Act 13:44-14:24 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Acts 13:44-49: 13:44-49 The excitement caused by the apostles’ preaching led to a mass turnout on the following week. This response provoked the jealousy of some of the Jews (cp. 4:1-2 ; 5:17 ), whose ability to win converts to Judaism (13:43 ) was being dwarfed by Paul’s ministry. They verbally attacked Paul and his ministry (cp. 6:8-12 ; 18:6 ; 19:9 ; Matt 23:13 ). Paul met this hostility with a bold declaration that these Jews had had their opportunity to hear the word of God , and that since they had rejected it, the offer of salvation would now be given to the Gentiles (cp. Acts 10:34-35 ), in accord with the Lord’s command in Scripture. The local Gentiles welcomed the Good News and many responded to it, so the Lord’s message was carried throughout that region .

Summary for Acts 13:44-49: 13:44-49 ^a The excitement caused by the apostles’ preaching led to a mass turnout on the following week. This response provoked the jealousy of some of the Jews (cp. 4:1-2 ^b; 5:17 ^c), whose ability to win converts to Judaism (13:43 ^d) was being dwarfed by Paul’s ministry. They verbally attacked Paul and his ministry (cp. 6:8-12 ^e; 18:6 ^f; 19:9 ^g; Matt 23:13 ^h). Paul met this hostility with a bold declaration that these Jews had had their opportunity to hear the word of God, and that since they had rejected it, the offer of salvation would now be given to the Gentiles (cp. Acts 10:34-35 ⁱ), in accord with the Lord’s command in Scripture. The local Gentiles welcomed the Good News and many responded to it, so the Lord’s message was carried throughout that region.
Summary for Acts 13:50-51: 13:50-51 ^j Jewish opposition once again forced Paul and Barnabas ... out of town. They shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection, as Jesus had taught his disciples (see Matt 10:14-15 ^k; Mark 6:11-12 ^l; Luke 9:5-6 ^m; 10:10-11 ⁿ). That place was then treated as pagan territory, and other people were given access to the message of new life in Christ.
13:52 ^o Despite probable harassment and persecution, the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (cp. 5:41 ^p; 16:23-25 ^q; Matt 5:10-12 ^r; 2 Cor 8:2 ^s; 1 Thes 1:6 ^t).

Thematic note: The Gift of Prophecy
As Peter had declared at Pentecost, the gift of prophecy was one of the results of the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-21 ^u; see Joel 2:28-32 ^v). The book of Acts names a few Christian prophets (Acts 11:27-28 ^w; 13:1 ^x; 15:32 ^y; 21:9-11 ^z; see also The Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:3; 16:2). One of these prophets was Agabus, whose function was similar to that of an Old Testament prophet, performing symbolic acts (Acts 21:10-11 ^aa; see 1 Kgs 11:29-32 ^ab; Isa 20:2-6 ^ac; Jer 13:1-11 ^ad; Ezek 4:1–5:17 ^ae) and predicting events to come (Acts 11:28 ^af; 21:10-11 ^ag).
Philip the Evangelist was the father of four young women who “had the gift of prophecy” (21:9 ^ah). The apostle Paul also acknowledged the prophetic gift of some Christian women (1 Cor 11:5 ^ai). In the Old Testament, most prophets were men, but several women are also described as prophets, for example, Miriam (Exod 15:20 ^aj), Deborah (Judg 4:4 ^ak), and Huldah (2 Kgs 22:14-20 ^al; 2 Chr 34:22-28 ^am). In the New Testament, the gift of prophecy is given to both men and women, and both young and old, as Peter signaled in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18 ^an).
Although prophecy sometimes involves foretelling the future (20:22-23 ^ao; 21:10-11 ^ap; see Rom 9:24-33 ^aq; 1 Thes 4:13-17 ^ar; 2 Thes 2:3-4 ^as), at its core prophecy is proclaiming God’s word by preaching, exhorting, and explaining the will of God (Acts 15:32 ^at; 19:6 ^au; Rom 12:6 ^av; 1 Cor 14:3-4 ^aw, 29-33 ^ax; Rev 19:10 ^ay). The gift of prophecy is clearly mentioned in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and of Christ to the church (1 Cor 12:4-11 ^az; Eph 4:11-13 ^ba). It is to be used for the benefit of believers (1 Cor 14:22 ^bb).
Prophecy is always in need of testing (1 Thes 5:19-21 ^bc), and the church is strongly warned against false prophets (1 Jn 4:1 ^bd; see also Rev 2:20-23 ^be). When used faithfully and in submission to God’s word and his Spirit, courageous proclamation of God’s truth helps the church to determine what God’s will is and inspires God’s people to do it.

