“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 

The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel.“
Acts 14:1-7

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FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Wow! There’s a lot happening in today’s passage. Can you imagine it? Paul and Barnabas are traveling for the gospel, and when they get to Iconium they go to the synagogue. It makes sense, right? If you were traveling to give an important word from God to the people of a far-off community, you’d first head to the churches.

But what a controversial message they bring! The long-awaited Messiah has come…and gone. He was crucified…and rose from the dead! And in all this, God has given His endorsement that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God—and therefore, everything needs to change and come in step with Jesus’ teachings and the upside-down life He asks His followers to live. Not only did Paul and Barnabas preach this (effectively!), but they lived it, performing signs and wonders; not magic tricks, but acts of godly compassion.

No wonder many believed…and no wonder many tried to have them killed.

One phrase strikes me here: “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there…” This decision, stated as an obvious necessity, might not be so obvious to us. They stay a long time not in response to welcome and comfort but in response to mistreatment and trouble. They did not expect the good news to lead them to ease but to trouble. But they were not afraid: they had seen the risen Lord.

And when they finally fled to save their lives? They simply began again, continuing to preach the gospel.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Why were Paul and Barnabas able to be so joyfully single-minded with so little material and existential comfort?
  • Where in your life and community are the words “Jesus is Lord” and the accompanying actions of compassion, justice, and mercy needed? What might be the cost if you gave yourself fully to that life and proclamation of compassion?

 

Church Reading Plan: Genesis 50; Luke 3