In Iconium they entered the Jewish synagogue, as usual, and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they stayed there a long time and spoke boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace by enabling them to do signs and wonders. But the people of the city were divided, some siding with the Jews and others with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat and stone them, they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside. There they continued preaching the gospel.
In Lystra a man was sitting who was without strength in his feet, had never walked, and had been lame from birth. He listened as Paul spoke. After looking directly at him and seeing that he had faith to be healed, Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” And he jumped up and began to walk around.
When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting, “People! Why are you doing these things? We are people also, just like you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own way, although he did not leave himself without a witness, since he did what is good by giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.” Even though they said these things, they barely stopped the crowds from sacrificing to them.
Some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. After the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
They passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. After they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. After they arrived and gathered the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and that he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a considerable time with the disciples.
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Returning to strengthen and encourage the disciples, Paul and Barnabas gave them a realistic warning: “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” How does expecting trials in our daily lives (rather than expecting a friction-free life) help us build spiritual endurance when difficult seasons arrive?
View this work of art by Caravaggio, titled Conversion on the Way to Damascus, which connects to Sunday’s sermon passage.
Observe what you see in the image, from colors to composition to recognizable elements, without trying to understand what it is supposed to mean. Then read about the work, using these details to help you interpret the work of art. Ask God what he might be saying through the image and listen for his insight in your thoughts and feelings; then take a moment to respond through prayer to what God showed you in this image.
Commentary:
Caravaggio (1571–1610) was one of the most famous Italian painters of the Baroque era who had a massive influence on generations of painters that followed him, including Reubens and Rembrandt. He was a complex man who lived a troubled life. He spent many years running from justice for violent crimes while also being the most famous painter in Rome. He was a sought after painter of religious scenes that were, like the Scriptures they portrayed, dramatic and sometimes violent. His use of chiaroscuro, or highly contrasting brights/lights (chiaro) and darks/shadows (oscuro), changed painting forever.
His work Conversion on the Way to Damascus was a commission for the Cerasi Chapel in Rome and it is one of two versions of the same scene Caravaggio made (the first was rejected by the patron). This version remains in the Cerasi Chapel in the Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome to this day.
Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro is on full display in this work, which takes some liberties with the story from Acts 9. Paul is dressed very similarly to a Roman soldier, and he has apparently fallen from his horse (nowhere mentioned in the biblical text), his helmet lying on the ground beside him as his horse looms large above him, giving the invisible God a kind of physical presence, reminding the viewer of the fragile nature of human life when compared with the Divine. A groom stands in the deep shadows, tending to the horse, apparently unconcerned by whatever has struck Saul so powerfully. In contrast to that shadow, Saul is bathed in the light of God’s revelation, his face fully illuminated as he stretches his arms outward in a full embrace of the light, a vivid, naturalistic depiction of his conversion.
Art Source: Conversion on the Way to Damascus, Caravaggio, 1601. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
As you reflect on the beauty and message of this week’s piece of art, how is your heart moved to prayerful worship? Pray this short breath prayer prompt as you view this week’s piece of art:
Father, grow my love for you as I contemplate your transforming power.
If you are also following the BibleProject’s One Story That Leads to Jesus reading plan, complete today’s reading.