January 28, 2008 Acts 14:8

01/28/2008

Acts 14:8 - 15 (HCSB)

⁸In Lystra a man without strength in his feet, lame from birth, and who had never walked, sat ⁹and heard Paul speaking. After observing him closely and seeing that he had faith to be healed,

¹⁰_[Paul_] said in a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he jumped up and started to walk around. ¹¹When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men!” ¹²And they started to call Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the main speaker.

¹³Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gates. He, with the crowds, intended to offer sacrifice. ¹⁴The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting:

¹⁵“Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

Paul and a young man named Barnabas were traveling throughout Greece and (what is now) Turkey proclaiming the Gospel. They had been commissioned by the apostles for such a journey. They went from city to city preaching in the synagogues to the Jews first and then to everyone. Now, in Lystra (in modern Turkey), they heal this lame man in the sight of the Gentiles.

The gods of the Greek pantheon were common among these people and they immediately associated what they saw in the context of their experience. Paul they proclaimed was Zeus and Barnabas they proclaimed was Hermes.

Zeus, as you may know, was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus – the home of the gods. But Zeus, himself, had parents, so he was not self-existent. Hermes was the messenger of the gods and also god over various professions including thieves. Hermes was Zeus’ son. (This gives us some idea of the relative ages of Paul and Barnabas at that time.)

Nevertheless, the Gentiles decided that Paul and Barnabas must be gods since they healed the lame man. At this point, it would have been very easy for Paul and Barnabas to take advantage of the situation. But Paul and Barnabas, when they realized what was being said about them, immediately demonstrated their mortality and redirected the focus to God. Notice how Paul describes God: “who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them”

None of the Greek gods held the distinction of the creator of all things, so when Paul makes this distinction, he is clearly introducing them to a God superior to the gods they have been worshiping. The gods of the Greek pantheon were weak and frail compared to the God Paul introduced.

When people look at you, do they see a God who is self-existent, all-powerful, loving, and holy? Do you revere God as the magnificent being He is? When we introduce others to Jesus, do we introduce Him as a really nice guy, the “man upstairs”, or as our personal valet? Or do we show the world a God who has the power to change lives?

While we can call Jesus our friend, let us never forget His divine, holy nature.

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