Answers for a Study in the Book of Acts: Chapter 14

“Answers For A Study in the Book of Acts” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” posts on the weekend. The original questions can be found at the bottom of the “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” study the weekend before, and the answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers here. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

Note: The answers will focus on what the text of the Bible says, and commentaries and speculative answers will be noted as such. There are many scholarly commentaries out there but it will be important, as students of the Bible, to keep the text of the Bible as our first source. Commentaries can be used, keeping in mind that they are human thoughts about God’s Word.

The Goal for the notes, questions and answers: Share and reuse to lead your own Bible study!

Bible Study

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Read Acts Chapter 13:44 through Chapter 14: Then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions.

NOTE: The New American Standard Version (NASB) is the Bible being used here, unless otherwise noted. Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for “Discussion” or “Going Deeper” questions. Cite sources to share with your group.

Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles; Paul’s acceptance and opposition

1. Read Chapter 13:44 through 14:28 with your table group

In the last part of chapter 13 through chapter 14 we find Paul and his companions beginning their ministry to the Gentiles:

a. What happened that caused Paul and Barnabus to turn their ministry towards the Gentiles, and what Old Testament Scripture about the Messiah did they cite (13:44-14:7)?

“when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’””

Acts 13:45-47

The Jewish leaders became jealous when they saw the crowds that had gathered to hear Paul, and they began to contradict him and blaspheme.
Paul and Barnabas were citing Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 concerning the promise of Jesus being a “light” to all the Nations (Gentiles).
The Gentiles rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord; but the Jewish leaders incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out. (Acts 13:48-50)

b. How did the crowds react when Paul and Barnabus healed the man who had been lame from birth, and how did Paul and Barnabus respond to this?

“At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.”

Acts 14:8-18

The crowds reacted by proclaiming that the “gods have become like men and come down to us.” They started to worship Paul and Barnabus because of the healing.
They believed Paul to be the god Hermes and Barnabus, Zeus. The Life Application Bible Commentary tells us that, “Hermes and Zeus (Greek), also known as Mercury and Jupiter (Roman), were two popular gods. People from Lystra claimed that these gods had once visited their city. According to legend, no one offered them hospitality except an old couple, so Zeus and Hermes killed the rest of the people and rewarded the old couple. When the citizens of Lystra saw the miracles of Paul and Barnabas, they assumed that the gods were revisiting them, an immediately honored Paul and Barnabus and showered them with gifts.”
Some scholars have also said that we can get a glimpse of Paul and Barnabus’ physical appearances as they relate to these gods, although some descriptions vary.
Paul and Barnabus tore their clothes in an effort to show and tell the people that they were only human just like them, and they were preaching the Gospel of the one true God. They tried to restrain them from offering sacrifices to them.

c. What did the Jews from Antioch and Iconium do to upend the Apostle’s teaching here to the Gentiles? What happened to Paul and what did he and the other disciples do afterward?

“But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia. When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished. When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples.”

Acts 14:19-28

The Jews from Antioch and Iconium came in and won over the crowd, and then stoned Paul and left him for dead.
While the disciples stood around him Paul (miraculously) got up, and went back into the city!
After this, they traveled to Derbe, then returned to Lystra, and Iconium and then to Antioch – strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith.
They then traveled to Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga, Attalia and then back to Antioch (Syria) where the base of the church was located, and reported all the good things that God had done, and how God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

d. Discuss: Why do you think people are so easily sway and influenced to change their minds as they did in this situation? How important is it to be solid in our beliefs?

Some Psychologists, and other experts in human behavior, attribute this behavior to a “mob mentality” where people (who are not educated, or grounded, in what they know or believe) will follow anyone who they see as having authority or knowledge of a subject or situation. Often, they believe they are taking a moral high-ground, but it is usually based on false, or misleading, information, and sometimes an outright lie.
If we claim to be Christians, it is important to be grounded in the truths of Scripture which gives us confidence in God, who is the Creator and sustainer of all things. He is the God that promised to send a Messiah, and fulfilled that promise through His Son, Jesus. Jesus’ promise is to give us the Holy Spirit as our teacher and guide into all truth (found in His Word, the Bible). If we are grounded in Christianity’s foundational teachings, then we will not fall prey to the lies and deceptions of this world (run by Satan and his demons) that are counter to the Biblical worldview Christians should have.

2. Review Acts chapters 13-14:

a. Discuss: Write down (in one sentence) and share two or three things that you think are important to remember about chapters thirteen and fourteen.

Chapter 13 (from last week) introduces us to Paul’s first missionary journey, and shows us how God used Paul and his companions to spread the Gospel by giving evidence from the Old Testament concerning Jesus, and by performing miracles to prove that they were under God’s will, provision, and protection.
Chapter 13:44 through Chapter 14 shows us how, and why, Paul and his companions began to focus their ministry on the Gentiles. They use Old Testament Scripture to prove why this was to be, yet they faced opposition from Jewish leaders in almost every city they went through.
Paul and his companions always returned to their home-base where they received comfort and encouragement from fellow believers. This is an important concept in our own Christian walk, because we need other believers’ support, and our’s for them, in order to persevere in a world that runs counter to our Biblical worldview. We cannot do the Christian journey alone.

b. Going Deeper: Research Paul’s first missionary journey by mapping out the areas he went to and how they correspond to modern day areas of this region. Helpful note: Many study Bibles or other Bible resources have maps that you can use.

Paul’s first missionary journey:

Please continue to join us in making our “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” along with a study in the book of Acts, and share it with others!

Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study question are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) posted mid-week.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15