THE HOLY SPIRIT PAVES THE WAY FOR MISSIONARY CONVERSION (Acts 13–14)

We know Jesus Christ through what he did and what he said during his historical life, as recounted in the Gospels. We also know him through what he did in the early Church after his resurrection. But we know him, too, through what he «causes the apostles to do». This «aspect» of the reality of Christ is revealed in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, particularly in certain passages. One such passage concerns Paul’s first missionary journey, which he began by accompanying Barnabas and in which he gradually became the leading figure.

In this first mission, the challenges of pastoral reality and the responses to them were not clear from the outset. They did not know what they would have to face. They were treading on unfamiliar ground. That is why the role of the Holy Spirit is all the more evident.

We are going to get to know the Christ who sends two of the «teachers and prophets» from the community in Antioch out as apostles. And we are going to get to know him through what he leads them to do, through what he leads them to experience, through both their successes and their difficulties. Our own lives, which are reflected in this missionary journey, are also a source of knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ – through what he has «led us to do», through the blessings and sufferings he has allowed us to experience, and through the way in which he has accompanied us in everything.

The Spirit of Christ prepares the disciples for their mission.

In the Gospel, Jesus introduces the disciples – both the Twelve and the Seventy-two (Luke 10) – to missionary work in order to continue the teaching he had already begun with them. For him, there is no true training that does not involve facing the difficulties of mission. Similarly, in the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit teaches and instructs the early Church through action, through the emerging reality of mission. This takes place during Paul and Barnabas’s first missionary journey. Thus, prior to the «Council of Jerusalem» (Acts 15), through the teaching of events illuminated by the Word, they discover God’s will, which is to proclaim the message to all nations.

At the end of this journey, Paul and Barnabas told the Church in Antioch what they had done and what they had witnessed of the Holy Spirit’s work: «When they arrived, they gathered the Church together and reported what God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles». (Acts 14:27) The Spirit of Christ makes them partakers in God’s very work: «what God had done through them».

 The Spirit does not merely teach; he opens the doors to mission.

The result of this first missionary journey was that the Spirit opened the doors of the Church to the «Gentiles». They do not merely experience it as an unfamiliar teaching, as an idea they had not fully understood before and which they had to learn; for them, what took place during this first journey is an action that brings about something new. It is not merely a matter of teaching; rather, in their missionary work, the Spirit acts in a direction they had not chosen: «The Spirit had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles». Previously, due to the concrete circumstances of reality and the disciples« own situations, this door had been closed. Mission does not consist in teaching truths that have already been established; rather, through our work, it will have an impact on history and transform it. It does not say: »We have discovered that God wants us to share the faith with the Gentiles«, or »we have learnt that the door of faith has always been open to the Gentiles’. This is not an intellectual question, in which learning is the key element. It is about the Spirit’s transformative action upon reality. The Spirit is doing something new, which they have witnessed.

The prospect of teaching a truth confronts us with something great and unfathomable that we will never be able to understand. The prospect of the Spirit’s work makes us God’s co-workers and companions, who discover, through his work in the world, what his will is. The first perspective can turn into an ideology that imposes the truth we know upon reality. And even if we are right, it is the Spirit who determines the times and moments when the truth is to become reality. That is why the perspective of truth tends to frustrate us, because we believe we can impose our own determined action upon reality; on the contrary, the perspective of the Spirit’s action makes us humbly patient, joyfully humble, simple and open to His will. 

 The mission flows from the Holy Spirit, and ministers carry it out.

Up to that point, outreach to the Gentiles had been driven by personal experiences and the promptings of the Spirit, as seen in the lives of Philip, Peter and those persecuted in Jerusalem. But at this point, it sprang from a decision of the Spirit concerning the community in Antioch, as embodied in its ministers.

“Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (called Niger), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch), and Saul. 2 One day, whilst they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them: «Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them, and I will give them to you.” (Acts 13:1–2)

The composition of this group of five prophets and teachers is interesting: one disciple had been a close associate of the apostles from the very beginning; two were from the diaspora – one a black Nigerian and the other from Libya, in what we now call the Maghreb; a fourth from a family close to the Herodians—and thus from a powerful and wealthy Jewish family—and the fifth had been a fanatical Pharisee, a persecutor of Christians and a Roman citizen. Barnabas’s moral authority must have been remarkable. Christ, true to his historical life, loves to make «brothers» of those who are different. May the most educated and committed group within the community—one that welcomes as brothers and sisters those who differ from one another, and which seeks a renewed commitment to faith in Jesus Christ—be the defining features of every missionary conversion of the Church.

The mission is described as «the mission of the Holy Spirit» (Acts 13:4), and the disciples seek ways to open themselves up to this role: «After fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off» (Acts 13:3). We must therefore interpret everything that takes place in the mission as the work of the Spirit of Christ, who renews his Church.

The Holy Spirit exposes the manipulation of faith.

The first significant event of this missionary journey is Paul and Barnabas’s confrontation with Elymas the sorcerer, who was exploiting Jewish faith to pass himself off as a prophet and profit from the religious devotion and credulity of the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus.

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked at him 10 and said, «You who are full of all manner of deceit and wickedness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, how long will you go on opposing the Lord’s righteous ways? 11 Now, listen: the Lord’s hand is going to fall upon you, and you will be blind; you will not see the sun for some time to come.» (Acts 13:9–11)

What do these verses tell us about the Church’s missionary conversion?

1. The paths to missionary conversion will not arise from the old formulas designed to win the favour of the powerful by exploiting the superstitions of a miraculous and fantastical form of religiosity.
2. Missionary conversion is rooted in truth and justice: in the truth of God, revealed in the mystery of the Incarnation, and in justice towards others. 
3. Missionary conversion confronts the manipulation of faith and resolutely denounces it. 
4. Missionary conversion is merciful and invokes corrective punishment only «for a time».

Although he was not the direct target of Paul and Barnabas, « The proconsul, seeing what had happened, became a believer, for he was deeply moved by the Lord’s teaching » (Acts 13:12); and, as a pagan, Sergius Paulus was one of the first converts during his missionary journey.

The concern to avoid falling back into superstitious interpretations of faith and to expose them is of great relevance to our missionary conversion.

A «continuous» proclamation welcomed by the pagans

Paul’s first sermon, as recorded for us from this first missionary journey, could be described as a continuous address: he speaks to the Jews in the synagogue to which they have been invited by their leaders (Acts 13:15); they speak to them of Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist and how the life of Jesus fulfils the prophecies of all these figures; they proclaim the resurrection and justification through faith in Jesus.

Be assured, brothers, that it is through Jesus that the forgiveness of sins and of all those things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses is proclaimed to you; 39 it is through him that every believer is justified. (Acts 13:38–39)

Faith in Jesus fulfils and completes the promises of the first covenant. There is nothing new, either in the message or in the means used to convey it. Paul concludes his exhortation with an invitation to have faith and not to despise the power of God, even if one may be surprised by his actions.

Take care, then, lest what the prophets foretold [Hab. 1:5] should befall you: 41 You arrogant ones, be astounded and hide yourselves, for I am going to do a work in your time such that you would not believe it if it were told to you. (Acts 13:40–41)

A simple, direct discourse, understandable to all, flawless; with reasoning based on Scripture that is difficult to refute, before which any Jew familiar with the Law and the Prophets cannot help but question it. The most convincing argument is the text from the Psalm: «You will not allow your Messiah to see decay» (Ps 16:10). The same was true of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, when he rose from the dead. Both Jews and Gentile converts received the message with gratitude.

