Acts 14:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Again, as though deliberately wishing to spread the preaching, they drive the apostles out precisely when it has had success. See: everywhere persecutions produce great benefits. The persecutors remain defeated, while the persecuted appear glorious. Then, when the apostles saw the attack, they did not delay. "They withdrew to the Lycaonian cities, Lystra and Derbe, and to the surrounding region," where the fury of the Jews could no longer act. They went not only through the cities, but also through the neighboring regions.

The apostles went to another city of the same province and at first labored for quite a long time in Lystra. Here, as is evident, there was no synagogue, and Jews did not live there in general. Therefore no better place remained for preaching the Gospel than the public assemblies in the squares and outside the city. While Paul and Barnabas were carrying on their work in this way near the city, a man lame from birth, perhaps a beggar, listened to their preaching. Paul's words made such a strong impression on him that he waited with hope not only for spiritual restoration, but also for bodily healing. Paul noticed this and, to strengthen his hope in Christ, and through him the hope of others, said to him, "Stand on your feet and walk upright." The lame man was healed.

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.

At last matters reached the point where the leaders of the hostile party, both Jews and Gentiles, formed a plot to kill the apostles. They were informed of this in advance, and once more had to save themselves by flight. Leaving the tetrarchy of Iconium, they still continued along the great road. After going sixty versts, they reached the district of Antiochus IV, king of Commagene, and entered the small city of Lycaonian Lystra.

Finally, the part of the city’s population hostile to the apostles, both Gentile and Jewish, grew strong enough to feel able to make an open attack on the apostles.

"The Jews with their rulers": in all probability, this means the rulers of the synagogue, the archisynagogue and the elders who formed the council with him (see the note on Acts 13:15).

"To stone them": this was a punishment used among the Jews. This remark indicates very clearly that the instigators and chief leaders of this affair were Jews.

This punishment was used among the Jews, among other cases, against manifest blasphemers (see the note on Acts 7:57-59). Probably the Jews accused the apostles of this supposed crime.

The same remark also indicates the strength of the Jews’ irritation against the apostles.

The apostles' flight from Iconium shows that, after remaining there for a considerable time, they delayed their departure too long. They were already close to being killed, and by a shameful death, since stoning was regarded as such. At the same time, this also reveals how violently the Jews stirred up the people against the apostles, who were guilty of nothing. Evidently accusations were brought against them that demanded their death, and that quickly and cruelly. Before the Jews they were probably accused, like Jesus Christ Himself and the protomartyr Stephen, of blasphemy. Before the Greeks they were accused of overthrowing religion and stirring up public disorder.