Acts 14:14-18 (NIV)
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human 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.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
When Paul and Barnabas finally figured out what was happening, they were horrified and filled with grief. They tore their clothes, a Jewish cultural sign of deep emotional anguish, and waded out into the celebrating crowd, Paul raising his voice to be heard over the chanting and singing.
Once Paul had their attention, he tried to correct the misunderstanding. His message contained the following points:
- First, a crystal-clear denial of being Gods. Despite the miracle that Paul had performed, he and Barnabas were normal human beings, just like the rest of them.
- They had come to Lystra to bring the good news of the advent of the kingdom of God to them, not to receive worship or adoration for themselves.
- They urged the people to turn away from the worship of the Greek gods which were mere idols based on ideas of gods created by the minds of human beings.
- Instead, they needed to turn to the living God, the real God, the one who made the heavens and the earth, and everything in them. He is the only real God, the only one who can provide salvation for them.
- Up to that point in history God had focused His special revelation on the Jewish people, allowing the gentile nations to go their own way until the coming of the Messiah.
- But even though these people and the rest of the gentiles had not received God’s special revelation like the Jews had, they had been given a general revelation of God’s existence and who He is through the good gifts that He had poured out on all people: rain, crops that provided food for them to eat, and things that bring joy to their hearts. He also provided the witness of all created things as a general revelation of His eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20).
Paul hoped that these persuasive words would have an impact on the crowd, and they did. The people were sorely disappointed that the gods hadn’t come to their town after all and stopped the celebration. But even then, it was a grudging acceptance of the truth, tinged with resentment that would boil under the surface until it was blown into full flame a short time later.
Father, even when our intentions are the best in the world, false steps and misinterpretations can still trip us up and make a mess of things. Help us to keep our eyes and ears open to Your leading so that our missteps are few and the fixes You guide us into are powerful and effective. Amen.
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