THE MESSAGE OF ACTS

Acts13:13-52    Paul and Barnabas in Pisidian Antioch
Acts 13:16-25   a) The sermon's introduction: the Old Testament preparation
Acts 13:38-41. The sermon's conclusion: the choice between life and death
Acts. 13:42-52   d) The sermon's consequences: a mixed reception
Acts 14:1-7       Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
Acts 14:8-20    Paul and Barnabas at Lystra and Derbe
Acts 14:19-20 d) The stoning of Paul

*From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed* north *to Perga in Pamphylia* (13a). In so doing, they crossed from `Barnabas's native island' to the south coast of `Paul's native land, Asia Minor'. They probably landed at Attalia and then walked approximately twelve miles inland to Perga.
Here in Perga they suffered a setback: *John left them to return to Jerusalem* (13b). Luke announces the fact in a matter-of-fact manner and appears to apportion no blame. But it becomes clear in 15:38 that he sees Mark as having `deserted them'. Later, however, he recovered and again became `helpful' to Paul in his ministry (Col. 4:10; 2 Tim.4:11). Why then did he desert? A variety of conjectures has been made. Was he homesick, missing his mother, her spacious Jerusalem home, and the servants? Did he resent the fact that the partnership of `Barnabas and Saul' (2, 7) had become `Paul and Barnabas' (13, 46. etc.), since Paul was now taking the lead and eclipsing his cousin? Did he, as a loyal member of Jerusalem's conservative Jewish church, disagree with Paul's bold policy of Gentile evangelism? Was it even he who, on his return to Jerusalem, provoked the Judaizers into opposing Paul (15:1ff)? Or did Mark simply not relish the stiff climb over the Tarsus mountains which were known to be infested with brigands (cf. Paul's `in danger from bandits' 2 Cor. 11:26)? We do not know.

Or was it that Paul was sick and that Mark thought it foolhardy that he was determined to go north over the mountains? We do know that, when Paul reached the cities of the south Galatian plateau, he was suffering from a debilitating illness (`it was because of an illness that I first preached the Gospel to you' Gal. 4:13). It seems to have disfigured him in some way, so that the Galatians might have treated him with contempt Gal.4:14), and to have affected his eyesight, so that if possible they would have given him their own eyes (Gal.4:15). Sir William Ramsay suggested that Paul was suffering from `a species of chronic malaria fever' (which the ancient Greeks and Romans both knew and feared); that it involved `very distressing and prostrating paroxysms', together with stabbing headaches `like a red-hot bar thrust through the forehead' (perhaps his `thorn in the flesh' 2Cor.12:7); and that it was his fever which necessitated leaving the enervating climate of the low-lying coastal plain, in spite of the rigorous climb involved, in order to seek the bracing cool of
the Tarsus plateau some 3500 feet above sea level. Perhaps it was this hurry which explains why the missionaries did not stay to evangelize Perga, which they did on their return journey.

At all events, for whatever reason, Mark left them, and Paul and Barnabas continued without him. *From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch*, more than 100 miles north beyond the mountains.
It was a Roman colony, a few arches of whose first-century aqueducts are still standing. It was also `the governing and military centre of the southern half of the vast province of Galatia'. Although politically it belonged to Galatia, in language and geography it belonged to Phrygia. *On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down* (14). The synagogue service will have begun with a recitation of the *Shema* (`The Lord your God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God...') and some prayers, continued with two lessons, one from the Pentateuch and the
other from the prophets, followed by an expository sermon, and concluded with a blessing. *After the reading from the Law and the Prophets* (which, it has been suggested because of Paul's
quotations, may that day have been Deuteronomy 1 and Isaiah 1), *the synagogue rulers sent word to them*, perhaps recognising from his dress that Paul was a Rabbi, *saying, `Brothers if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak*' (15). Luke now provides his first full summary of one of Paul's sermons. Although some Gentile God-fearers were present, it is
essentially an address to a Jewish audience. Luke will later give two samples of Paul's sermons to Gentiles, that is, to the pagans of Lystra and the philosophers of Athens. But now the whole atmosphere is Jewish. The day is the sabbath, the venue is the synagogue, the lessons are from the Law and the Prophets, the listeners are `men of Israel' (16), and the theme is how `the God
of the people of Israel' (17) `has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus, as he promised' (23). Luke is evidently anxious to demonstrate that Paul's message to the Jews was substantially the same as Peter's; that Paul did not turn to the Gentiles until after he had offered the gospel to the Jews and been rebuffed; and that, far from being an innovator, Paul was declaring only what God had promised in Scripture and had now fulfilled in Jesus.

