Study notes
Paul and Barnabas traveled on their mission to the next town, Iconium (now called Konya). This city is east of Pisidian Antioch on a high plateau in south-central Asia Minor. Iconium was near several important trade routes.
In their usual way, Paul and Barnabas began their ministry by speaking powerfully in the Jewish synagogue. Their teachings led to a positive response from both Jews and Greeks.
Jesus had talked about how people would disagree very strongly about him (Matthew 10:34–36). That happened in the city of Iconium after Paul and Barnabas preached.
Some people believed their message and others didn’t. People turned against one another because of what they believed about God’s grace.
Paul and Barnabas were in danger so they kept travelling.
Once again, Paul and Barnabas faced Jews who opposed them. These people rejected the Christian message (the good news about Jesus) and also influenced the Gentiles to think wrongly about it.
Because the apostles were sustained by the Holy Spirit, they were strong enough to confront verbal attacks. They continued to preach the good news that God's grace was for both Gentiles and Jews.
boldly: The book of Acts often shows how the Holy Spirit gave courage to Christians (see 2:14; 4:9–10, 13; 7:2–53; 8:30–35; 9:27–28; 18:26; 19:8; 22:3–21; 23:1–6; 28:16–20, 23–31).
The Holy Spirit also affirmed the Christian message with signs and wonders (compare 5:12–16; 15:12; 16:18; 19:11).
Lycaonia was a southern region of the Roman province of Galatia. Its major cities were Lystra, Derbe, Laranda, and Iconium. Acts reports two more visits by Paul to Lycaonia (16:1–5; 18:23). Paul’s letter to the Galatians was probably addressed to scattered believers in the churches of Lycaonia (see Galatians Book Introduction, “Recipients”).
Lystra was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south or southwest of Iconium.
Derbe was about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Lystra. It was on a busy main road that went from Iconium and Lystra towards the east to Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia.
Paul healed a man who could not use his feet. This is similar to an earlier event in 3:1–12. In Acts, Paul’s work is shown as similar to Peter’s work. The many signs and wonders done among the Jews were also done among the Gentiles.
The crowd around Paul was amazed when he healed a man in Lystra. They were Gentiles who worshipped false gods.
They tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods because of the miracle. The apostles were very upset and wouldn’t allow the people to worship them.
Paul often talked about Jesus as the Saviour God had promised to send to his people. He did this when he preached to Jews. The Greeks in Lystra didn’t know about Jewish history or Jewish Scriptures. So Paul preached to them in other ways.
He talked about God as the Creator and the Lord of all creation. Paul urged the people in Lystra to worship the true and living God.
saw that he had faith to be healed: Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, sensed the man's spiritual openness and hope for God's help and intervention (see 9:17).
Zeus was the main god worshiped in Lystra, and the city had a temple for him. The people thought Barnabas was Zeus, likely because he seemed more impressive or powerful. They thought Paul was Hermes because he was the main speaker.
The people of Lystra believed the gods were visiting them again. This idea comes from a well-known story by the poet Ovid. In that story, Zeus and Hermes visited the area but were not recognized, except by an old couple (see Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.616–724). Because of this, the people tried to honor Paul and Barnabas as gods.
The apostles opposed the people's worship of idols and their attempt to offer sacrifices to them. They directed the people's worship to the living God. The apostles were representatives of God as they shared the good news of the Christian message.
The crowd changed their minds when some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and easily turned them against the apostles.
They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city: Paul later referred to this time of persecution to teach a lesson (2 Timothy 3:11–12).
presuming he was dead: That Paul got up and went back into the city suggests that God healed his wounds with a miracle.
Some Jews from the cities Paul had recently visited came to Lystra to attack him. They hated the good news. Since Paul wouldn’t stop sharing it, they tried to kill him. But Paul didn’t die.
He and Barnabas travelled on to Derbe. Then they returned to the cities where they had been treated badly. They weren’t afraid of those who opposed and attacked them. They were faithful to complete the work the Holy Spirit had given them to do.
They taught the new believers to also stay faithful even when they faced hard times. Paul chose church elders to help the new communities of believers. They would help the churches be strong and continue to trust Jesus.
Paul and Barnabas then returned to Antioch in Syria. That is where God had appointed them to go to the Gentiles. They told the church there about all that God was doing among the Gentiles. That was the end of their first journey to spread the message about Jesus.
the next day he left: Paul later returned to Lystra on his second missionary journey (16:1).
The apostles worked hard to stay in contact with those who had declared their Christian faith. These new disciples needed care, support, and encouragement (15:32, 41; 16:40; 18:23; see 1 Thessalonians 3:2; 4:18; 5:14).
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders: See “Church Leaders” Theme Note.
When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after their first missionary journey (a trip to share the good news and start churches), they gathered the church and gave a full report. They told how they had shared the good news and helped new believers grow as disciples. They gave credit to God, who had opened the way for Gentiles to believe (see 11:18; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12).
Similar reports always emphasized God's work through the ministries of his servants (Acts 15:4, 12; 21:19; see Romans 15:17–18; 1 Corinthians 3:5–9; 15:10–11).
Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources