Acts 14:8-20

https://www.biblestudytools.com/acts/passage/?q=acts+14:8-20

In Lystra and Derbe

8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 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.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. 19 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. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

Study Notes: These will be added as I am able.

14:11 "The Lycaonian language" refers to their local dialect.

14:11, 12 Zeus and Hermes (also known as Jupiter and Mercury) were two populates gods in the Roman world. People from Lystra claimed that these God's 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 God's 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.

14:15-18 Responding to the people of Lystra, Paul and Barnabas reminded them that God never leaves himself "without testimony." Rain and crops, for example, are evidence of His goodness. Later Paul wrote that this evidence in nature leaves people without an excuse for unbelief (Romans 1:20). When in doubt about God, look around and you will see abundant evidence that he is at work in our world.

14:18, 19 Only days after the people of Lystra had thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them, they stoned Paul and left him for dead. That's human nature. Jesus understood how fickle crowds can be (John 2:24, 25). When many people approve of us, we feel good, but that should never cloud our thinking or affect our decisions. We should not live to please the crowd--especially in our spiritual lives. Be like Jesus. Know the nature of the crowd and don't put your trust in it. Put your trust in God alone.

14:18-20 Paul and Barnabas were persistent in their preaching of the Good News, considering the costs to themselves to be nothing in comparison with obedience to Christ. They had just narrowly escaped being stoned in Iconium (14:1-7), but Jews from Antioch and Iconium tracked Paul down, stoned him, and left him for dead. But Paul got up and went back into the city to preach the Good News. That's true commitment! Being a disciple of Christ calls for total commitment. As Christians, we no longer belong to ourselves but to our Lord, for whom we are called to suffer.

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Some thoughts about relevance to today for this scripture: (1) We tend to interpret the news we hear, or even our own healing, from our own place of experiential "truth." But really it is Christs' healing power. (2) Sacrificing to wrong idols still abounds in our world. Christ made the final and supreme sacrifice. And, I guess maybe (3) Enemies plot to kill us, looking for ways to silence a message of truth and freedom that will not be silenced. And, (4) You cannot keep a man down if God has not finished working through him. God through the disciples revived Paul after he had been stoned, and they persisted in their mission. We should too.

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Thank You, Lord, for Your sustaining power. Lord, You know about the many plots and plans of men. You know the great efforts underway to overcome Your believers. You remind us that You suffered too, but overcame death. Remind us again that everlasting life in truth and freedom is worth enduring all the final battles. Remind us that with Your help, and with the help of other believers we can stand, we can carry on. These triumphs add to our "experiential truth", Lord. They do make our faith in You stronger and we praise Your name for that. Thank You for the gift of perseverance. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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A Song: https://youtu.be/xBYs3wmhUVc

Have a blessed day.