CON CAMPBELL: I'M IN PURSUIT
OF PAUL THE APOSTLE. MY NAME IS CON CAMPBELL. I'VE STUDIED PAUL'S 13 NEW
TESTAMENT LETTERS FOR YEARS. NOW I WANT TO KNOW HIM BETTER. FOR THE FIRST TIME
I'M FOLLOWING HIS JOURNEYS, FROM JERUSALEM
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN, ALL THE WAY TO ROME
WHERE HE WAS MARTYRED. LEAVING THE SOUTHERN
COAST OF TURKEY, I HEADED TOWARD A LITTLE-KNOWN,
SMALL GREEK ISLAND. IN THE FIRST CENTURY,
THE PEOPLE GROUPS LIVING AROUND
THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA HADN'T EVEN HEARD OF
THE NAME OF JESUS. YET THE APOSTLE PAUL
BOLDLY ENTERED THE ROUGH WATERS OF
THIS PAGAN ROMAN WORLD TO PERSUADE THEM TO ABANDON THE
SHIP OF ALL THEY HAD BELIEVED. (SPEAKING GREEK) I'M ON THE ISLAND
OF KASTELLORIZO, ALSO KNOWN AS MEGISTI. IT'S THE EASTERNMOST PART OF GREECE, JUST OFF THE COAST
OF TURKEY. THE LOCAL TRADITION
OF THE ISLAND IS THAT PAUL VISITED HERE AT
ONE POINT IN HIS TRAVELS. BUT THE REAL
REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE OF MY
CONNECTION TO THIS ISLAND. MY MOTHER'S FAMILY
COMES FROM THIS ISLAND, MAKING MY HERITAGE HALF GREEK. RESTAURANTS AND CAFES
LINE THE HARBOR WITH MEDITERRANEAN COLORS. THIS HOME HAS BEEN IN
OUR FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS. PHOTOGRAPHS OF MY
RELATIVES HANG ON THE WALLS. OTHER REMINDERS DISPLAY
THE HERITAGE OF THIS PLACE. MY UNCLE LOVINGLY
RESTORED THE HOUSE, PRESERVING ITS CHARACTER.
IT'S A JOY FOR ME TO BE HERE AND TO HAVE SUCH A CONNECTION
TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD, A REGION IN WHICH
PAUL WAS SO ACTIVE. THE ISLAND ACTUALLY
CELEBRATES THE IMPACT... THAT THE MESSAGE OF PAUL
WOULD HAVE ON THE ROMAN EMPIRE. TODAY IS SAINT CONSTANTINE AND HELEN'S DAY,
KONSTANTINOS-K-ELENIS. CONSTANTINE WAS
THE ROMAN EMPEROR WHO CONVERTED
TO CHRISTIANITY, AND THERE'S A GREEK
ORTHODOX CELEBRATION HERE ON KASTELLORIZO.
THERE'S A PROCESSION MOVING DOWN THE STREET FROM ONE CHURCH
DOWN TO ANOTHER CHURCH. (SHIP'S HORN) THIS HORN IS IN CELEBRATION,
TOO, OF THE PARADE. AND THE WHOLE ISLAND WILL STOP AND WATCH AS IT GOES BY. YOU KNOW,
AS I THINK ABOUT CONSTANTINE, I'M STRUCK BY AN IRONY.
