the world, he is, as strictly as the nature of the case admits, a product of the invention of man. He is the god of intercourse on earth."
Verse 13, "Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people."
LGT "And the priest of Zeus, who was before their city, having brought oxen and garlands to the gates, with the crowds wished to sacrifice."
The temple of Zeus was before the city gate, and the priest of that temple brought oxen and garlands to offer as a sacrifice; the priest and the people alike intended on offering a sacrifice to Paul.
Verses 14-16, "Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways."
LGT "But the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, having heard, having rent their garments, sprang forth in to the crowd, crying and saying, Men, why do ye these things? We also are of like feelings with you men, announcing the glad tidings to you to turn from these vanities to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all the things in them: who in the past generations suffered all the nations to go in their [own] ways."
Luke calls Barnabas an apostle along with Paul, not because he was an eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but in the general sense of the meaning of the word as one sent on a mission. The Holy Spirit sent Barnabas, along with Paul from Antioch. Paul and Barnabas, having heard what the pagan priests were doing in their honor, rent their garments and sprang forth in to the crowd; they showed much grief over these pagans polluting the glory of God, they cried out with a loud voice, courteously, but in opposition, asking them, Men why do ye these things? Paul speaks out that he and Barnabas are mere men and not gods, for they are of like feelings or passions, and that they were sent by God announcing the Glad Tidings to them, and that the effect of their evangelizing them should be that they should turn from these vain idols to the Living God; at this point Paul gives them a crash course about their Creator, who made the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and all the things in them. Robertson says, "Paul does not mention Christ here, because his main purpose is to dissuade them from worshipping idols, and that he and Barnabas are just men like themselves. The last phrase, who in past generations suffered all nations to go their own ways, has a twofold reason; 1) God gave them up in judgment upon their unbelief, and 2) He intended to show them their need of Him, and His written Revelation. Any nation that deliberately gives up God for idols made with human hands or human imagination will inevitably worship the creation rather than the Creator" (Rom. 1).
Verse 17, "Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
LGT "And yet He left Him not without witness, in that He did good, giving rains and fruitful seasons from heaven to us, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
Paul says that even in the times that he left the nations fend for themselves, He did not leave them completely alone, for they had the witness of His benevolence in nature by the fruitful seasons, and the delightful rains from heaven; for without these witnesses of His mercy, they would have not only starved, but would have completely perished from the earth. In opposition to these mercies of God, these strange priests took the glory of God and debased it with figments of their own imaginations; the Greeks, with all their mythology, invented a god for every occasion. Only the ones who would of their own free will give glory to the true Creator Sustainer of the universe.
Verse 18, "And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them."
LGT "And saying these things, they hardly stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them."
Paul's preaching the Truth to them did not stop this crowd. Paul tried to turn their attention to the True and Living God, but they were steeped in their Greek Mythology.
Verse 19, "And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."
LGT "And there came Jews from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, and having stoned Paul, dragged him outside the city, supposing him to have died."
Jews from Antioch either received word regarding Paul and Barnabas' miracles, or they had pursued them on that Roman road, hounding their steps waiting an opportune time to seize them. These Jewish leaders had persuaded the crowds; they had complete success with many in the crowd and they struck at the right time. How fickle is this crowd in Lystra; one moment they want to worship Paul as Hermes and Barnabas as Zeus, and now influenced by the Jewish rabble, they stone them. They now stone Paul and drag him outside the city gates supposing him dead. Robertson notes: "The Jews are jubilant this time with memories of Paul's escape at Antioch and Iconium. The pagan mob feel that they have settled accounts for their narrow escape from worshipping two Jewish renegade preachers. It was a good day's work for them all. Luke does not say that Paul was actually dead." McGee is wrong in his assuming Paul dead and resuscitated; he says that Paul was reaping what he had sown in his part in the stoning of Stephen, which I believe is a totally silly conclusion. The next verse will prove that Paul was not dead even though McGee and the Jews thought he was.
Verse 20, "howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe."
