Acts 14:1-7 (NIV)
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news.
Iconium was about fifty miles to the east of Antioch. Paul and Barnabas followed their normal process of first taking the gospel to the synagogue. And just as they had in Antioch, many of the people responded with joy from among both Jews and gentiles, much to the consternation of the Jewish leadership.
Again, the unbelieving Jews stirred up the gentiles against the gospel and against the messengers, Paul and Barnabas. But there was no concerted effort at first to kick them out of the city, so they stayed, teaching the disciples and gaining an even larger following because God enabled them to do many miracles, giving powerful credibility to the message they were bringing.
The city was soon divided into two factions whose base worldviews were in exact opposition, as the gospel naturally divides people (Matthew 10:35). On one side were those who believed the gospel and who supported Paul and Barnabas. On the other side were those who opposed the gospel and the missionaries.
Finally, things reached critical mass when the anti-gospel faction developed a plot to stone Paul and Barnabas to death for blasphemy. Jesu’s instructions for this situation were very clear: “When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.” (Matthew 10:23) The Christians were not to stand and oppose their persecutors, but to pray for them (Matthew 5:44), and go back later after things had cooled down.
So, as soon as the pair found out about the plot, they moved further east to Lystra, leaving behind another group of powerful, mature Christians who would continue the work in Iconium.
Father, leaving a place when a murder plot against you has been formed is not cowardice but wisdom, and Jesus Himself did the same on several occasions (Luke 4:30, John 8:59), until it was time for Him to surrender Himself to those who would crucify Him. Help us, Lord, to be faithful, bold in our proclamation of the gospel, unless and until it becomes time for us to move on to a new harvest field. Amen.
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