YEARS AFTER PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY HE WOULD
SAIL BY HERE ONCE AGAIN ON HIS WAY TO ROME,
AS A PRISONER OF ROME. AND HE WOULD BE
IN CAPTIVITY IN ROME, AND EVENTUALLY
HE WOULD DIE IN ROME FOR THE MESSAGE THAT HE
PREACHED. AND THE IRONY IS THAT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YEARS
LATER CONSTANTINE, THE EMPEROR OF ROME,
CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY. SO IT'S TRUE TO SAY
THAT THE ROMAN EMPIRE PUT PAUL TO DEATH FOR THE MESSAGE THAT HE PREACHED, ONLY LATER TO BE
CONQUERED BY THAT SAME MESSAGE. BUT BEFORE THE MESSAGE OF
GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS WOULD ASCEND TO THE
HEIGHTS OF ROMAN RULERS, THERE WOULD BE MANY
YEARS OF SACRIFICE BY THE APOSTLE PAUL
AND OTHERS LIKE HIM. WE HAVE A GREAT VIEW
OF THE VILLAGE DOWN BELOW, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY,
WE HAVE THIS VIEW OF THE STRETCH OF
THE COAST OF TURKEY. THAT'S TURKEY RIGHT THERE,
SO CLOSE TO THIS ISLAND. AND WE KNOW THAT PAUL PASSED
THROUGH HERE AT LEAST TWICE. SO I LIKE TO THINK THAT, YOU
KNOW, MAYBE 2,000 YEARS AGO... ONE OF MY ANCESTORS MIGHT HAVE
STOOD RIGHT HERE, AND WHO KNOWS, MAYBE AT THE RIGHT TIME
HAD SEEN PAUL'S BOAT GO BY. ABOUT 200 MILES TO
THE SOUTHEAST OF THE ISLAND, PAUL BEGAN HIS FIRST
MISSIONARY JOURNEY IN CYPRUS. THE PLACE I BEGAN TRACKING
PAUL'S STRATEGIC CONTACT WITH THE ROMAN WORLD
LIES ABOUT 200 MILES TO THE SOUTHEAST OF
OUR FAMILY'S ISLAND. TO HELP ME EXPERIENCE
WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR PAUL TO SAIL IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN WATERS, I MET WITH
DR. LINFORD STUTZMAN. CON: EVERY SUMMER HE TAKES
STUDENT STUDY TOURS TO PORTS AND PLACES
WHERE PAUL HAD BEEN. I LIKE THE NAME OF HIS BOAT,
WHICH HE CALLS SAILING ACTS, BECAUSE THE BOOK OF ACTS
MAPS THE POINT ON PAUL'S
JOURNEYS IN DETAIL. CON: THANKS, LINFORD, FOR
HAVING ME ON YOUR SAILBOAT. THIS IS A REAL TREAT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WAS LIKE FOR PAUL TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME
AT SEA, AT THE MEDITERRANEAN? WAS THAT SMOOTH SAILING LIKE THIS, OR...? WHAT WAS IT LIKE? LINFORD: WELL, IF YOU READ THE
NEW TESTAMENT, IF YOU READ ACTS, YOU COULD SEE IT WASN'T ALWAYS
SMOOTH SAILING. AND INDEED, THE MEDITERRANEAN IS ONE OF
THE TRICKIER BODIES OF WATER... BECAUSE IT'S SO
CHANGEABLE SO QUICKLY. AND WITH
SQUARE-RIGGED SAILS, YOU'RE KIND OF
AT THE MERCY OF GOOD WINDS. SO PAUL SPENT A LOT OF TIME
WAITING FOR GOOD WIND. IF YOU LOOK AROUND, YOU SEE THESE INLETS AND ISLANDS, AND WIND CAN SPEED UP
AND DO TRICKY THINGS WHEN FORCED INTO
THESE CHANNELS. SO THAT'S... THAT'S TRICKY ENOUGH.
