The Divine Lamp

What follows is part of the rough draft for a talk I am supposed to give to a discussion group latter this month, in preparation for the Jubilee Year of St Paul. You can read Part 1 HERE. And Part 2 HERE. Please keep in mind these are only rough drafts, and no attempt has yet been made to edit them.

As would so often happen, Paul’s preaching raised opposition, and a plot was formed to kill him:

²³ When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, ²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night, to kill him; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket.

After this event, according to Paul in 2 Corinthians, he went into Arabia where he spent 14 years, then he returned to Damascus, then went up to Jerusalem. Luke passes over the time in Arabia, and has probably combined into one event the two sojourns in Damascus. He then narrates the visit to Jerusalem:

²⁶ And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, ²⁹ preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him off to Tarsus.

Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus but had apparently lived for many years in Jerusalem. He was a prophet, a leading figure in the Jerusalem Church, well-respected and trusted. We’re not sure when he met up with Paul, but clearly his action was instrumental in getting Paul accepted by the Jerusalem Christians.

Notice how Luke once again emphasizes the reversal Paul has undergone. As a Hellenist Jew, Paul had disputed with, and tried to kill Hellenist Jewish Christians such as Stephen. With his conversion, he became a Hellenist Jewish Christian, and was probably opposed by the very same men he had once sided with. Once again, we see that the former persecutor has become the persecuted one. Paul is forced to leave Jerusalem, and he returns to his native Tarsus.

At this point Luke once again breaks off his focus on Paul. His purpose in doing this is to show that the mission to the uncircumcised and non-proselyte Gentiles, opens, not through Paul, but through Peter. Only after Peter has preached to, converted, and baptized Gentiles, does Paul’s ministry to non-Jews begin.

Once the Peter narrative is ended we read of the Gospel spreading to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. When the news reached Jerusalem, the Apostles sent Barnabas to Antioch in order to strengthen them in the faith. It seems that so many were embracing the faith that Barnabas decided to travel about one hundred miles northwest to Tarsus, where he enlisted the aid of Paul. The two returned to Antioch and spent a year there preaching and converting many. It was at this time that the followers of Jesus began to be called Christians. Sometime during their stay in that city, some prophets came to them from Jerusalem, and one of them, a man named Agabus:

Stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the whole world , and it happened under Claudius. So the disciples determined that, according to ability, each should send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. This they did, sending it to the presbyters in care of Barnabas and Saul.

There was indeed a widespread famine throughout much of the Roman world during the reign of Claudius, AD 41 to 54. Things were so bad, in fact, that the emperor himself was mobbed in the streets of Rome. The famine did not hit all at once, rather it struck various places at different times. Judea was affected between the years 46 and 48.

At this point, Luke once again breaks off his focus on Paul, this time turning his attention to King Herod of Judea.

We read of Herod’s persecution of Christians, including the martyrdom of the Apostle James, and the imprisonment of St Peter, who was, apparently, to stand before a mock tribunal and then be handed over to death. All of this reminds us of the fact that Paul had persecuted, imprisoned, and condemned Christians to death.

After detailing Peter’s miraculous release from prison, which, incidentally, has numerous allusions to Christ’s resurrection, Luke goes on to talk about Herod’s dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon.

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a body, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. ²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them. ²² And the people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of man!” ²³ Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied. ²⁵ And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark.

Notice that while Paul and Barnabas were delivering famine aid from Christians in the territory of Antioch, to People in Judea, Herod was engaged in using the famine and the food he had to gain leverage in a dispute with people from outside his territory. The famine aid from Antioch to Judea came, in spite of the fact that many in Judea were disputing the status of Gentile Christians as members of God’s people. A dispute which I have not focused on, but which will come to a head in chapter 15.

This contrast between Herod and Christians continues in the account of Herod’s death, and the circumstances surrounding it. The Christians of Antioch had acted in accord with prophecy, the voice of God coming to them when the man Agabus spoke. Herod, in contrast, is honored as a God because of his speech. He did nothing to correct this and he dies, his intestines being eaten by worms, a fact confirmed by the first century Jewish historian Josephus, a contemporary of Luke’s.

Having completed their famine relief in Judea, Paul and Barnabas(John Mark was with them also) return to Antioch. While celebrating the liturgy there, some prophets, including Paul himself, received a revelation from the Holy Spirit who said: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

The prophets laid hands on the two men, commending them to the Lord, and thus began what is commonly referred to as Paul’s first missionary journey.