When the synagogue assembly had dispersed, a large number of Jews and God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them, urging them to remain faithful to God’s grace. (Acts 13:43)

The following Sabbath, seeing their success, the Jews, out of jealousy, opposed them and blasphemed against Paul’s words. The Gentile proselytes, on the other hand, joined them. Barnabas and Paul drew the following conclusion:

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly: «It was to you first that we ought to have proclaimed the word of God; but since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, know this: we are turning to the Gentiles. (Acts 13:46)

And they embrace this radical change from a theological perspective, not merely for pastoral convenience, but on the basis of the prophets« teaching: »I have appointed you to be a light to the nations, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth« (Acts 13:47; Isa 49:6). They thus begin to apply to the Christian community, through its apostles, the role of the true Servant of Yahweh in gathering the New People of the Covenant. The »ends of the earth’, in the person of the proselytes, were already hearing the word of salvation and receiving it with joy. With a joy that was the fruit of the Spirit, for it withstood the test of opposition:

When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and praised the word of the Lord; and those who were destined for eternal life became believers (…) The [Gentiles who had become] disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:48)

Those who embrace the Gospel with simplicity in the face of opposition and persecution become a sign of God’s will.

Applying this text to our current pastoral reality can be confusing. It is true that, in our situation, whether our message is accepted or rejected may depend on different factors, given the complexity of the variables involved. Our personal experience of the Church, or the anti-clerical or anti-Christian environment in which we were brought up, may influence us. Even the ideological connotations through which people equate Christianity with a conservative ideology may draw some people closer or push others away. But we cannot ignore the fact that Paul and Barnabas interpreted the reception of the Gospel in a hostile environment as a sign of the Spirit.

Three adverse signs: Jean Marc’s departure, persecution by the pagans, and a crude, idolatrous mindset.

Shortly after the incident at Barjesus, John Mark left the apostolic team (Acts 13:13). No comment is made on the event, but when Barnabas once again wishes to include Mark in the mission, a serious confrontation arises between Paul and Barnabas, leading to their parting ways (Acts 15:39). The departure of the young John Mark must have been a great disappointment at the start of this first mission.

A second sign was the involvement of the Gentiles in the persecution of the apostles. Whilst in Pisidian Antioch the pagans had welcomed the message with joy, in Iconium both Jews and pagans initially welcomed the proclamation, but subsequently turned against the apostles, resorting to violence, mistreatment and stoning.

The people of the city were divided into factions, some supporting the Jews and others the apostles. 5 There were attempts by the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their authorities, to mistreat them and stone them.  (Acts 13:4–5)

The hostile environment did not deter Barnabas and Paul, who «stayed there for a long time» (Acts 14:3), and it was only when they were threatened with death that they moved on elsewhere.

A third sign of healing appears following a recovery. The same events are viewed differently across cultures. In Jewish culture, the healing of the sick had served as a confirmation and proof of the credibility of Jesus« and the apostles» message (Acts 5:15). The sign of healing pointed to God’s power and goodness: «They praised the Lord, who gives men the power to perform such signs» (Mt 9:8), and to the power of the One sent by the Father: «It is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man whom you see and know» (Acts 3:16). But in the pagan environment of Lystra, the sign of the healing of a cripple led the crowd, brought up in Greek polytheism, to believe that Barnabas and Paul were incarnations of Zeus and Hermes. When the apostles realised that people were trying to offer sacrifices to them, they ‘tore their clothes’ (Acts 14:14). This gesture expressed the visceral and profound rejection they felt at this display.

This event enabled them to understand the complexity of the process of inculturation of the message of the faith. Paul saw in the man the faith necessary for his healing. He asked the Lord for it, and the Lord granted it, which brought joy to the cripple and, for the apostles, a lesson in inculturation. Having recovered from his initial shock, Paul attempts to link the sign of healing to the action of the one true and living God, the Creator of the entire universe, in whose sight the sun, the moon, the stars and all natural phenomena are not gods but created things. He explains this in language the people can understand: «We bring you this good news: you must turn away from worthless idols and turn to the living God who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them» (Acts 14:15). But the result is meagre, for «they barely managed to prevent the crowd from offering a sacrifice to them» (Acts 14:18).