LGT "But his disciples having surrounded him, having risen up he entered the city. And on the morrow, he went with Barnabas to Derbe."
The murderous crowd had left, and Paul's disciples gathered around to see if he were dead; if so they would have buried him. However, a miracle took place; Paul raised up and left the next day, as if he had not just been stoned; it seems as though the injuries he would have suffered at the stoning would have left him incapacitated for at least a week or two. Derbe was about forty miles away.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
Verses 21, 22, "And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."
LGT "And having announced the Glad Tidings to that city, and having discipled many, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium and into Antioch, establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting [them] to continue in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God."
Following the map we see that Derbe is the last place, and they turn around and head back to Antioch. Paul and Barnabas were obeying Christ's command, making disciples in these heathen cities. "It was necessary to revisit the churches in Lystra, Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia and to see that they were able to withstand persecution (that is, establishing the souls of the disciples there). Paul was a Roman citizen though he had not made use of this privilege as yet for his own protection. Against mob violence it would count little, but he did not hesitate. Paul had been stoned in Lystra, threatened in Iconium, and expelled in Antioch. He shows his wisdom in conserving (protecting) his work" (Robertson). Paul knew it was necessary for him to go back and encourage the new believers that had been converted out of pagan idolatry. I don't think we spend enough time encouraging one another, especially the newborn. The church has been promised they would suffer persecution of the world; when a believer suffers persecution they have a great hope of eternal life with their heavenly family; when an unbeliever suffers, this is only a prelude to an eternal hell of the absence of God's eternal glory, and to be separated in isolation in darkness forever.
Verse 23, "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed."
LGT "And having chosen for them elders in every assembly, having prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord, on Whom they had believed."
Here is where the church has gone off base; they mix this apostolic assembly, before the Bible had been completed with our contemporary assemblies in this age of grace having a completed Scripture; if Paul were here today he would commit our assemblies to the Word of God; then he committed them to Jesus along with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is very important for us to keep a dispensational perspective on the first church in the apostolic age with their supernatural gifts, and this dispensation of grace with our completed Word of God; big difference! Just as we must not mix Law and Grace, we should not mix the first church with our present church; dispensational studies are very essential to rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
Verse 24, "And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia."
LGT "And having passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia,"
(See map) These places they visited before.
Verse 25, "And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:"
LGT "And having spoken the Word in Perga, they came down to Attalia:"
"Attalia had something of the same relation to Perga which Cadiz has to Seville. In each case the latter city is approached by river voyage, and the former is more conveniently placed on the open sea. Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamus, whose dominions extended from the north-western corner of Asia Minor to the Sea of Pamphylia, had built this city in a convenient position for commanding the trade of Syria or Egypt. When Alexander the Great passed this way, no such city was in existence; but since the days of the kings of Pergamus, who inherited a fragment of his vast empire, Attalia has always existed and flourished, retaining the name of the monarch who built it. Its ancient site is not now certainly known; it is probable that it is the modern Satalia" (Barnes).
Verse 26, "And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled."
LGT "And then they sailed to Antioch, whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had fulfilled."
Paul and Barnabas had been away eighteen months from whence the Holy Spirit had committed them to the grace of God on their mission, which now they had fulfilled; and now they had much to relate to the assembly in Antioch that had been praying for them. The assembly at Antioch prayed for Paul and Barnabas and left them in the care of the grace of God.
Verse 27, "And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."
LGT "And having arrived and having gathered together the assembly, they declared all that God did with them, and that He opened to the nations a door of faith."
Paul and Barnabas gave God all the glory for opening the door of faith to the Gentiles; the Gentiles could now enter heaven by faith, and they had the assurance that neither Judaism nor Greek Mythology could give them.
Verse 28, "And they abode long time with the disciples."
LGT "And they stayed not a little time with the disciples."
Paul and Barnabas spent a long time fellowshipping with the assembly at Antioch whence the Holy Spirit had sent them out; how long they spent in Antioch we have no way of knowing. This chapter concludes Paul's first missionary journey.
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