Acts 13:16-25. a). The sermon's introduction: the Old Testament preparation

In this brief recapitulation of the history of Israel from the patriarchs to the monarchy, Paul's emphasis is on God's initiative of grace. For he is the subject of nearly all the verbs. God *chose our fathers, he made the people prosper...in Egypt*, and then *with mighty power he led them out* (17). In the desert he *endured their conduct* (18, that is, `bore with them, RSV, an echo of Dt. 1:13), and in Canaan *he overthrew seven nations and gave their land to his people* (19). *All this took about 450 years*, Paul adds, pausing for breath. It is a round number, of course, and is probably intended to include 400 years in exile, forty years in the desert, and ten in conquering the land. After the settlement God *gave them judges* (20), God *gave them Saul* as their first king (21), and then God *made David their king*, calling him `*a man after my own heart*' (22). Now,
having reached David, Paul jumps straight to the promised *Saviour Jesus*, who was descended from David (23), (cf. Lk.1:32, 69; 2:4; cf. Rom.1:3; 2 Tim.2:8), and mentions John the Baptist as his immediate forerunner, who pointed away from himself to Jesus (24-25). Paul is now able to follow the Baptist's example and direct his hearers' attention to the same Jesus.

b). The sermon's focus: the death and resurrection of Jesus - (13:26-37)
Paul tells the story of Jesus, as he has told the story of Israel. In doing so, he concentrates on the two great saving events, his death and his resurrection, and demonstrates that both were fulfilments of what God had foretold in Scripture. He concedes that the people and rulers of Jerusalem *did not recognise Jesus*. Nevertheless, he adds, *in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets* which they knew well, since they are read every sabbath in the synagogue (27). Although they could find no adequate ground for condemning him, *they asked Pilate to have him executed* (28). And again in so doing, though without realizing it, they were carrying out *all that was written about him*, including the transfer of his body from *the tree* (the place of a divine curse) to the *tomb* (29). But God *raised him from the dead* (30), and made it possible for him to be *seen* by those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem
(1:21-22), namely the apostles. *They were now his witnesses* (31). Paul says `they' not `we', because he was not one of the Twelve who could bear witness to him from what they had seen and
heard during his public ministry. Yet now he moves from `they' to `we', including himself: *We tell you the good news*, that in the resurrection (as in the cross) God has fulfilled for us what he
promised to our fathers (32-33). In order to substantiate this claim, Paul goes on to quote three Old Testament scriptures - Psalm 2;7 about God's Son, probably linked in his mind with God's promise to David that his descendant whose throne would be established would be his son (2 Sam.7:13-14); Isaiah 55:3 about *the holy and sure blessings promised to David* (34), which could be `sure', i.e.. permanent, only because of the resurrection of David's son; and Psalm 16:10 about God's holy one not being allowed to decay (35). David died, was buried, and decayed (36), but the son of David whom God resurrected *did not see decay* (37). All three texts may have been regarded as Messianic in pre-Christian Judaism (the evidence is not clear in each case); all three related to David from whom `God has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus' (23).

Acts 13:38-41 - The sermon's conclusion: the choice between life and death

Having brought Scripture and history together, and shown how what God foretold in Scripture he has fulfilled in Jesus' death and resurrection, Paul comes to his appeal: (vv38-41). The choice is stark. On the one hand, there is the promise *through Jesus* crucified and raised of *the forgiveness of sins* (38). For *through him* (repeated, because he is the only mediator) *everyone who believes is justified*, that is, declared righteous before God. Through *the law of Moses* there is no justification for anybody, since we all break the law and the law
condemns law-breakers; through Jesus, however, there is justification for everybody who believes, that is, trusts in him (39). We need to remember that Paul is addressing Galatians. Only a few months or so later he will be writing his Letter to the Galatians. It is very striking, therefore, that he brings together here at the conclusion of his sermon five of the great words which will be foundation stones of his gospel as he expounds it in his Letter. Having referred to Jesus' death on the tree (29, cf. Gal.3:10-13), he goes on to speak of sin (38), faith, justification, law (39) and grace (43). W.C. van Unnik felt able to assert that `Luke has no understanding of the doctrine of
Justification by faith as the centre of Pauline thought'. But I think Luther was nearer the truth when he wrote in his *Preface to the Acts of the Apostles* (1533):

It should be noted that by this book St. Luke teaches the whole of Christendom... that the true and chief article of Christian doctrine is this: We must all be justified alone by faith in Jesus Christ, without any contribution from the law or help from our works. This doctrine is the chief intention of the book and the author's principal reason for writing it.

