How do division, mistaken worship and stoning precede the return?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The apostles flee an assault, refuse sacrifice, survive Paul’s stoning and return to strengthen disciples and ordain priests.

Chapter breakdown

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas enter the Jewish synagogue and speak so that many Jews and Greeks believe. Unbelieving Jews stir Gentiles against the brethren. The two remain long, speaking confidently in the Lord, who testifies to the word of grace through signs and wonders by their hands. The city is divided between Jews and apostles. Learning of an assault by Gentiles, Jews and rulers to mistreat and stone them, they flee to Lystra, Derbe and the surrounding Lycaonian country, preaching there.

At Lystra a man unable to use his feet from birth and never having walked hears Paul. Seeing his faith to be healed, Paul commands him to stand upright, and he leaps and walks. The multitude cries in Lycaonian that gods have descended as men. They call Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury because he is the chief speaker. Jupiter’s priest brings oxen and garlands to sacrifice with the people. Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes and leap among them, declaring themselves mortal men preaching conversion from vain things to the living God, who made heaven, earth, sea and all within. Though permitting nations their own ways in past generations, God testified through heavenly good, rain, fruitful seasons, food and gladness. They scarcely restrain the sacrifice.

Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuade the multitude, stone Paul and drag him out thinking him dead. As the disciples stand around, he rises and enters the city. The next day he leaves with Barnabas for Derbe. After preaching and teaching many there, they return through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening disciples and urging continued faith, since many tribulations attend entering God’s kingdom. They ordain priests in each church, pray with fasting and commend them to the Lord.

They pass through Pisidia to Pamphylia, speak the word in Perge, descend to Attalia and sail to Antioch, where they had been commended to grace for the work now completed. Gathering the church, they report God’s deeds with them and the opened door of Gentile faith, then remain a considerable time.

The story inside

The crowd’s mistaken identities and intended sacrifice are met by a mortal-status protest and creator proclamation. Paul is thought dead by those drawing him out, not declared dead by narrator. The return reports an opened door rather than guarantees of institutional stability.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Paul’s rising does not establish a prior death or a medical diagnosis.
2
Priest ordination is reported locally without a universal church-planting requirement.
3
The flight occurs after an understood assault, not merely after disagreement.

Test your recall

Whose belief that Paul was dead is recorded?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 125446–125453
14:7. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked. 14:8. This same heard Paul speaking. Who looking upon him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 14:9. Said with a loud voice: Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped up and walked.
Lines 125466–125482
14:13. Which, when the apostles Barnabas and Paul had heard, rending their clothes, they leaped out among the people, crying, 14:14. And saying: Ye men, why do ye these things? We also are mortals, men like unto you, preaching to you to be converted from these vain things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all things that are in them: 14:15. Who in times past, suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 14:16. Nevertheless he left not himself without testimony, doing good from heaven, giving rains and fruitful Seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 14:17. And speaking these things, they scarce restrained the people from sacrificing to them.
Lines 125484–125490
14:18. Now there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium: and, persuading the multitude and stoning Paul, drew him out of the city, thinking him to be dead. 14:19. But as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and entered into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
Lines 125496–125502
14:21. Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith: and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. 14:22. And when they had ordained to them priests in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, in whom they believed.