The end of their first mission in Pisidian Antioch became a pattern of sorts for Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:49, 50; 14:1, 2 NET):<\/p>\n
So the word of the Lord was spreading through the entire region. \u00a0But the Jews incited the God-fearing women1<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>of high social standing and the prominent men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas,2<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>and threw them out of their region.<\/p>\n
The 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 (\u1f19\u03bb\u03bb\u1f75\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd<\/a>, a form of \u1f1d\u03bb\u03bb\u03b7\u03bd<\/a>) <\/em>believed. \u00a0But the Jews who refused to believe3<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>stirred up the Gentiles (\u1f10\u03b8\u03bd\u1ff6\u03bd<\/a>, a form of \u1f14\u03b8\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2<\/a>) <\/em>and poisoned their minds against the brothers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paul and Barnabas\u2026fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region<\/em>4<\/sup><\/a> after they learned of an an attempt to mistreat them and stone them<\/em>.5<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 In Lystra they faced the opposite situation.\u00a0 They were greeted as gods after Paul healed a lame man (Acts 14:12, 13 NET).<\/p>\n
They began to call Barnabas6<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>Zeus and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. \u00a0The7<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>priest of the temple of Zeus, located just outside the8<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paul and Barnabas had to do some pretty fast talking.\u00a0 They had difficulty persuading the people that they were men not gods.\u00a0 But Jews came<\/em>9<\/sup><\/a> from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning the crowds over, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, presuming<\/em>10<\/sup><\/a> him to be dead.<\/em>11<\/sup><\/a> \u00a0But after the disciples had surrounded him, he got up and went back into the city.\u00a0 On the next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe<\/em>.12<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
After they proclaimed the Gospel in Derbe, they returned to many of the cities they had already visited, encouraged the new believers and appointed elders.\u00a0 Finally they made their way back to Antioch in Syria and made their missionary report to their home church.\u00a0 Sometime later some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, \u201cUnless you are circumcised<\/em>13<\/sup><\/a> according to the custom of Moses,<\/em>14<\/sup><\/a> you cannot be saved<\/em>.\u201d15<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Paul and Barnabas argued against this.\u00a0 The church in Antioch sent them again to Jerusalem to resolve this disagreement (Acts 15:4, 5 NET).<\/p>\n
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by16<\/sup><\/a> <\/em>the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all the things God had done with them. \u00a0But some from the religious party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up and said, \u201cIt is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to observe the law of Moses.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Paul was also from the religious party of the Pharisees<\/em>.\u00a0 He gave a bit more insight into his own state of mind in Galatians 2:1, 2 (NET): Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too. \u00a0I went there because of a revelation and presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. \u00a0But I did so only in a private meeting with the influential people, to make sure that I was not running \u2013 or had not run \u2013 in vain<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Both the apostles and the elders met together to deliberate about this matter<\/em>.17<\/sup><\/a> \u00a0I may be reading too much into this, but I get the impression that Paul and Barnabas were not included among the apostles and the elders<\/em> who met together to deliberate<\/em>.\u00a0 I am thinking they were present as something like expert witnesses.\u00a0 The whole group kept quiet and listened to Barnabas and Paul while they explained all the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them<\/em>.18<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n
I quoted Peter\u2019s and James\u2019 addresses from this council elsewhere<\/a> and won\u2019t do it again here.\u00a0 Peter\u2019s reasoning was pre<\/em>– or proto<\/em>-theological in the sense that it was based on a vision he saw and actual experience more than Scripture.\u00a0 James brought Old Testament prophecy into the debate, but again it was the apostles\u2019 experience with Gentile believers that was held forth as the fulfillment of that prophecy.\u00a0 That experience was very persuasive to those who shared it.\u00a0 But consider Peter\u2019s and James\u2019 conclusions in a table next to Jesus\u2019 teaching.<\/p>\n