Acts 13 to 14:28 – Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Paul and Barnabas Travel to Cyprus – Read Acts 13:1-12

Luke again shifts the scene, this time to the church in Antioch. Saul has rejoined the believers there and after praying and fasting, the church hears the call of the Holy Spirit to send Saul and Barnabas on a missionary journey. Saul and Barnabas travel by way of Seleucia – the port for Antioch – and sail from there to the island of Cyprus. Once on Cypris they meet another believer, John Mark.

Barnabas was native to Cyprus and according to Acts 11:19 some of the believers who were scattered from Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen had already preached there. So this was a logical place for the mission to start – it was the home of Barnabas and in a place where there were synagogues and possibly other believers. Their initial efforts in the port city of Salamis, however, were not very promising.

Luke is silent on the details except to establish what became the classic pattern for these missionary journeys – Saul typically seeks out the Jews first in their synagogues. He does this because he is trained in the Law as a Pharisee and is best able to explain how Jesus Christ fits into Jewish history, prophesy and tradition. But in Salamis, at least, nothing is accomplished.

From Salamis the three travel “through the whole island” until they arrive at Paphos a port on the southwestern coast of Cyprus. This is also the seat of the Roman governor, Sergius Paulus, who has in his employ a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus. Sergius Paulus had expressed an interest in the message of the missionaries, but the sorcerer tried to “turn the proconsul from the faith.” At this point Luke reports that “Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit” causes the sorcerer to become temporarily blind (the only recorded miracle resulting in harm to someone). This impresses Sergius Paulus who “saw what had happened, and believed”.

This represents a major turning point for Saul – he has successfully converted a major Roman official to the faith. It is probably for this reason that Saul now becomes known as Paul, long after his experience on the road to Damascus. From here forward Luke refers to Paul and he is always mentioned first in any list of names – indicating the prominence Paul has achieved by this conversion.

This is apparently the most consequential event on Cyprus. The missionaries sail away from Paphos and Luke now quickly shifts the scene to Perga on the coast of Asia Minor. John Mark here leaves Paul and Barnabas to return to Jerusalem. Luke does not explain why they separate, but it is something that Paul later holds against John Mark (see Acts 15:38).


In Pisidian Antioch – Read Acts 13:13-52

Pisidian Antioch is deep in the interior of Asia Minor and it was a dangerous and difficult journey inland from the coast. On arriving in the town Paul, as usual, attends the synagogue on the Sabbath hoping to preach to the Jews of the area. Luke gives us a detailed picture of what worship was like: a reading from the Law and another from the prophets. The synagogue was filled with both Jews and “God-fearing Gentiles” - non-Jews who worshipped God and might be candidates for conversion to Judaism. The rulers of the synagogue next ask to hear from Paul and Barnabas, partly out of hospitality but more likely out of curiosity; here were two travelers who had been in Jerusalem and would be able to give them first-hand information on the latest religious news.

Paul addresses the synagogue giving a concise history of Hebrew history that is reminiscent of the speech given by Stephen before the Sanhedrin. In this case Paul connects the events and prophesy of the Hebrew scripture to the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem. Paul concludes with a provocative statement that sums up Christianity: “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.”

Paul’s speech intrigues many in the congregation and he is invited to speak again on the next Sabbath. Afterwards Paul and Barnabas meet with many of the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles and urge them to “continue in the grace of God.” Luke reports that the following week “almost the entire city” is on hand to hear Paul speak. But this has consequences. The Jews take offense at what Paul is preaching and begin to “talk abusively against what he was saying.”

The reason for the Jewish backlash against Paul’s preaching is twofold. On one hand, Paul is preaching that Jesus has now fulfilled the Law and that grace is now possible through faith. This is contrary to orthodox Judaism which holds that the Law of Moses is the basis of man’s relationship to God. Secondly, Paul’s message seems to have found favor among the “God-fearing Gentiles” and this threatens to rob the synagogue of potential converts. Paul is essentially telling the Gentiles that there is a way to be “God fearing” through Jesus Christ that does not require observance of all the strict laws of Judaism.