BUT TO DO THAT WITHOUT CHARTS, WITHOUT NAVIGATING
INSTRUMENTS, IS... IS AMAZING. CON: IT'S 14 YEARS SINCE
SAUL, THE PHARISEE, MET JESUS ON
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS. IN THOSE 14 YEARS AFTER
BECOMING A FOLLOWER OF JESUS, PAUL HAD GAINED EXPERIENCE
TEACHING AND PREACHING TO BOTH JEWISH
AND NON-JEWISH PEOPLE. PAUL WAS NOW PREPARED
FOR A GREATER WORK AND MISSION THAT GOD
WAS CALLING HIM TO DO. SO PAUL AND BARNABAS WERE SENT
OFF BY THE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH... ON THEIR FIRST
MISSIONARY JOURNEY. ROUND ABOUT
AD 46 THEY SET SAIL ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
WITH THE HELP OF JOHN MARK, AND THEIR FIRST STOP WAS CYPRUS. ALONG THE EASTERN SHORELINE
OF THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS, THE SEAWALL OF
THE ANCIENT HARBOR STILL TRIES TO HOLD
BACK THE WAVES FROM THE ROMAN PORT CITY OF
SALAMIS, WHERE PAUL LANDED. BARNABAS WAS A NATIVE OF CYPRUS.
THIS WAS HIS HOMELAND. HE HAD FAMILY
AND FRIENDS HERE, SO IT WAS FAMILIAR TO HIM,
AT LEAST. AND HE NO DOUBT WANTED HIS FRIENDS AND
FAMILY, HIS COUNTRYMEN, TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT
JESUS' DEATH AND RESURRECTION. BUT EVEN HERE, A FAMILIAR PLACE, WE SEE THAT VERY QUICKLY THE MISSIONARIES ENCOUNTER
SOME PRETTY STRONG OPPOSITION, SOMETHING THAT IS
GOING TO CHARACTERIZE... ALL OF PAUL'S MISSIONARY ACTIVITY FROM THIS POINT. I LOVE JUST BEING HERE AND
IMAGINING PAUL AND BARNABAS, AND THEIR TRAVELING
COMPANION, JOHN MARK, ARRIVING BY BOAT
INTO THIS HARBOR AS THEY EMBARK ON THEIR
VERY FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF
JESUS TO THE GENTILES. SALAMIS WAS A ROMAN
CITY ON CYPRUS, EXTENDING FOR
A MILE ALONG THE COAST. ACRES OF RUINS REMAIN. IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT AT THE TIME OF PAUL'S FIRST
MISSIONARY JOURNEY, THERE ARE REALLY
NO KNOWN CHURCHES WEST OF THE EASTERN
BANK OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. THERE ARE NO CHURCHES
IN ASIA-MINOR. THERE ARE NO
CHURCHES IN EUROPE. SO PAUL IS REALLY BREAKING NEW
GROUND BY TRAVELING TO CYPRUS. AND EVEN THOUGH
THERE ARE NO CHURCHES, THERE ARE MANY JEWISH SYNAGOGUES SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE. AND THE FIRST PLACE THAT PAUL
PRESENTS THE MESSAGE OF JESUS ON THIS JOURNEY TO
THE GENTILES, THE NON-JEWS, IS IN THE SYNAGOGUES
OF SALAMIS IN CYPRUS. NO ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES
HAVE BEEN FOUND HERE SO FAR. BUT WHAT REMAINS
IS THE GATHERING PLACE FOR THE GENTILE COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS THE THEATER THAT
SEATED 15,000 PEOPLE BEFORE IT WAS REDUCED
IN SIZE BY AN EARTHQUAKE. IT'S STRIKING THAT THE FIRST
STOP IN PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEY TO THE GENTILES,
TO THE NON JEWS, IS ACTUALLY TO THE
JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. AND IN FACT,
THIS BECOMES THE PATTERN THAT PAUL FOLLOWS
THROUGHOUT ALL HIS JOURNEYS. HE ALWAYS GOES TO THE SYNAGOGUE
FIRST WITH EVERY NEW PLACE. THE SYNAGOGUE FIRST, AND
THEN HE GOES TO THE GENTILES. SO WHY DOES HE FOLLOW
THAT PATTERN? WELL, I THINK THERE
ARE AT LEAST TWO REASONS. THERE'S A THEOLOGICAL REASON
AND A PRAGMATIC REASON. THE THEOLOGICAL REASON
IS THAT PAUL UNDERSTANDS THAT HIS MESSAGE
IS PRIMARILY, OR AT LEAST IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, A MESSAGE
FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE, THAT JESUS IS
THE JEWISH MESSIAH. HE'S THE KING OF THE JEWS. PAUL UNDERSTANDS THAT THEY OUGHT
TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE FIRST OF HEARING THIS
MESSAGE ABOUT JESUS BEFORE IT GOES TO EVERYONE
ELSE, TO THE GENTILES AND AROUND THE WORLD.