On the other hand, over against the offer of forgiveness, Paul issues a solemn warning to those who reject it. He reminds his hearers of the prophets' denunciations. In particular, he quotes Habakkuk (Hab.1:5), who predicted the rise of the Babylonians as instruments of divine judgement upon Israel (40-41).

As we look back over the three parts of Paul's sermon, we cannot fail to note the similarity to the outline of the apostolic *kerygma* which appears in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Here, as there, we find the same four events: he died, was buried, was raised and was seen - together with the same insistence that both the major ones, his death and resurrection, were `according to the
Scriptures'. The structure is also practically identical with that of Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, in which we detected the gospel events (the cross and the resurrection), the gospel
witnesses (Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles), the gospel promises (the new life of salvation in Christ, through the Spirit) and the gospel conditions (repentance and faith).

Acts. 13:42-52   d) The sermon's consequences: a mixed reception

The immediate reaction was extraordinarily favourable: (vv 42-43).The concern of the people had been aroused. They `begged' (RSV) to hear more. Both Jews and proselytes surrounded the missionaries, anxious even before the next Sabbath to obtain further instruction. At least some of them had actually believed and received God's grace, for Paul and Barnabas *urged them to
continue in the grace of God* (43b). When *the next Sabbath* came, *almost the whole city
gathered to hear the word of the Lord* (44). Luke's enthusiasm has perhaps led him into a little harmless exaggeration. He does not exaggerate the opposition, however. When *the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy*, or `with jealous resentment' (NEB), that the visitors could draw a huge congregation which they could never muster, and they *talked abusively against*, in fact `contradicted' (RSV), *what Paul was saying* (45).

(vv 46-48)
Only a few comments on this text seem to be needed. Paul and Barnabas were clear that `it was necessary' (RSV, NEB) that the word of God should be declared *to you* (i.e.. you Jews) *first*.
For that was God's will (3:26, `first to you'). And this order was to remain, as Paul later wrote: `first for the Jew, then for the Gentile' (Rom.1:6; 2:9-10). The same priority continued in Paul's missionary expeditions described in the Acts, even after he had begun to evangelize Gentiles also (e.g.. Acts 14:1, `as usual'; 16:13; 17:2, `as his custom was'; 17:10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8; 28:17, 23). Yet it was Jewish opposition to the gospel which led him to turn to the Gentiles and find scriptural warrant for his epoch-making decision in Isaiah 49:6 (`a light for the Gentiles'),
which he quoted freely from the LXX. Luke has already recorded how this verse was applied to Jesus by Simeon (Lk.2:32) and will soon record Jesus applying it to Paul (Acts 26:17-18). This is not a contradiction, however, for the Lord's suffering servant is the Messiah, who gathers round him a Messianic Community to share in his ministry to the nations.

Those who responded to the word and believed are described as having been *appointed for eternal life* (48). Some commentators, offended by what they regard as an extreme
predestinarianism in this phrase, have tried in various ways to soften it. But the Greek verb *tasso* means to `ordain' (AV, RSV), sometimes in the sense of to `assign someone to a (certain)
classification' (BAGD). F.F. Bruce refers to the papyrus evidence that it can mean `inscribe' or `enrol', in which case it is a reference to the `Book of Life' (see Lk.10:20; Phil.4:3; Rev.13:8;
20:12-13; 21:27). Certainly those who have believed in Jesus and received eternal life from him all ascribe the credit to God's grace, not to their own merit. The converse is not so, however. It
is significant that in this very passage those who rejected the gospel are regarded as having done so deliberately, because they did not `consider [themselves] worthy of eternal life' (46). Later developments in Pisidian Antioch followed the same pattern of acceptance and rejection.

(vv49-52)
Nothing could stop the spread of the Lord's word; *the whole region* heard it (49). Yet at the same time persecution increased. Paul himself suffered from it. This is hinted at in verse 50, for
the expulsion of the missionaries was probably violent. It is confirmed by Paul's own later statement that Timothy knew all about his persecutions and sufferings `in Antioch, Iconium and
Lystra' (2 Tim.3:10-11). The missionaries for their part *shook the dust from their feet*, a public protest against those who rejected the gospel, an accordance with the teaching of Jesus (Lk.9:5; 10:11). Notwithstanding the opposition, *the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit*, for, as Paul was soon to write to the Galatians, `the fruit of the Spirit is...joy' (Gal.5:22).

