“In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”
“From the frying pan into the fire…” You don’t walk into a crowd of pagan people, tell them about Jesus, heal a lame man… and expect them to praise the Lord! Why not?
The people of Listra were as idolatrous as they come. Of course, who would they give credit to but the gods they worshipped! That did it! The gods, who had never spoken to them or done anything for them, had actually made an appearance…so they thought!This demanded a special celebration…a sacrifice to mark the occasion!
“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 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.”
Paul and Barnabas were horrified. This was something they had never expected.
“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “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…”
Try as he would, Paul could not convince them that he was only a man, not God. The crowd had no ears for his message.
“Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.”
0f course, like the Pharisees who perpetually hounded Jesus, there were, inevitably, the fanatically radical, religious Jews in the company, who made mileage of the situation. Before the two missionaries could size up the situation and flee, the stones were flying. The atmosphere changed in an instant from worship to war.
“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.”
Paul…dead! It can’t be! Perhaps it was…but God stepped in. He still had much work for His servant to do.
“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.”
Acts 14:8-15, 18-20 NIV
All in a day’s work. Luke’s account of this incident sounds matter-of-fact. So, the people of Lystra rejected his message. So…they stoned him to death…so, he got up and walked away…as if nothing had happened! This very fact should have started a revival in Lystra…but it didn’t….not according to Luke…
Was this the moment…when Paul was dead…when he saw heaven?
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NIV
We will never know…but I just wondered.
To be continued