Acts 14:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This gave them boldness, or rather, their zeal gave them boldness. For this reason they did not perform signs anywhere for a long time. The very fact that the hearers believed was among the signs. Their boldness also contributed to this. And see how the writer always attributes everything to God. "So they remained there for a long time," he says, "speaking boldly in the Lord, who bore witness to the word of His grace." Do not think that this diminishes them. When they preached, their boldness was expressed, just as the apostle says of Christ that He "testified before Pontius Pilate" (1 Tim 6:13). Here, however, he speaks with reference to the people.

Their boldness came from the apostles' devotion to the work of preaching. The fact that those who heard them believed was the result of miracles. Yet the apostles' own boldness also contributed somewhat to this.

They withdrew to Lycaonian Iconium, a city about ten miles from Antioch, and there found access among Jews and Gentiles. But the hostility of the Jews, who won the city rulers to their side, drove them from there. This happened after they had already managed to gain a considerable number of attentive disciples through preaching and miracles.

After leaving Antioch, Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium. There, while the apostles’ word, confirmed by signs and wonders, turned a great multitude of Jews and Hellenes to Christ, the unbelieving Jews began to act very strongly against the preachers of the Gospel and the newly converted Christians.

As a result, the whole city was divided. Some were on the side of the Jews, and others on the side of the apostles.

At last the disturbance reached such a point that the party hostile to the apostles wanted to stone them. When they learned of this, they had to flee to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe.

In Iconium the same thing was repeated as in Antioch. The apostles' preaching had great success: "a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed." But this success stirred and irritated the unbelieving Jews. The agitation was so strong that the city was divided into two parts. Some were on the side of the Jews, and others on the side of the apostles.

"They remained for a considerable time": the attempts of the unbelieving Jews to stir up and inflame the Gentiles against those who had accepted Christianity in Iconium apparently did not succeed for quite a long time. At least this agitation and irritation did not openly express itself in any violence, and the apostles boldly preached the Gospel here for a considerable time.

"In the Lord": this expression and the following words indicate the reason why they acted boldly. The Lord strengthened their word through signs and wonders performed through them (cf. Mk 16:20 and note).

"Their boldness came from the apostles’ devotion to the work of preaching. That their hearers believed was the result of the miracles, though the apostles’ boldness itself also contributed somewhat to this" (Theophylact).

The apostles’ continued stay in Iconium helped not only the spread of the faith, but also its confirmation, especially through miracles performed by the apostles in confirmation of the truth of their preaching, which was proclaimed in the Lord’s name.

At the same time, however, the enemies of Christians were strengthened in their malice. The result was that the whole city was divided into two parts. This, of course, speaks of the great success of the apostolic preaching here.

Here, according to Saint John Chrysostom, what Jesus Christ foretold took place: "I came not to bring peace, but a sword" (Mt 10:34).