THAT'S THE THEOLOGICAL REASON. THE PRACTICAL REASON IS THAT
THE SYNAGOGUES ARE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
AND THEY BECOME HUBS FOR PAUL'S
MISSIONARY ACTIVITY. HE GOES THERE,
HE SPEAKS ABOUT JESUS, AND MANY JEWS RESPOND WITH JOY
AND... AND WITH BELIEF. AND THEY... THEY ACCEPT
THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. AND SO THEY BECOME
THE NATURAL LEADERS AND ELDERS OF
THE CHURCHES THAT QUICKLY BECOME FORMED
THROUGHOUT ASIA MINOR. THESE PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW THE
HEBREW BIBLE, THE SCRIPTURES. THEY ALREADY UNDERSTAND
THE PROMISES OF GOD TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
SO THEY ARE WELL EQUIPPED TO ACCEPT THIS MESSAGE ABOUT JESUS
AND TO SHARE IT WITH OTHERS. AND THAT, I THINK,
REALLY EXPLAINS WHY PAUL GOES TO THE SYNAGOGUE
FIRST AND THEN TO THE GENTILES. AND WE SEE THAT HAPPEN FOR
THE FIRST TIME HERE IN SALAMIS. PAUL WILL SPEND HIS LIFE
WALKING ROMAN ROADS JUST LIKE THIS ONE
THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE, SHARING HIS MESSAGE ABOUT
JESUS WITH THE GENTILES. ACCORDING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
BOOK, THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, IT'S HERE IN CYPRUS THAT SAUL
IS FIRST REFERRED TO AS PAUL. NOW, MOST JEWS WOULD
HAVE HAD TWO NAMES: A HEBREW NAME, SAUL,
AND A ROMAN NAME, PAUL. BUT THE QUESTION IS,
WHY HERE IN CYPRUS? WHY, NOW, IS HE BEING
REFERRED TO AS PAUL, AND FROM THENCEFORTH
HE IS ONLY KNOWN AS PAUL? WELL, THERE ARE TWO
POSSIBLE REASONS. A MINOR REASON COULD BE THAT
PAUL IS ENDEARING HIMSELF TO THE ROMAN PROCONSUL,
SERGIUS PAULUS. BUT A MAJOR REASON
WOULD BE THAT, NOW ON HIS FIRST MISSIONARY
JOURNEY TO THE GENTILES, HE IS USING HIS ROMAN NAME BECAUSE NOW HE IS THE APOSTLE
TO THE GENTILES. NEARBY, THE MONASTERY OF
ST. BARNABAS WAS BUILT TO HONOR HIM AS THE
PATRON SAINT OF CYPRUS. THE VISIT REMINDED ME
OF THE SACRIFICE THAT MANY EARLY FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS WOULD MAKE. THERE IS SIMPLICITY
TO THE SPACE. THE MOOD CALLS FOR
REFLECTION AND REVERENCE. ICON PAINTINGS IDENTIFY
ANCIENT FOLLOWERS OF JESUS. THIS IS BARNABAS.