Acts. 13:42-5   d) The sermon's consequences: a mixed reception

The immediate reaction was extraordinarily favourable: (vv 42-43).The concern of the people had been aroused. They `begged' (RSV) to hear more. Both Jews and proselytes surrounded the
missionaries, anxious even before the next Sabbath to obtain further instruction. At least some of them had actually believed and received God's grace, for Paul and Barnabas *urged them to
continue in the grace of God* (43b). When *the next Sabbath* came, *almost the whole city
gathered to hear the word of the Lord* (44). Luke's enthusiasm has perhaps led him into a little harmless exaggeration. He does not exaggerate the opposition, however. When *the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy*, or `with jealous resentment' (NEB), that the visitors could draw a huge congregation which they could never muster, and they *talked abusively against*, in fact `contradicted' (RSV), *what Paul was saying* (45).

(vv 46-48)
Only a few comments on this text seem to be needed. Paul and Barnabas were clear that `it was necessary' (RSV, NEB) that the word of God should be declared *to you* (i.e.. you Jews) *first*.
For that was God's will (3:26, `first to you'). And this order was to remain, as Paul later wrote: `first for the Jew, then for the Gentile' (Rom.1:6; 2:9-10). The same priority continued in Paul's missionary expeditions described in the Acts, even after he had begun to evangelize Gentiles also (e.g.. Acts 14:1, `as usual'; 16:13; 17:2, `as his custom was'; 17:10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8; 28:17, 23). Yet it was Jewish opposition to the gospel which led him to turn to the Gentiles and find scriptural warrant for his epoch-making decision in Isaiah 49:6 (`a light for the Gentiles'),
which he quoted freely from the LXX. Luke has already recorded how this verse was applied to Jesus by Simeon (Lk.2:32) and will soon record Jesus applying it to Paul (Acts 26:17-18). This is not a contradiction, however, for the Lord's suffering servant is the Messiah, who gathers round him a Messianic Community to share in his ministry to the nations.

Those who responded to the word and believed are described as having been *appointed for eternal life* (48). Some commentators, offended by what they regard as an extreme
predestinarianism in this phrase, have tried in various ways to soften it. But the Greek verb *tasso* means to `ordain' (AV, RSV), sometimes in the sense of to `assign someone to a (certain)
classification' (BAGD). F.F. Bruce refers to the papyrus evidence that it can mean `inscribe' or `enrol', in which case it is a reference to the `Book of Life' (see Lk.10:20; Phil.4:3; Rev.13:8;
20:12-13; 21:27). Certainly those who have believed in Jesus and received eternal life from him all ascribe the credit to God's grace, not to their own merit. The converse is not so, however. It
is significant that in this very passage those who rejected the gospel are regarded as having done so deliberately, because they did not `consider [themselves] worthy of eternal life' (46).
Later developments in Pisidian Antioch followed the same pattern of acceptance and rejection.

(vv49-52)
Nothing could stop the spread of the Lord's word; *the whole region* heard it (49). Yet at the same time persecution increased. Paul himself suffered from it. This is hinted at in verse 50, for
the expulsion of the missionaries was probably violent. It is confirmed by Paul's own later statement that Timothy knew all about his persecutions and sufferings `in Antioch, Iconium and
Lystra' (2 Tim.3:10-11). The missionaries for their part *shook the dust from their feet*, a public protest against those who rejected the gospel, an accordance with the teaching of Jesus (Lk.9:5; 10:11). Notwithstanding the opposition, *the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit*, for, as Paul was soon to write to the Galatians, `the fruit of the Spirit is...joy' (Gal.5:22).

Acts 14:1-7. Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

Nearly one hundred miles south-east of Pisidian Antioch, commanding the broad plateau which lies between the Taurus and the Sultan mountain ranges and which is well watered by their rivers,
is situated the very old city of Iconium, which today is Turkey's fourth largest town of Konya. It was still a Greek city when Paul and Barnabas visited it, and was a centre of agriculture and commerce.

