Acts 14:11
And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
When Paul commanded a man crippled from birth at Lystra to stand up, and the well-known sufferer leaped and walked in complete healing, the astonished people shouted in the speech of Lycaonia that the gods had come down to them in the likeness of men. They took Barnabas to be Jupiter because of his venerable appearance, dignified bearing and benevolent countenance, and Paul to be Mercury because he was the chief speaker, active, earnest and eloquent. Interpreting the miracle through pagan belief that deities sometimes visited earth, they were ready with great enthusiasm to worship the apostles, with the priest of Jupiter bringing oxen and garlands to the gates for sacrifice. The apostles refused the honor, rending their clothes and declaring themselves men of like passions, calling the people to turn from vanities and idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all things therein. That same fickle reverence soon turned to hate when Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the multitude that they were deceivers, so those who would have worshiped Paul stoned him and dragged him out of the city for dead, yet the Lord preserved his life because his work was not done.
Miracle and Pagan Interpretation
The cry recorded here followed the healing at Lystra of a man crippled from birth who had listened to the preaching and had faith to be healed, when Paul commanded him to stand upright on his feet and he leaped up and walked. The cure was complete and undeniable, wrought upon a well-known lifelong condition. When the people saw what Paul had done they lifted up their voices in the speech of Lycaonia, declaring that the gods had come down to them in the likeness of men. They interpreted what they had witnessed through pagan belief and a local tradition that deities sometimes visited the earth in human form. Their words in the Lycaonian language show how they sought to connect the event with their own superstitious beliefs.
They identified Barnabas as Jupiter, the father of the gods, because of his venerable appearance, dignified bearing, gentle manner, and the mildness and benevolence of his countenance. They identified Paul as Mercury or Mercurius because he was the chief speaker, active, earnest, quick, and eloquent in warning, exhortation, and preaching. The force of his eloquence and convincing power in preaching the gospel was taken as the mark of the heathen god Mercury come down in the form of a man.
Lystra had no Jewish synagogue, though a few Jews lived there, while the temple of Jupiter stood in a conspicuous place. Its people were ignorant, superstitious, credulous idolaters and heathen worshipers. In this they were unlike the people at Athens, who were famous for intelligence and education.
Mistaking Paul and Barnabas for divine beings come down from heaven, the people with great enthusiasm were ready to worship them with sacrifices and honors. The priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands to the gates to offer sacrifice with the people. Their wonder and admiration took the miracle as proof that gods had come among them in human form. The same mistake occurred at Melita, where the islanders called Paul a god after he survived the viper's bite.
Refusal, Reversal, and Application
The apostles refused the worship and could scarcely restrain the people, rending their clothes and declaring themselves only men of like passions who must turn from vanities and idols to worship the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all things therein. Paul was grieved by the attempt to sacrifice to them, and he exalted God before them as the first knowledge of faith in the true God, that the worship and honor due Him might form in their minds. Their idolatrous response grew from belief that divine beings visited the earth, and it led them to prepare sacrifices and honors for Paul and Barnabas.
To lead them to correct knowledge of the true object of adoration, Paul gathered the people about them and spoke to them in the Greek language. He directed their attention from the visible works of the Almighty — the firmament of the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars, the beautiful order of the recurring seasons, rain and fruitful seasons, the mighty snow-capped mountains, the lofty trees, and the varied wonders of nature showing skill and exactitude almost beyond finite comprehension — to the great Mind of the universe. Then he told them of the Son of God who came from heaven to earth because He loved the children of men, His life and ministry, His rejection by those He came to save, His trial and crucifixion by wicked men, His resurrection from the dead to finish His work on earth, and His ascension to heaven to be man's Advocate in the presence of the Maker of the world, which Paul and Barnabas declared with the Spirit and power of God as the gospel of Christ and the first knowledge of faith in the true God.
The people's response was unstable, fickle, and easily led because their faith was not anchored in the true God. Their wonder, reverence, and admiration soon turned to hate, insult, abuse, and a determination to kill. Jews from Antioch and Iconium and other cities followed Paul, persuaded them that he and Barnabas were deceivers, and inflamed them with false reports, falsehood, and misrepresentation. So those who had been ready to worship the disciples stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, leaving him for dead and supposing him dead.
The Lord preserved Paul's life because his work was not done. As the disciples stood about him mourning, he rose up to their joy and went with them into the city. The whole chapter, including this sudden turn from divine honor to persecution, is to be studied by those preparing to labor together with God in the last days, because they will realize similar experiences while preaching, teaching, and returning to confirm disciples.
Paul faced this furious mob at Lystra without being ashamed of the cause he served, and his faith strengthened him to remain steadfast. He was not a mean or contemptible speaker, for the men of Lystra judged him as Mercury come down in the form of a man because of the force of his eloquence and convincing power in preaching the gospel. His speech carried the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that thousands of Jews and Gentiles believed in many places, a result to be attributed not to the man himself but to the power of God upon him, with angels making the Word effective. Paul later returned to Lystra, the scene of this danger, to look after the fruit of his labors, and found the converts not intimidated by the violent persecution but confirmed in faith.