St. Barnabas 20. Antioch of Pisidia
After the
departure of John Mark at the seaport town of Perga (Ac 13:13), St. Paul and
St. Barnabas made the five- or six-day journey up the coastal mountains on to
the high plateau (mesa) where the city of Antioch of Pisidia (“of the hills”)
was located (Ac 13:14). Initially the road went through a thickly populated and
beautiful coastal area (along today’s southern coast of Turkey), but as they
climbed up, the trees thinned out, the houses became fewer, and the road more
rocky and dangerous – not only from its steepness but also from outlaws. The
road was so dangerous that merchants would only travel the route together and
with armed guards. But Paul and Barnabas made it through safely.
Had Paul
learned this approach to a mixed audience from Barnabas? Had they spoken and
prayed along the road about what approach to take and who should be the lead?
The
response of the people was amazing! No one had ever spoken to the Gentile
sympathizers this way! They asked Paul and Barnabas to speak at the next
Sabbath (Ac 13:42) and followed them out the door and down the street. We can
imagine conversations going on all week, perhaps Christian baptisms, and
clearly the beginning of the Church there.
The next
Sabbath “almost the whole city gathered together to hear the word of God” (Ac13:44). Wow, what a crowd! But trouble from the Jewish authorities “filled with
jealousy.” They “contradicted what was spoken by Paul, and reviled him” (Ac13:45).
We
Christians hear the words of forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus and
think, “Yes, of course.” But to First Century Jews and Gentile sympathizers,
this far away from Jerusalem who perhaps had heard nothing of Jesus before now,
it would be astonishing. That one could be entitled to all the promises of
Israel just by believing? And even more, be freed from what “you could not be
freed by the law of Moses”? (Ac 13:38.) More than Moses? Just believing in this
Messiah we’ve never heard about? Nobody from the Temple has told us about this
before! Who are these impostors taking away our good people?!
Paul and
Barnabas didn’t hold back: “It was necessary that the word of God should be
spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you and judge yourselves unworthy
of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.” They quoted Isaiah – perhaps
that Sabbath day’s liturgical reading from the Prophets? – about the Messiah
being a light for the Gentiles that salvation may come to the ends of the earth
(Ac 13:46-47; Is 49:6).
The
believers – Jewish and Gentile – loved it! They “were glad and glorified the
word of God,” and the word spread through the whole area (Ac 13:48-49).
Salvation! Eternal life! In Jesus whom God raised from the dead!
But the
Jewish authorities were not happy. They “stirred up persecution against Paul
and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.” Paul and Barnabas did the
symbolic shaking the dust from their feet against their persecutors, and went
on their way (Ac 13:50-51).
But they left behind an infant local Church “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 13:52).
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in California City, CA. Visit our website at ollcalcity.org.
Dibby Allan Green has a BA in Religious Studies (Westmont College, 1978) and MA in Theology (Augustine Institute, 2019), is a lay Catholic hermit, and a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.