SUMMARY
Paul and Barnabas go to Lystra and heal a paralyzed man. The local population, whose native dialect Paul and Barnabas do not know, believes it has been visited by the gods Zeus and Hermes in disguise and tries to worship the two missionaries, who barely succeed in restraining the people.
ANALYSIS
Paul and Barnabas travel to Lystra, an inland city in Asia Minor. They do not know the “Lycaonian” language. But, as Peter and John did before them (3:1-10), they publicly heal a man crippled from birth. From their religious perspective, the crowds believe that they have been visited by the gods in disguise and proceed to treat Paul and Barnabas accordingly, by offering them a sacrificeSacrifice is commonly understood as the practice of offering or giving up something as a sign of worship, commitment, or obedience. In the Old Testament grain, wine, or animals are used as sacrifice. In some New Testament writings Jesus' death on the cross as the... More. Paul and Barnabas barely stop them from engaging in this blasphemyBlasphemy is disrespecting or dishonoring of something held sacred. To use the name of God in swearing or to commit a profane act is to commit blasphemy. More. The cry of Paul and Barnabas, “We are mortals just like you,” is almost the reverse of the cry Herod had accepted in 12:22, “the voice of a god, and not of a mortal!” We see the apostles’ (14:4, 14) wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More and piety contrasted with Herod’s pride and the ignorance of the Lystrans. Moreover, Acts reports that a group of Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium incite a riotous mob which drags Paul outside the city, stones him, and leaves him for dead. However, “when the disciples surrounded him,” he revived, returned into the city, and resumed his missionary travels the next day (14:19‒20).