The upshot of this is that the orthodox Jews began a campaign of “persecution against Paul and Barnabas” that resulted in their expulsion from Pisidian Antioch. Luke reports that despite the persecution “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”


In Iconium – Read Acts 14:1-7

Paul and Barnabas travel to another town in the region, Iconium. Here again they enter the synagogue and preached to the Jews and Gentiles gathered there. Again, this caused division within the congregation: some accept Paul’s preaching and others are insulted by it. Paul and Barnabas “spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord.” Soon the entire city becomes divided on the question of Christianity and a plot is hatched to stone the two missionaries. Paul and Barnabas learn of the plot, however, and move on to the next town in the area, “where they continued to preach the good news.”


In Lystra and Derbe – Read Acts 14:8-20

After leaving Iconium Paul and Barnabas arrive in Lystra, a small, rather backward sort of town with no synagogue. Paul heals a man crippled in his feet and by so doing, gains the attention of the pagan people of the city. Paul and Barnabas are hailed as Greek gods, and a sacrifice in their honor is proposed at the local pagan temple. Paul and Barnabas object to this in the most violent way they know: “They tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd shouting ‘Men, why are you doing this?’” It was only with great difficulty that the crowd was convinced to call off the sacrifice.

At this point some of the Jewish opposition from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium appear in Lystra and begin to speak out against Paul and Barnabas. The crowd, a bit insulted after their sacrifice was refused, are won over and become hostile. Paul is stoned, dragged outside the city and left for dead. Paul recovers with the help of some disciples, and the next day he and Barnabas leave for Derbe.

In Derbe Paul and Barnabas preach the good news and have better luck. Luke reports that they “won over a large number of disciples.” In fact Paul and Barnabas recover sufficiently to return to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch to meet with the converts there and strengthen the nascent churches they have founded. Elders are appointed and some organization established. These become the Christian churches of Galatia and Paul later writes a letter to them that is in our New Testament as the Epistle to the Galatians.


The Return to Antioch in Syria – Read Acts 14:21-28

With the founding of the churches in Galatia, Paul and Barnabas turn homeward, via the port of Attalia after passing through Pamphylia and Perga. They sailed to Antioch and “reported all that God had done through them and how they had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.”

Paul’s first missionary journey illustrates the pattern typical of his ministry. Paul arrives in a town, attends the synagogue, speaks, describing Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and proclaims God’s grace through the crucifixion. This tends to divide the congregation – orthodox Jews take offense at Paul’s obsolescence of the Law while Gentile proselytes tend to be attracted to the new Christianity. As a result Paul is usually beaten, stoned or simply run out of town. Yet this is effective as some of the Jews and Gentile leave the synagogue to found a new Christian church.


Links of Interest

Here are detailed commentaries for Acts 13 and 14:

Chap 13: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch13.html

Chap14: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch14.html

Here are photos of the places on Paul’s first missionary journey as they look today: http://www.ourfatherlutheran.net/biblehomelands/paul%27s%201st/paul%203-1st%20journ-begin/1stbegin.htm

Maps of Paul’s First Missionary Journey are here:
http://unbound.biola.edu/acts/index.cfm?item=first


Study/Discussion Questions

1. Compare Acts 13:2, Acts 13:4 and Acts 13:13. What is Luke trying to convey about the importance of each personality?

2. Why do you think Jews were living in Pisidian Antioch?

3. Re-read Paul’s speech to the synagogue in Acts 13:16-41. What do you think the Jews found so objectionable?

4. Who are the “God-fearing Gentiles” that Paul refers to? Why are they in the synagogue and why is this significant?

5. Why did the Jews “stir up persecution against Paul and Barnabas?” (Acts 13:50)

6. What does the tearing of one’s clothes signify in 1st century society? Where else has this been described?

7. Read Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. What does Paul discuss and why do you think these things would be issues?

8. What would happen if someone like Paul came to preach at your church? What are some of the issues in the contemporary Christian church that are divisive?