Acts — Chapter 14

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1And 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.

2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.

3Long 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.

4But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

5And 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,

6They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:

7And there they preached the gospel.

8And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:

9The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

10Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

11And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

13Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

14Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

15And 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:

16Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

17Nevertheless 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.

18And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

19And 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.

20Howbeit, 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.

21And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

22Confirming 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.

23And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

24And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

25And when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down into Attalia:

26And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

27And 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.

28And there they abode long time with the disciples.

1And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.

2But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, and made them evil affected against the brethren.

3Long time therefore they tarried [there] speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

4But the multitude of the city was divided; and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

5And when there was made an onset both of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers, to treat them shamefully and to stone them,

6they became aware of it, and fled unto the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the region round about:

7and there they preached the gospel.

8And at Lystra there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother`s womb, who never had walked.

9The same heard Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,

10said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped up and walked.

11And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker.

13And the priest of Jupiter whose [temple] was before the city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the multitudes.

14But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent their garments, and sprang forth among the multitude, crying out

15and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them is:

16who in the generations gone by suffered all the nations to walk in their own ways.

17And yet He left not himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.

18And with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them.

19But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

20But as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and entered into the city: and on the morrow he went forth with Barnabas to Derbe.

21And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch,

22confirming 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.

23And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

24And they passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia.

25And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia;

26and thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

27And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles.

28And they tarried no little time with the disciples.

1The same thing happened in Iconium when Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a large group of both Jews and Greeks believed.

2But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

3So they stayed there for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands.

4But the population of the city was divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

5When both the Gentiles and the Jews (together with their rulers) made an attempt to mistreat them and stone them,

6Paul and Barnabas learned about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region.

7There they continued to proclaim the good news.

8In Lystra sat a man who could not use his feet, lame from birth, who had never walked.

9This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul stared intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed,

10he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man leaped up and began walking.

11So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”

12They began to call Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

13The priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting,

15“Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

16In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways,

17yet he did not leave himself without a witness by doing good, by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying you with food and your hearts with joy.”

18Even by saying these things, they scarcely persuaded the crowds not to offer sacrifice to them.

19But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming him to be dead.

20But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city. On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

21After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch.

22They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.”

23When they had appointed elders for them in the various churches, with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the protection of the Lord in whom they had believed.

24Then they passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia,

25and when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

27When they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported all the things God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles.

28So they spent considerable time with the disciples.

1In Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.

2But the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.

3Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

4But the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles.

5When some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,

6they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.

7There they preached the Good News.

8At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked.

9He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,

10said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.

11When the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”

12They called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.

13The priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.

14But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes, and sprang into the multitude, crying out,

15“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;

16who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

17Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

18Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.

19But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.

20But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.

21When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

22confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.

23When they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

24They passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia.

25When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26From there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

27When they had arrived, and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.

28They stayed there with the disciples for a long time.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Paul and Barnabas preach in Iconium, heal a cripple in Lystra (where crowds try to worship them as gods), Paul is stoned and left for dead, and they return strengthening the churches — "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

Authorship & Background

Author: Luke (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 14 continues the first missionary journey through Iconium (vv.1-7), Lystra (vv.8-20), and Derbe (v.21), then records the return journey through the same cities to strengthen the new churches (vv.21-28). The chapter shows the pattern of Paul's ministry: preach boldly, face opposition, establish churches, appoint leaders, and move on.
The Healing at Lystra (vv.8-18): Paul heals a man lame from birth. The pagan crowd concludes Paul and Barnabas are Greek gods — Zeus and Hermes — and attempts to offer sacrifices to them. Paul and Barnabas are horrified and tear their clothes, redirecting worship to "the living God, which made heaven, and earth" (v.15). This is Paul's first recorded sermon to a purely pagan audience — no Old Testament, no Jewish history — just creation and God's goodness.
Paul Stoned (v.19): The same crowd that tried to worship Paul as a god was persuaded by Jews from Antioch and Iconium to stone him. They dragged him out of the city, "supposing he had been dead" (v.19). Paul got up and went back into the city the next day. Extraordinary resilience.
"Through much tribulation" (v.22): Paul's message to the new churches: "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." He didn't promise easy lives — he prepared them for suffering as the normal Christian experience.

Map & Geography

  • Iconium (v.1): An inland city in south-central Asia Minor (modern Konya, Turkey). Paul and Barnabas ministered here but were driven out.
  • Lystra (v.6): A Roman colony about 20 miles south of Iconium. Paul healed a lame man here and was mistaken for a god, then stoned.
  • Derbe (v.20): A city about 60 miles southeast of Lystra. Paul preached here and made many disciples.
  • Return journey (v.21): They retraced their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, strengthening the churches, then returned to Antioch in Syria.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the Iconium ministry, the Lystra healing and its aftermath, Paul's sermon to pagans, the stoning, and the return journey.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Through Much Tribulation" on v.22 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 613) "We MUST through MUCH tribulation enter into the kingdom. Not 'we might' — we must. Not 'a little' — much. This is not a threat; it is a promise. The path to glory runs through suffering. Every saint who has entered the kingdom has walked this road." Sermon: "Men of Like Passions" on v.15 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1348) "We also are men of like passions with you — not gods, not superheroes, not spiritual giants beyond your reach. Men. Ordinary men through whom an extraordinary God works. That is the pattern — God's power in human weakness."

Reflection

  • 1. The crowd at Lystra tried to worship Paul as a god (v.11) — and then stoned him (v.19). The same people. Public opinion is fickle and unreliable. Are you building your identity on what people think of you? How quickly can the crowd turn?
  • 2. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and said "We also are men of like passions with you" (v.15). They refused worship and redirected it to God. When you receive praise or recognition, do you redirect it to God or absorb it yourself?
  • 3. "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (v.22). Paul told NEW believers this — he didn't sugarcoat the Christian life. Are you prepared for tribulation? Has anyone told you that suffering is normal, not exceptional?
  • 4. Paul was stoned, left for dead, got up, and went back into the city (v.20). Then he continued his journey. Extraordinary resilience. What keeps you going when you've been knocked down? Where do you find the strength to get back up?
  • 5. Paul preached to pagans differently than to Jews (v.15-17) — no Old Testament, just creation and God's goodness. How do you adapt your communication of the Gospel to people with no biblical background?
  • 6. Paul appointed elders in every church (v.23) — he didn't try to lead everything himself from a distance. He raised up local leaders and entrusted the work to them. Who are you raising up? Who are you entrusting with responsibility?
  • 7. Paul and Barnabas returned to the same cities where they had been persecuted (v.21) — to strengthen the believers. They didn't avoid difficult places. Is there a difficult situation or relationship you're avoiding that God might be calling you back to?
  • 8. They "commended them to the Lord" (v.23) — ultimately, the new churches were in God's hands, not Paul's. How do you balance investing in people and trusting God with the outcome?
  • 9. "God had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles" (v.27). God opens doors. Are you watching for doors God is opening? Are you walking through them when He does?