Although *as usual* the missionaries *Paul and Barnabas... went* first *into the Jewish synagogue*, their mission in Iconium was plainly not directed to Jews alone. On the contrary, *they
spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed* (1). *But* if some Jews and Gentiles were united in faith, others were united in opposition. For *the Jews who refused
to believe* (literally `disobeyed', since faith and obedience go together, as do unbelief and disobedience), *stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers* (2) by an
unscrupulous slander campaign.

So, undeterred by this propaganda, and even (it is implied) because of it, *Paul and Barnabas* stayed on and *spent considerable time there *, correcting the false witness and bearing a true one, *speaking boldly for the Lord*, or, more accurately, `in reliance on the Lord' (*epi*, NEB), *who confirmed the message of his grace*, `a noble definition of the gospel', *by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders* (3). Once again we notice the close association between word and signs, the latter confirming the former. As Calvin commented, `God hardly ever allows them (sc. miracles) to be detached from his Word.' Their `true use' is `the establishing of the Gospel in its full and genuine authority'.

*The people of the city were* deeply divided, for the gospel both unites and divides; *some sided with the Jews*, believing their evil slander, while *others sided with the apostles* (4), persuaded by the truth of their words and wonders. The attribution of the title `apostles' to Barnabas as well as Paul, both here and in verse 14, is perplexing, until we remember that the word is used in the New Testament in two senses. On the one hand, there were the `apostles of Christ', personally appointed by him to be witnesses of the resurrection, who included the Twelve, Paul and probably James (1:21; 10:41; see also 1 Cor.9:1; 15:7-9). There is no evidence that Barnabas belonged to this group. On the other hand, there are the `apostles of the churches' (2 Cor.8:23; RSV margin), sent out by a church or churches on particular missions, as Epaphroditus was an apostle or messenger of the Philippian church (Phil. 2:25). So too Paul and Barnabas were both apostles
of the church of Syrian Antioch, sent out by them, whereas only Paul was also an apostle of Christ.

Slander against the missionaries deteriorated into planned violence. *There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders*, that is, `with the connivance of the city authorities' (NEB, JB), not only to *ill-treat them* (*hybrizo* implies insult and humiliation) but actually to *stone them* (5). *But they found out about it*, with the result that they *fled to the Lycaonia cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding country* (6). Luke is correct in locating these two small towns in Lycaonia, which was one of the regions (Phrygia and Pisidia were others) into which the Roman province of Galatia was divided. But why did the missionaries select them for evangelism? Neither town had a large population or lay on an important trade route, and the local Lycaonians were largely uneducated, even illiterate. Ramsay could even describe Lystra as a `quiet
backwater'. Perhaps they were temporary refuges to which they `fled' (6 and 19-20). At all events here *they continued to preach the good news* (7), for nothing could silence them.

Acts 14:8-20. Paul and Barnabas at Lystra and Derbe

Luke concentrates at what happened in Lystra, and gives us no details of the mission to Derbe.

a) The healing of the cripple (Acts 14:8-10)
Luke evidently sees the dramatic healing of this man as a counterpart to the healing of the congenital cripple in Jerusalem (3:1ff), since several expressions in the two stories are identical (e.g.. *lame from birth* and *looked directly at him*). But in Jerusalem Peter was the agent of the divine healing; here it is Paul. The reaction of the crowd is different too.

b) The attempt to worship Paul and Barnabas (14:11-15a)
The crowd's superstitious and even fanatical behaviour is hard to comprehend, but some local background throws light on it. About fifty years previously the Latin poet Ovid had narrated in
his *Metamorphoses* an ancient legend. The supreme God Jupiter (Zeus to the Greeks) and his son Mercury (Hermes) once visited the hill country of Phrygia, disguised as mortal men. In their
incognito they sought hospitality but were rebuffed a thousand times. At last, however, they were offered lodging in a tiny cottage, thatched with straw and reeds from the marsh. Here lived an elderly couple named Philemon and Baucis, who entertained them out of their poverty. Later the Gods rewarded them, but destroyed by flood the homes which would not take them in. It is reasonable to suppose both that the Lystran people knew this story about their neighbourhood and that, if the gods were to revisit their district, they were anxious not to suffer the same fate as the
inhospitable Phrygians. Apart from the literary evidence in Ovid, two inscriptions and a stone altar have been discovered near Lystra, which indicate that Zeus and Hermes were worshipped
together as local patron deities.

