SCRIPTURE: ACTS 14
IN ICONIUM (vs. 1-20)
At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue They spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. However, Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord. They preached the message of his grace and the Holy Spirit enabled them to do miraculous signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, other with the apostles. There was a plot among the Gentiles and jews, together with their leaders to mistreat and stone them. When they found out about it, they fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the good news.
IN LYSTRA DN DERBE (vs. 8-20)
There sat a man in Lystra who was crippled and lame from birth and had never walked. He was listening to Paul and when Paul saw that he had faith to be healed, he called out, “Stand up on your feet!” (v. 10). Immediately the the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (v. 11) They called Barnabas Zeus and Pau Hermes because they were the chief speakers. The priest of Zeus brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates and offered sacrifices to them. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of these, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd shouting: “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, humans like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living god, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (vs. 15-17) Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
Then some jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
THE RETURN TO ANTIOCH IN SYRIA (vs. 21-27)
They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to their faith. They said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22) Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord. After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. From Attalia, they sailed back to Antioch, where they had completed their work of opening the door of faith to the Gentiles. and they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
THOUGHTS:
God gave Paul the power to perform a miraculous act that would convince everyone that Jesus is the Lord. But here we see that even if a miracle is performed it would not convince everyone. We are to sow the seeds of the Good News on the best ground in the best way we can and leave the convincing power to the Holy Spirit.
Zeus and Hermes (also known as Jupiter and Mercury) were two popular gods in the Roman world. People from Lystra claimed that these gods had once visited their city. According to legend, no one offered them hospitality except an old couple, so Zeus and Hermes killed the rest of the people and rewarded the old couple. When the citizens of Lystra saw the miracles of Paul and Barnabas, they assumed that the gods were revisiting them. Remembering the story of what had happened to the previous citizens, they immediately honored Paul and Barnabas and showered them with gifts.
Responding to the people of Lystra, Paul and Barnabas reminded them that God never leaves himself “without a witness”. They cited rain and good crops as examples for evidence of his goodness. He also cited the evidence in nature which leaves people without an excuse for unbelief. When we look around this world, we will see abundant evidences that God is at work in the universe.
The people in Lystra had thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But after a few days later, they stoned Paul and left him for dead. This is how human nature behaves. We should not let the reaction of people affect our thinking. Don’t put our trust on people but trust in God alone.
Paul and Barnabas were truly committed to God. They were persistent in their preaching the Good News despite the dangers they faced. They returned to visit the believers in all the cities where they had recently been threatened and physically attacked. They took the responsibility to encourage the new believers at the risk of their lives. No matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable the task may seem, we must always support new believers who need our help and encouragement.