A crowd that can be won with celebrity is a fickle thing. They wanted to grant celebrity status, even god status, to Paul and Barnabas. The pair only wanted to help them see Jesus, so they declined. But when less scrupulous religious types showed up, they granted them the same thing. Only this time, the new preachers were more receptive. They took the celebrity and turned it on Paul and Barnabas in the darkest of ways. Luckily, God wasn't finished with them yet. They were preserved to preach another day.