Acts 14:1-7 Paul and Barnabas in
Iconium. Upon arrival, they spoke the gospel and had a good response among both
Jews and Greeks. However, the gospel quickly polarized the city, with the
opponents of the gospel uniting (Jews and Gentiles). As Paul and Barnabas spoke
with power and signs following, the opposition attempted to have them stoned with
the sanction of their rulers. Since this opposition included both Jews and
Gentiles, we can probably infer the rulers were the secular rulers of the city,
not the religious officials. So Paul and Barnabas fled to other nearby cities
and continued preaching, not unlike the early church when they were persecuted
in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1 & 4)
Why
was the gospel such a polarizing force in this remote town in the mountains far
from Jerusalem? Especially, why did some of the Gentiles find it so offensive
that they wanted to stone Paul and Barnabas? We could guess that the Jews who
rejected the gospel were steeped in the traditions of the Mosaic law and felt
that the only true faith was that given by Moses, that they had been following
and working at, and were unable to see that Jesus fulfilled and ended the reign
of the Law by completing it, not by destroying it. We can guess with less
information about why the Gentiles would have been so deeply opposed to the
Gospel. Perhaps there were an array of reasons. Perhaps some were of the Roman
mindset and saw the gospel as a potential threat to peace and stability that
the Roman Empire provided. Perhaps they were of the Greek view of life and
shared the philosophical objections that later surfaced in Athens as well, that
the whole concept of redemption through substitutionary atonement was
intellectually offensive. Or perhaps they believed that God's approval of a
person depended on their virtue which had to be practiced, a kind of
philosophical legalism. We don't really know. But Jesus had forewarned His
disciples that they would be brought on trial for the sake of His name, and
that they should not be surprised when this happens. (e.g. Luke 21:12)
Why
does the gospel bring such deep opposition among some in the world today?
Although there are still Orthodox and practicing Jews, the primary opposition
seems to be based on worldly philosophical and political objections. Those who
want to control people to make them conform to their own view of the world see
peoples' allegiance to Jesus as a bar to their ability to make people do things
their way. Whether this kind of dictatorship is politically motivated, as in
communism or fascism, or religiously motivated, is a minor distinction. People
who want to control other people will find the gospel a hindrance to their
plans. The other major objection to the gospel is philosophical, those who
believe people should be free to live according to their thoughts and
appetites, with moral and ethical restraint based solely on logical and philosophical
systems of thought and no reference to supernatural intervention. Altruism,
hedonism, and humanism are all fundamentally atheistic. But underlying both of
these classes of objectors is the enemy, who has blinded the eyes of the
unbelievers and given them a substitute. (John 12:40 quoting Isaiah 32:3)
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