Acts 14:8-18

Idolatry Confronted at Lystra

Paul and Barnabas next arrived at Lystra, some 18 miles to the east. There was apparently no synagogue there, but there was a man who had been crippled since birth and had never walked. The lame made paid close attention to the words of the apostle. Paul recognized that the man fully believed he could be healed through the Jesus Paul preached. When Paul commanded him to stand on his feet, he leapt up and walked (Acts 14:8-10).

The people of Lystra were very superstitious. When they saw the lame man walk, they concluded the gods had come to be with them. They also decided Barnabas was Zeus, the patron god of that area, and Paul was Hermes, or Jupiter, who McGarvey calls the "god of Eloquence, and the constant attendant of Jupiter in his terrestrial visits." Since they spoke in the language of the Lycaonians, Paul and Barnabas did not, at first, understand what was happening.

The priest who served in the temple of Zeus on the road leading into the city brought oxen with garlands on their heads to be sacrificed to the two "visiting gods." Once they realized what was happening, Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes and ran in among the crowd shouting. They asked the people why they would do such a thing since they were mere mortals just like them. Their plea was for the people to turn from the empty worshipping of idols to serving the true God. This God was, as related by Paul and Barnabas, the creator of the universe. He had, for years, allowed man to ignorantly pursue his own path, though he always provided good things, like rain and the harvest. That speech was used to successfully thwart the intended sacrifice (Acts 14:11-18).