Ep 418 – Acts 14:8-18

In Acts 14:8-18, Paul and Barnabas have a seemingly chance encounter with a man who was born with some kind of physical abnormality that had left him unable to walk. He was in the crowd who had gathered to hear Paul and Barnabas speak. Most likely, he had to have been carried there by friends or family members. Or perhaps he dragged himself along, using his arms as his only means of locomotion. This scene takes place in the Gentile city of Lystra, a pagan city where the Greek gods were worshiped and idolized. Upon seeing this man in the crowd, Paul saw an opportunity to perform a sign. But first, he saw that this man had faith, enough faith to be healed. We're not sure exactly what Paul saw or how he saw it, but he was confident that this man's faith was strong enough to result in his healing. What happened next left the man transformed and the crowd amazed. So much so, that they attributed the miracle they had just witnessed to the work of the gods ­– their gods. They explained what they had witnessed by declaring Paul and Barnabas to be the gods Zeus and Hermes in human form. But they didn't stop there. They actually worshiped the two men, even preparing an animal sacrifice to offer up to them. But Paul didn't take their adoration well. He flatly refused it and took the opportunity to contrast the one true God with the false gods of the Greeks.