Since it was *in the Lycaonian language* that the people shouted out their belief that the gods had visited then again, and named Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, it is understandable that the
missionaries did not at first understand what was happening (11-12). It dawned on them only when *the priest of Zeus... brought bulls and wreaths*, intending *to offer sacrifices to them* (13). At this the missionaries *tore their clothes*, to express their horror at the people's blasphemy (cf.Mk.14:63),and *rushed out into the crowd*, protesting against their intention, and insisting that they were human like them (14-15).

c) The sermon Paul preached (14:15b-18)
Although what Luke includes is only a very brief abstract of Paul's sermon, it is of great importance as his only recorded address to illiterate pagans. It invites comparison with his sermon to religious and educated Jews in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, which is the only other one that Luke chronicles during his first missionary journey. One can but admire the flexibility of Paul's evangelistic approach. I do not doubt that wherever he went his message included the good news of Jesus Christ, which does not change. This must be what Luke means when he says that
the missionaries preached `the word of God' (Acts 13:5, 7, 44, 46, 48-49), the `message of salvation' (13;26). `the message of his grace' (14:3) or `the good news' (or `the gospel' Acts 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21). Nevertheless, although the substance of his message was invariable, he varied his approach and emphasis. The context within which he preached to the Jews in Antioch was Old Testament Scripture, its history, prophesies and law. But with the pagans in Lystra he focused not on a Scripture they did not know, but on the natural world around them, which they did know and could see. He begged them to turn from the vanity of idolatrous worship to the living and true God. He spoke of the living God as the Creator of heaven, earth and sea, and of everything in them (15). Did he gesture to the sky, to the Taurus mountains to the south, and to the Great Sea beyond them? Moreover, he who made all things has not been inactive since. Although in the past *he let all nations go their own way* (16), yet he had never at any time or in any place *left himself without testimony*. On the contrary, he has borne a consistent witness to himself by his *kindness* to all mankind, including Paul's listeners. He has given them *rain from heaven* and *crops* on earth *in their seasons*, thus providing them with *plenty of food* for their bodies and
filling their *hearts with joy* (17). Overawed with the majesty of this perspective, the crowd were restrained only with difficulty *from sacrificing to them* (18).

We need to learn from Paul's flexibility. We have no liberty to edit the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ. Nor is there ever any need to do so. But we have to begin where people are, to
find a point of contact with them. With secularized people today this might be what constitutes authentic humanness, the universal quest for transcendence, the hunger for love and community, the search for freedom, or the longing for personal significance. Wherever we begin, however, we shall end with Jesus Christ, who is himself the good news, and who alone can fulfil all human
aspirations.

Acts 14:19-20 -   d) The stoning of Paul

The stoning which had been plotted in Iconium (5) took place now in Lystra. It was not a judicial execution, but a lynching.As the stones were hurled at him, did Paul remember Stephen, and even pray Stephen's prayer? This must have been the occasion to which he was later to refer, `Once I was stoned' (2 Cor.11:25). The enemies of the gospel had not killed him, however; they only thought that *he was dead* (19). Luke is not claiming that what happened next was a resuscitation. The disciples, having followed those who dragged his body outside the city, now *gathered round him*, hoping to be able to minister to him, certainly praying for him, when suddenly *he got up*. It was a vivid illustration of another verse Paul was later to write in 2 Corinthians: `Struck down but not destroyed' (2 Cor.4:9) or `we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out (JBP). He was not only resilient; he was courageous. He *went back into the city* which had rejected him, to stay the night there (20a). Next morning, Luke writes in his matter-of-fact way, Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe (20b). It was at least a sixty mile trudge. How could Paul's battered body manage it? `I bear in my body the marks of Jesus,' he was soon to write to the Galatians (Gal.6:17); was he thinking of the wounds he had received at Lystra? `I once saw the track of a bleeding hare across the snow,' said Dr J.H. Jowett; `that was Paul's track across Europe'. Of course the companionship of Barnabas will have encouraged him. But as I once traced his route from Lystra to Derbe, I could not help wondering if his spirit had also been cheered by the spectacular, snow-capped mountain peaks around him, by the White Storks nesting on the village rooftops and by the pretty song of the Calandra Larks.

One is amazed at the fickleness of the crowd. One day they tried to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods, while soon after they joined in stoning Paul as if he were afelon. Yet Luke has recorded something similar of the Jerusalem crowd who with loud voices first acclaimed Jesus and then demanded his execution (Lk.19:37-40; 23:23). Like Jesus, Paul remained unmoved.His steadfastness of character was upset neither by flattery nor by opposition.

Next: Acts 14:21-28. 6). Paul and Barnabas return to Syrian Antioch

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