Acts 14:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out,

NIV: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

NASB: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out

CSB: The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting,

NLT: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting,

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

NKJV: But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out

Paul and Barnabas are in Lystra, in the middle of their missionary journey. They have been run out of Pisidian Antioch and Iconium (Acts 13:50; 14:5–6) but find an attentive audience in this smaller town. At least one man has responded with faith to their message about Jesus, and God has healed him as a result (Acts 14:8–10).

The miracle has a strong effect on the local witnesses, but that reaction is misguided. They determine Barnabas must be the Greek god Zeus and Paul must be Hermes. It's unclear if the two evangelists realize what is happing. Paul is preaching to the Lycaonians, but he may be speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:18) and does not actually know the language. As soon as he and Barnabas realize the priest of Zeus is leading the people to offer sacrifices to them, they respond with actions associated with mourning and horror (Acts 14:11–14).

The church today is filled with confusion about what an "apostle" is. The term "apostle" is from the Greek root word apostolos and simply refers to someone "sent out," such as a delegate or messenger. Neither Paul nor Barnabas have the apostolic authority of the twelve disciples of Jesus—which includes Judas' replacement Matthias (Acts 1:23–26). However, they are chosen by the Holy Spirit to spread the message of Jesus in this trip (Acts 13:2). Nowhere does Scripture suggest that Paul was supposed to be the replacement for Judas.

Paul and Barnabas have strong reactions to the crowd's sacrifices for at least two reasons. The first is that as devout Jews and Jesus-followers, they know only God is worthy of such honor. The idea of people offering worship sacrifices to them is horrifying. The second reason, possibly, is they know the last person to accept such accolades suffered a gruesome death, eaten from the inside by worms (Acts 12:20–23). They have no desire to share Herod Agrippa I's fate.

Acts 14:8–20 finds Paul and Barnabas in Lystra in the province of Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor. This city's reaction is the extreme opposite of what happened in Pisidian Antioch and Iconium, where they were threatened with stoning (Acts 13:50; 14:5). In Lystra, they are initially worshiped as gods. The two Christian missionaries are horrified by this reaction and do their best to stop it. Before long, however, antagonistic Jews from their previous stops arrive and convince the locals to stone Paul. God's warning that Paul would suffer greatly for Him begins to come true (Acts 9:16), but Paul considers being left for dead a small price to pay for his salvation through Jesus (Romans 8:18).

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.