Book of Common Prayer
Taking root—and a name!—in Antioch
19 The people who had been scattered because of the persecution that came about over Stephen went as far afield as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word only to Jewish people. 20 But some from among them, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene in the first place, arrived in Antioch and spoke to the Hellenists as well, announcing the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of all this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God he was glad, and he urged them all to stay firmly loyal to the Lord from the bottom of their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the holy spirit and faith. And a substantial crowd was added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul 26 and, when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. They were there a whole year, and were received hospitably in the church, and taught a substantial crowd. And it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”
27 Around that time, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, Agabus by name, stood up and gave an indication through the spirit that there would be a great famine over the whole world. (This took place in the reign of Claudius.) 29 Each of the disciples determined, according to their ability, to send what they could to help the brothers and sisters living in Judaea. 30 They carried out this plan, sending their gift to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
29 They came out of the synagogue, and went at once (with James and John) into Simon and Andrew’s house. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her right away. 31 He went in, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she waited on them.
32 When the sun went down and evening came, they brought to Jesus everyone who was ill, including the demon-possessed. 33 The whole town was gathered around the door. 34 Jesus healed many people suffering from all kinds of diseases, and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
The healing of a man with a skin disease
35 Very early—in the middle of the night, actually—Jesus got up and went out, off to a lonely place, and prayed. 36 Simon, and those with him, followed. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 “Let’s go off to the other towns around here,” Jesus replied, “so that I can tell the news to people there too. That’s why I came out.”
39 So he went into their synagogues, throughout the whole of Galilee, telling the news and casting out demons.
40 A man with a virulent skin disease came up to him. He knelt down and begged him, “If you want to, you can make me clean!”
41 Jesus was deeply moved. He reached out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do want to: be clean!” 42 The disease left him at once, and he was clean.
43 Jesus sent him away at once, with this stern warning: 44 “Mind you don’t say anything to anyone! Just go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering Moses commanded, to purify yourself and to give them a sign.”
45 But the man went out and began to spread the news far and wide. He did this so effectively that Jesus couldn’t any longer go publicly into a town. He stayed out in the open country, and people came to him from all around.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.