HERE IN GREEK IT'S WRITTEN, "I EKKLISIA TIS
KYPROS IDRYTHIKE "APO TOUS DYO APOSTOLOUS,
O PAVLOS KAI O VARNAVAS "KAI O EVANGELISTIS MARKOS," WHICH TRANSLATED SAYS, "THE CHURCH OF CYPRUS WAS
FOUNDED BY THE TWO APOSTLES, "PAUL AND BARNABAS,
AND THE EVANGELIST, MARK," WHICH IS, OF COURSE,
REFERRING TO PAUL'S FIRST
MISSIONARY JOURNEY. PAUL DID NOT EVER
RETURN TO CYPRUS, BUT BARNABAS DID RETURN
WITH HIS COUSIN, JOHN MARK. AND ACCORDING TO TRADITION,
BARNABAS WAS MARTYRED IN AD 61. HE WAS KILLED FOR
PREACHING IN JESUS' NAME. AFTER SALAMIS, PAUL,
BARNABAS, AND JOHN MARK TRAVELED THE WHOLE
ISLAND OF CYPRUS, AND ENDED UP IN
A TOWN CALLED PAPHOS IN THE SOUTHWEST
CORNER OF THE ISLAND. THEIR PRESENCE DID
NOT GO UNNOTICED, AS THE ROMAN PROCONSUL,
SERGIUS PAULUS, WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF
THE ENTIRE ISLAND, REQUESTED AN
AUDIENCE WITH PAUL. HE WANTED TO HEAR
WHAT PAUL HAD TO SAY. BUT IN HIS COMPANY WAS A
SORCERER BY THE NAME OF ELYMAS, WHO STRONGLY OPPOSED
PAUL'S MESSAGE. AND THIS CREATED
A CONFLICT WITH PAUL, SO THAT PAUL CALLED
ELYMAS A CHILD OF THE DEVIL AND THEN EVIDENTLY PUT SOME
KIND OF CURSE ON HIM SO THAT HE WAS
TEMPORARILY BLINDED. AND THIS IS THE FIRST MIRACLE THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO PAUL. SERGIUS PAULUS WAS
IMPRESSED BY PAUL'S DISPLAY OF POWER
OVER HIS SORCERER, BUT HE WAS ALSO IMPRESSED
BY PAUL'S TEACHING, SO MUCH SO
THAT HE DECIDED TO BECOME A FOLLOWER
OF JESUS HIMSELF. AND THIS IS THE FIRST
RECORDED CONVERT IN PAUL'S FIRST
MISSIONARY JOURNEY. AND IT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT
THAT SERGIUS PAULUS IS THIS FIRST CONVERT, BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS HE A GENTILE, A NON-JEW, BUT HE IS A ROMAN,
AND NOT ONLY A ROMAN, BUT A ROMAN PROCONSUL UNDER THE
AUTHORITY OF THE ROMAN SENATE. AND THIS IS A SIGN
OF THINGS TO COME. PAUL, BARNABAS, AND JOHN MARK COULD NOT HAVE FULLY KNOWN
JUST HOW IMPOSING THE REST OF THEIR JOURNEY
AND MISSION WOULD BE. IN AN EFFORT TO MOVE
DEEPER INTO THE ROMAN EMPIRE ON THEIR FIRST
MISSIONARY OUTREACH, PAUL AND BARNABAS AND
JOHN MARK SAILED NORTH FROM CYPRUS TOWARD
THE REGION OF ASIA-MINOR, TO WHAT IS TODAY
THE SOUTHERN COAST OF TURKEY. THE FIRST SIGHT OF LAND
MUST HAVE GOT THEIR ATTENTION. THEY WERE ENTERING THE REGION
OF THE TAURUS MOUNTAINS. THESE MOUNTAIN BARRIERS
TO THE INTERIOR ADDED TO THE CHALLENGES
THEY WOULD FACE IN CARRYING THE STORY
OF JESUS FORWARD. AFTER REACHING SHORE,
THEY ENTERED THE CITY OF PERGA. THERE I CONNECTED
WITH DR. MARK FAIRCHILD, A PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR WHO'S
EXPLORED THIS REGION FOR YEARS. CON: SO, MARK, WE'RE AT
THE ANCIENT CITY OF PERGA. WHAT CAN YOU TELL
ME ABOUT THIS CITY? MARK: THE CITY WAS
ORIGINALLY A GREEK CITY. IT DATES BACK TO AT LEAST
THE FOURTH CENTURY BC. LATER IT WAS OVERLAID
WITH ROMAN CONSTRUCTION. SO THE STREET THAT
WE'RE ENTERING IS CALLED THE KARDO MAXIMUS,
THE MAIN BOULEVARD. BEAUTIFUL STREET, HAD A FOUNTAIN
FLOWING DOWN THE CENTER. THEN YOU HAVE SHOPS LINING,
COLONNADES ON BOTH SIDES. WOULD HAVE BEEN BEAUTIFUL.