Passages for Further Study
Exod 15:20 ^bf; Deut 13:1-5 ^bg; Judg 4:4 ^bh; 1 Kgs 11:29-32 ^bi; 2 Kgs 22:14-20 ^bj; Isa 20:2-6 ^bk; 44:25 ^bl; Jer 13:1-11 ^bm; 23:25-32 ^bn; Ezek 4:1-17 ^bo; 13:2-9 ^bp; Joel 2:28-32 ^bq; Matt 7:15 ^br; 24:24 ^bs; Acts 2:17-21 ^bt; 11:27-28 ^bu; 13:1 ^bv; 15:32 ^bw; 19:6 ^bx; 20:23 ^by; Acts 21:9-11 ^bz; Rom 12:6 ^ca; 1 Cor 11:5 ^cb; 12:4-11 ^cc; 14:1-40 ^cd; Eph 4:11-13 ^ce; 1 Thes 5:19-21 ^cf; 2 Pet 2:1 ^cg; 1 Jn 4:1-3 ^ch; Rev 2:20-23 ^ci; 19:10 ^cj

‏ Acts 14:1-24

14:1 ^ck The missionaries moved on to the next town, Iconium (now called Konya), located east of Pisidian Antioch on a high plateau in south central Asia Minor. Iconium enjoyed a favorable location on several key trade routes.

• In their usual fashion, Paul and Barnabas began their ministry in the area by speaking powerfully in the Jewish synagogue, which led to a great response from both Jews and Greeks.
14:2 ^cl Once again Paul and Barnabas faced hostile Jews who rejected the Christian message and also poisoned the minds of the Gentiles.
14:3 ^cm The Spirit-inspired apostles were resilient to withstand the verbal attack against them, and they persisted in preaching the Good News that God’s grace was available to Gentiles as well as to Jews.

• boldly: Spirit-inspired boldness is evident throughout Acts (see 2:14 ^cn; 4:9-10 ^co, 13 ^cp; 7:2-53 ^cq; 8:30-35 ^cr; 9:27-28 ^cs; 18:26 ^ct; 19:8 ^cu; 22:3-21 ^cv; 23:1-6 ^cw; 28:16-20 ^cx, 23-31 ^cy).

• In addition, the Holy Spirit confirmed the Christian message with miraculous signs and wonders (cp. 5:12-16 ^cz; 15:12 ^da; 16:18 ^db; 19:11 ^dc).
14:4 ^dd The apostolic message required a decision about belief in Jesus, and opinion was clearly split.

• Paul and Barnabas are called apostles for the first time (also in 14:14 ^de), extending the idea of apostleship beyond the Twelve. Their message was in continuity with that of the original apostles, and they were prepared to suffer hardship and persecution for it as the earlier apostles had done (5:41 ^df; 14:19 ^dg; 20:24 ^dh; 21:13-14 ^di; see also Rom 8:35-38 ^dj; 2 Cor 4:8-17 ^dk).
14:6 ^dl 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 ^dm; 18:23 ^dn). Paul’s letter to the Galatians was probably addressed to scattered believers in the churches of Lycaonia (see Galatians Book Introduction, “Recipients”).

• Lystra was located roughly twenty-five miles (40 km) south-southwest of Iconium.

• Derbe, situated about thirty miles (50 km) southeast of Lystra, was on the busy major road that stretched from Iconium and Lystra eastward to Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia.
Summary for Acts 14:8-20: 14:8-20 ^do Paul’s healing of a man with crippled feet recalls a similar incident in 3:1-12 ^dp. In Acts, the work of Paul parallels the work of Peter, and the many miraculous signs and wonders performed among the Jews were also performed among the Gentiles.
14:9 ^dq Paul realized he had faith to be healed: Paul, full of the Holy Spirit (9:17 ^dr), sensed the man’s spiritual openness and expectancy for divine help and intervention.
Summary for Acts 14:11-13: 14:11-13 ^ds Zeus was the patron god of Lystra, and the city had a temple in his honor. They associated Barnabas with Zeus, perhaps because he was the more impressive figure, and Hermes was identified with Paul ... since he was the chief speaker. The native people of Lystra thought that they were being treated to a divine visitation similar to a past mythological appearance cited by the poet Ovid (in which the gods Zeus and Hermes came to visit the area but were unrecognized except by an old couple; see Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.616–724). So the people set out to honor these supposed gods.
Summary for Acts 14:13-18: 14:13-18 ^dt The apostles opposed the people’s idolatry and their attempt to offer sacrifices to them. They directed the people’s worship to the living God; the apostles were his representatives as they brought the Good News of the Christian message.
Summary for Acts 14:19-20: 14:19-20 ^du The crowd became fickle when some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and easily turned the people against the apostles.

• They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town: Paul later referred to this time of persecution as a lesson (2 Tim 3:11-12 ^dv).

• thinking he was dead: That Paul got up and went back into the town suggests that God miraculously healed him of his wounds.
14:20 ^dw The next day he left: Paul later returned to Lystra on his second missionary journey (16:1 ^dx).
Summary for Acts 14:22-23: 14:22-23 ^dy The apostles were diligent in following up with those who had made a Christian profession of faith. These new disciples needed to be nurtured, supported, and encouraged (15:32 ^dz, 41 ^ea; 16:40 ^eb; 18:23 ^ec; see 1 Thes 3:2 ^ed; 4:18 ^ee; 5:14 ^ef).

• Paul and Barnabas . . . appointed elders: See thematic note for Church Leaders at end of chapter.