We therefore find several ambiguities in Iconium and Lystra: the sign of acceptance shown to the pagans is nuanced; the pagans interpret life experiences such as healing in very different ways, which shows that abandoning polytheistic beliefs can be very complicated for many people, even those of good will.

The courage of Paul and Barnabas: the witness-based proclamation of the Kerygma.

The Jews from Antioch in Pisidia and Iconium went to Lystra, where they had persuaded the people to stone Paul, leaving him for dead (Acts 14:19). But far from being discouraged, after preaching at Perga, they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (Acts 14:21) without fear of persecution, where they would see those who had remained faithful. They went «to encourage the disciples and urge them to remain steadfast in the faith, telling them that they must endure many trials to enter the kingdom of God» (Acts 14:22).

This act of returning to the towns where they had suffered persecution highlights two things that are very important to the minister in pastoral conversion:

1. The strength that the Lord gives to those He chooses. A proclamation of the kerygma that is not merely verbal, like a message, but a life experience: they receive death and yet continue to give life. Paul begins to understand that the weakness of the Cross is stronger than the wickedness of men (1 Cor 1).
2. The apostle lived out the commandment to love God and one’s neighbour in a radical way throughout his mission (Luke 10). His unconditional love for Jesus Christ: he bore witness through his life that Jesus Christ was more important than his own life. Their pastoral care for new converts to the Christian faith: for their sake, they once again exposed themselves to danger and persecution.

The establishment of the first communities as a key outcome of the Church’s pastoral conversion

«In each church they appointed elders, prayed and fasted, and commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe» (Acts 14:23). The Book of Acts thus shows the culmination of the missionary task following the pastoral conversion of the Church. The fact that, following their preaching for a few weeks in each village, a small group remained which held fast to its faith in Jesus Christ in the face of a hostile environment. This was a significant, almost unexpected fruit; it was the work of the Spirit.

It was therefore necessary to establish the Church wherever there was faith in Christ, and to this end they appointed elders through acts that demonstrated openness to the work of the Spirit: prayer and fasting. A new ecclesial ministry arose from the work of missionary conversion, out of the simple need to strengthen the small group of believers in each village. This fact is so significant that it overshadows all the problems and difficulties they had to face.

They ended their journey in Antioch, from where they had set out, «where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the mission they had just accomplished» (Acts 14:26). The mission no longer belonged to the Church of Antioch, but to God; it was there that they had been entrusted to God’s grace. The results exceeded anything they could ever have imagined at the outset.

On their arrival, they called a meeting of the Church and reported what God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. (Acts 14:27)

Embracing such a significant pastoral and ecclesial change takes time to take root and be understood. That is why «they stayed with the disciples for a long time’ (Acts 14:28).

SUMMARY

The work of the Spirit comes in its own time. Paul had been in Cyprus for years, leading an obscure life, just as he had in «Nazareth». And it was when Barnabas sought him out for a missionary project that his theological reflection found its evangelising focus. Our times are not God’s times.

The work of the Spirit that transforms the Church comes as a surprise. It is, of course, foreshadowed in the universal scope of the prophetic preaching and in the experiences of Peter and those who fled persecution in Jerusalem. Yet it manifests itself as an unexpected fruit.

Pastoral work will have its signs and counter-signs, but the faith of a group of people standing firm in a hostile and adverse environment becomes the definitive sign.

The essential requirement for the apostles was to value every person as a child of God, above all other considerations. Thus, Paul saw in the cripple at Lystra a person with a disability who was equal in dignity and capacity for faith to the sick among the Jewish people whom Jesus had healed. The only requirement for those who worship the Lord is to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4). The disabled man who has faith, even if he is a polytheist, is a person by the roadside (Luke 10) whose suffering has opened him up to God’s action (John 5).

Lord, make me a partner in the work of your Spirit, so that I may open the doors to evangelism.

José Joaquim CASTELLÓN MARTÍN (Prado, Spain) – September 2024