AND YOU CAN IMAGINE THE SIGHT. PAUL, BARNABAS, AND JOHN MARK,
COMING INTO THIS, MUST HAVE BEEN
AWED AND AMAZED BY THE ARTWORK THAT
THEY SAW AS THEY ENTERED. CON: SO JOHN MARK SPLITS HERE BECAUSE OF THE INTIMIDATING
JOURNEY AHEAD OF THEM, RIGHT? MARK: NO DOUBT. IF YOU LOOK
OFF INTO THE DISTANCE, YOU CAN SEE VERY
PRECIPITOUS MOUNTAINS, AND IT GETS WORSE FROM HERE. THESE ARE JUST THE FOOTHILLS RIGHT NOW. IT GETS MUCH WORSE. THEY NETWORK WITH
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY, AND OF COURSE,
THEY KNOW WHAT LIES AHEAD. AND IT'S AT THAT POINT THAT
THEY REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE NOT ONLY THE DANGERS OF
THE MOUNTAIN CROSSING, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE
THE DANGERS OF... OF GOING WITHOUT FOOD,
WITHOUT SHELTER, AND ALSO THE DANGERS OF...
OF THIEVES. CON: RIGHT. SO JOHN MARK SAID, "SEE YOU GUYS. I'M OUT OF HERE." MARK: YEAH. "THIS... THIS WASN'T
A PART OF THE BARGAIN. "THIS WASN'T A PART
OF THE DEAL." CON: FOLLOWING ONE OF PAUL'S
POSSIBLE ROUTES NORTH, I HEADED FROM PERGA TOWARD
THE CITY OF PISIDIAN ANTIOCH, IN THE HEART OF
THE REGION OF GALATIA. IN THE FALL OF AD 46, PAUL AND BARNABAS TRAVELED
NORTH THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS. THE RUGGED TERRAIN
IS EXPANSIVE AND BEAUTIFUL. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY
TO WALK ON ONE OF THE ROMAN ROADS
THAT PAUL MAY HAVE TRAVELED. I WENT THERE WITH DR.
MARK WILSON AND HIS TOUR GROUP. MARK LIVES IN TURKEY.
HE TEACHES AND IS THE AUTHOR OF A GUIDE BOOK
OF BIBLICAL SITES IN TURKEY. ON THE ROMAN ROAD,
MARK TOLD ME ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE
SIGNIFICANT THINGS... TO LOOK FOR WHILE
TRACING PAUL'S JOURNEY. MARK: WELL, THE ROMANS,
ON THEIR ROADS, THEY ERECTED MILESTONES
TO LET TRAVELERS KNOW PRECISELY WHERE THEY WERE AT. PAUL AND BARNABAS,
COMING THROUGH THIS PASS, WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS
AUGUSTAN MILESTONE, DATES FROM 6 BC, AND VERY
FAINTLY ON THE BOTTOM YOU CAN SEE IN ROMAN NUMERALS
THE MILEAGE, 139 ROMAN MILES FROM THIS POINT
TO PISIDIAN ANTIOCH. SO PAUL AND BARNABAS
WOULD HAVE KNOWN PRECISELY HOW FAR
THEY HAD TO GO FROM HERE. MARK: WHEN YOU READ
THE BOOK OF ACTS, LUKE SAYS THEY WENT FROM HERE TO THERE.
BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET OUT ON A ROMAN ROAD
LIKE THIS YOU CAN SEE THE TYPE OF SCENERY,
THE LANDSCAPE, IT REALLY BRINGS IT TO LIFE,
THE... THE TYPE OF EXPERIENCE THEY HAD
IN TRAVELING FROM CITY TO CITY
DURING THEIR JOURNEYS. CON: SEEING THIS ANCIENT ROAD
SNAKE OUT ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE, I KEPT THINKING ABOUT
PAUL'S DETERMINATION TO MAKE JESUS KNOWN,
NO MATTER WHAT. AND THE TREACHEROUS ROADS
HE TRAVELED WOULD BE JUST ONE OF THE PHYSICAL
CHALLENGES HE WOULD ENCOUNTER. STANDING OVER 3,000 FEET, OR MORE THAN 1,000 METERS
IN ELEVATION, THE CITY OF PISIDIAN ANTIOCH FINALLY EMERGED
ON THE LANDSCAPE. A THEATER REMAINS,
BUT IS OVERGROWN AND SILENT. STRAIGHT STONE STREETS
FORM THE MAIN ARTERIES OF THIS ONCE VIBRANT CITY. AT THE HIGHEST POINT
OF THE CITY, A TEMPLE WAS BUILT
TO HONOR AUGUSTUS, AND WOULD BE USED
FOR EMPEROR WORSHIP. THE SYMBOL OF
AUTHORITY STOOD LIKE A SPIRITUAL
MOUNTAIN RANGE TO BE CROSSED. I WAS REMINDED OF THE DOMINANCE
OF PAGAN BELIEFS WITH A WORLDVIEW THAT
OFFERED LITTLE REAL HOPE IN THIS LIFE OR
THE LIFE TO COME. THESE ARE THE RUINS
OF A FOURTH CENTURY CHURCH KNOWN AS ST. PAUL'S CHURCH. AND THE REASON IT'S CALLED THAT IS THAT MANY BELIEVE IT'S BUILT ON THE FOUNDATIONS
OF AN ORIGINAL SYNAGOGUE, THE VERY SYNAGOGUE WHERE
PAUL FIRST PREACHED WHEN HE ARRIVED
IN PISIDIAN ANTIOCH. WHEN PAUL SPOKE IN A SYNAGOGUE, HE DREW ON THE SHARED HISTORY
OF ISRAEL WITH HIS HEARERS, AND THE SHARED KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEBREW BIBLE, THE SCRIPTURES. AND HE WANTED TO SHOW THAT
HIS MESSAGE ABOUT JESUS IS IN CONTINUITY
WITH THEIR HISTORY AND WITH THE SCRIPTURES. HE IS THE ONE THEY HAVE
BEEN WAITING FOR. NOW, PAUL'S MESSAGE
WAS RECEIVED WELL, AND HE WAS INVITED TO COME
BACK THE FOLLOWING SABBATH TO SPEAK AGAIN ABOUT
THIS JESUS IN THE SYNAGOGUE. BUT BY THAT TIME
THE WHOLE TOWN HAD HEARD ABOUT
PAUL AND BARNABAS, AND THEY ALL CAME TO THE
SYNAGOGUE TO HEAR HIM SPEAK, INCLUDING THE GENTILES.
