Acts 13:42-52. The people follow Paul and Barnabas from the synagogue, begging Paul to preach again on the next Sabbath. On that day, almost the whole town comes to the synagogue to hear Paul preach, but the Jews from the synagogue become jealous because of the crowds, and they begin to contradict Paul. So Paul and Barnabas declare that it was necessary to bring the Word to the Jews first, but since they are rejecting it, Paul and Barnabas will turn to the Gentiles, to whom they have been commanded by God to preach. The Gentiles are overjoyed at this, and many convert. The Word spreads throughout the region, but the Jews incite the women of high standing and leading men of the city against Paul and Barnabas, and they are driven from the district. Paul and Barnabas shake the dust from their sandals and go to Iconium. "And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."

The synagogue leaders who just a few days ago invited Paul to speak, wanting to know what he had to say, now turn against him out of jealousy and the threat he and Barnabas pose to their way of life. This should be a familiar story to us by now. Jesus Christ turns the world upside down. He is everything we want, and yet, if we accept him, he changes everything about our lives. Everything is on the table when we follow him, and that can be very hard to accept when we have a lot to set on the table.

The Jewish leaders in the synagogue wanted to hear the Word, and they did. I wonder if they were as affected by it as the crowds were? I bet they were, the Holy Spirit was so active in Paul and Barnabas, I think it would have been difficult not to have been affected by Paul's testimony. The crowds that came on the Sabbath and the joy of the Gentiles testify to that.

But those in high positions have the most to lose. Often, even if their hearts are touched by the Good News, they do a "risk assessment" and decide they have more to lose than to gain. If that is the determination they make for themselves, then they must get rid of those  preaching this message before their whole world is changed. When confronted with people like this, it is best to "shake the dust" and move on in joy, as Paul and Barnabas did. Eventually, hopefully, even those who drove you away will come to hear and believe.