The two men (who have John Mark with them as an assistant) made their way to the large island of Cyprus, the birthplace of Barnabas. They traveled through its cities preaching in the Jewish Synagogues, and finally entered the city of Paphos. There they met the Roman Proconsul, Sergius Paulus, who was accompanied by a Jewish magician named Elymas, who was also called Bar-Jesus, meaning “son of Jesus.” The proconsul requested that the missionaries preach the Gospel to him. Luke writes:

But Elymas the magician…withstood them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight roads of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

There is irony here, and once again Luke is calling to mind Paul’s conversion. The Magician, who is named “Son of Jesus,” is called “son of the Devil” by Paul. He is condemned for “making crooked the straight roads of the Lord.” This calls to mind the fact that Paul the persecutor was baptized while residing in a house on ‘Straight Street.” And just as Paul had been blinded for a time, so that he had to be led by the hand to get to Straight Street, so too, the magician was blinded for a time, and forced to seek people to lead him about by the hand. As a result of all of this, the Roman Proconsul embraced the faith.

From Paphos, the missionaries sailed to the city of Perga, where John Mark abandoned them and returned to Jerusalem. From Perga, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Antioch in Pisidia, which should not be confused with Antioch in Syria where their mission began. At Pisidian Antioch they entered a Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath and are asked to give an exhortation to the people. Paul stood up and addressed a sermon to them which, in many ways, was similar to sermons preached by both Peter and Stephen earlier in Acts.

The response Paul gets is mixed, nonetheless, the missionaries are asked to return on the next Sabbath to speak further on the subject. In the mean time, they apparently continued to proclaim the Gospel in the city, so that, when the next Sabbath came, a huge number of the cities inhabitants were present to hear them. Also present, however, were a number of Jews who opposed their teaching. Luke writes:

⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.⁴⁶ Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

⁴⁸ The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,

⁴⁹ and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.

⁵⁰ The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory.

⁵¹ So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² The disciples were filled with joy and the holy Spirit.

The experience of Paul and Barnabas, beginning with their call to mission in Syrian Antioch, mirrors the experience of Jesus at the beginning of his mission.

Jesus, as his mission began, received the Holy Spirit, then went into the wilderness where he battled and bested the Devil. He then preached a sermon in a synagogue among his own fellow Nazarenes. The sermon had two parts, the first part was received favorably, the second was not, and led to Jesus being driven out of the city. In similar fashion, Paul and Barnabas are designated for a mission by the Holy Spirit. They confronted a Magician whom the call “Son of the Devil.” They preached in a synagogue and, at first, received a favorable response, but then, in a second sermon, they are opposed by their fellow Jews and driven out of the city.

Recall that in his sermon at Nazareth, Jesus had declared that no prophet was without honor except among his own people. He went on to remind his people that during the times of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, it was gentiles who had received God’s favors. Essentially, he was predicting the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, an event that opened up the mission to the gentiles, and which we see coming to fulfillment in Paul’s mission.

Having been driven from Pisidian Antioch, the missionaries make their way to Iconium. Once again they entered a synagogue and began preaching to the Jews, and once again they received a mixed reception and intense opposition. So, again, they started preaching to the gentiles. As opposition increased, they are forced to move on, making their way to the city of Lystra in the area of Lyconia (what is today central Turkey). Here we see that missionary activity among gentiles had problems all its own. Luke writes:

⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting, who could not use his feet; he was a cripple from birth, who had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, ¹⁰ said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and walked. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, because he was the chief speaker, they called Hermes. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out among the multitude, crying, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, and bring you good news, 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. ¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways; ¹⁷ yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ With these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Notice that Paul, because he is the main speaker, is thought to be Hermes, who, among the pagans, was the god who governed speech and prophecy. The event narrated here calls to mind what took place earlier in Acts, where Herod, speaking to gentiles from Tyre and Sidon, was hailed as a god and, because he did nothing to correct this, brought death upon himself. Death was a fitting end to someone who made such pretensions, for throughout the Old Testament, the pagan gods and idols are portrayed as lifeless, whereas the true God is often called “The Living God,” a phrase Paul himself uses here.

With difficulty the missionaries were able to keep the people from worshiping them, and, apparently, they were able to make some disciples. However, some Jews arrived from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium and persuaded many to reject the missionaries. They stoned Paul and, thinking him dead, dragged him from the city. But Paul, surrounded by disciples, recovered, and entered the city for the night. The next morning, he and Barnabas left for the city of Derbe, where they preached the Gospel and made many converts. From there they began to make their way back to Antioch in Syria, where their mission had begun. Thus ends what is commonly referred to as St Paul’s first Missionary Journey.