AND IT WAS AT THAT POINT THAT SOME OF THE JEWS
BECAME JEALOUS OF THE ATTENTION
AND THE POPULARITY THAT PAUL AND
BARNABAS WERE GATHERING, AND THEY MADE THINGS
DIFFICULT FOR THEM. SO IT WAS AT THAT POINT
THAT PAUL SAID, "WELL, NOW WE TURN
TO THE GENTILES." AND MORE GENTILES DID BELIEVE
IN THE NEARBY CITY OF LYSTRA, WHEN PAUL HEALED
A MAN WHO HAD BEEN UNABLE TO WALK
SINCE BIRTH. SOME JEWS CAME TO LYSTRA
FROM ANTIOCH AND ICONIUM, AND THEY WERE WELL ACQUAINTED
WITH PAUL AND PAUL'S MESSAGE, AND THEY WERE STRONGLY
OPPOSED TO HIM. AND THEIR OPPOSITION
LED TO THEM STONING PAUL, TAKING ROCKS LIKE THIS AND
BEATING THEM AGAINST HIS BODY. PAUL MUST HAVE GOT
QUITE A BEATING BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT
HE WAS DEAD, AND THEY DRAGGED HIM OUTSIDE
THE CITY AND LEFT HIM THERE. BUT PAUL WAS NOT DEAD,
AND HE PICKED HIMSELF UP, DUSTED HIMSELF OFF,
AND WENT BACK INTO TOWN. THE NEXT DAY PAUL AND
BARNABAS LEFT LYSTRA FOR THE NEARBY TOWN OF DERBE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT PAUL WAS STONED
FOR PREACHING CHRIST, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE THE LAST. AND I THINK THAT THIS EVENT MUST HAVE REMINDED PAUL
OF ANOTHER STONING SOME 15 YEARS EARLIER,
A STONING THAT HE PARTICIPATED IN,
BUT NOT AS THE VICTIM, RATHER AS ONE OF
THE PERPETRATORS. THE STONING OF STEPHEN
WAS WHERE PAUL'S STORY BEGINS, THE YOUNG MAN NAMED SAUL GIVING APPROVAL TO STEPHEN'S DEATH. AND IT MUST HAVE
OCCURRED TO PAUL THAT NOW THE TABLES HAVE FULLY TURNED.
HE IS BEING STONED JUST LIKE STEPHEN FOR PREACHING
THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST. LATER PAUL WROTE A LETTER
BACK TO BOTH THE JEWISH AND GENTILE BELIEVERS
IN THE REGION, EXPRESSING HIS
CONFIDENCE IN CHRIST. HE SAID IN THE LETTER, "I HAVE
BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, "AND I NO LONGER LIVE,
BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. "THE LIFE I NOW
LIVE IN THE BODY "I LIVE BY FAITH
IN THE SON OF GOD, "WHO LOVED ME AND
GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME." THIS WAS PAUL'S
EARLIEST LETTER, AND HE WAS CONCERNED THAT THEY
HAD CHANGED WHAT HE HAD TAUGHT ABOUT HOW TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE THINK IT'S
SOMETHING WE HAVE TO ACHIEVE. FOR ME THIS WAS A VERY
IMPORTANT LETTER AND IMPORTANT MESSAGE AS A NEW
CHRISTIAN IN MY EARLY 20S, BECAUSE WHEN YOU COME
TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT YOU MAY HAVE
BEEN LIVING YOUR LIFE IN REBELLION AGAINST GOD, IGNORING HIM OR REJECTING HIM OR PUSHING HIM AWAY
OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, THEN COMES THE INEVITABLE
QUESTION, "HOW DO I KNOW "THAT I'M RIGHT WITH GOD?
"WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? "DO I NEED TO FIX THINGS?
DO I NEED TO GET THINGS RIGHT? "DO I NEED TO PERFORM
THESE GOOD DEEDS? "WHAT MUST I DO TO
BE RIGHT WITH GOD?" AND THE ANSWER IS FOUND
IN THE LETTER. WE ARE
JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. AND SO WITH THAT IDEA COMES
GREAT FREEDOM FOR THE CHRISTIAN, BECAUSE WE REALIZE
THAT IT'S NOT DEPENDENT ON OUR PERFORMANCE.
IT IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE,
AND ALL THAT WE NEED TO DO IS GLADLY RECEIVE,
ACCEPT, AND BELIEVE IN
WHAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
WE'RE NOT BEING ASKED TO ROW OUR WAY
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN. THAT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. WE'RE SIMPLY ASKED TO SET
OUR SAILS TO BELIEVE THAT WHAT JESUS DID FOR US
WILL CARRY US ALL THE WAY HOME.
