Acts 14:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.

NIV: After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,

NASB: They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia.

CSB: They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.

NLT: Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia.

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

NKJV: And after they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.

This is the home-going end of Paul and Barnabas' first missionary journey (Acts 13:1–3). They started with John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, in Syrian Antioch, on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean Sea. From the harbor in Seleucia, they sailed to Salamis on the eastern end of the island of Cyprus. In Paphos, on the western end, they introduced the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, to Christ and rescued him from the influence of a Jewish false prophet (Acts 13:4–12).

From Paphos, the three sailed north to Perga, where John Mark left them. Paul and Barnabas traveled north to Pisidian Antioch, possibly by request of Sergius Paulus who had family there. As they continued east, spreading Jesus' message, they met increasing levels of persecution, climaxing in Lystra where the local people stoned Paul and left him for dead. After going as far east as Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to the churches they'd established, encouraging them and appointing elders who could take over leadership (Acts 13:13—14:23).

Now, Paul and Barnabas have returned to the coast. Pisidia is a region in western Galatia, home to Pisidian Antioch; Pamphylia is a province south of Galatia, on the south-central coast of Asia Minor where there are good harbors, including Attalia (Acts 14:25). Paul will revisit the churches in Galatia on his second and third missionary voyages (Acts 16:1–6; 18:23), but there's no record he will return to Pamphylia. Although he may see it when sailing past the coast on his voyage to prison in Rome (Acts 27:5).

Acts 14:21–28 tracks Paul and Barnabas' journey home from Derbe, the farthest point they reach in Paul's first missionary journey. Instead of taking the quick route south, they return west, building up the churches in cities they had fled due to persecution. They then travel south to the Mediterranean and preach about Jesus in Perga before catching a ship to take them east, back home to Syrian Antioch. Their experiences will prove vital for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem who must decide how to properly integrate Gentiles in Jesus' church (Acts 15:1–35).

Acts 14 describes the last half of Paul's first missionary journey. He and Barnabas leave Pisidian Antioch, near central modern-day Asia Minor, and travel southeast to Iconium where they establish a new church. In Lystra, Paul heals a man born crippled. The amazed people insist Barnabas is the Greek deity Zeus, and Paul is Hermes. They attempt to offer sacrifices to them, much to the horror of the two evangelists. When antagonists from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrive, Paul is stoned but survives. The pair travel to Derbe, then retrace their steps, encouraging the new churches before sailing back to Syrian Antioch.

Paul's first missionary journey, recorded in Acts 13—14, gives a glimpse of issues that the church will face throughout its entire existence. When presented with Jesus's story, some will accept Him while others will not. Opposition is sometimes violent. Some integrate into church life easily, but for centuries the church has struggled with how to integrate those from vastly different cultures. This raises the crucial question of which aspects of faith and worship are biblical, making them universal, and which are cultural, and therefore optional? In Acts 15, the church leadership will start a discussion on that subject which continues even today.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.