Acts 14:13, commentary and pictures

At Lystra, where the temple of Jupiter stood conspicuously before the city among superstitious heathen idolaters, the priest of that god brought oxen and garlands with precious offerings to the gates to offer public sacrifice with the people because he believed the apostles were heavenly visitors. The outburst was prompted by the healing of a well-known cripple who had never walked, which led the crowd to cry in the speech of Lycaonia that the gods had come down in the likeness of men, calling Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury because he was the chief speaker. Paul and Barnabas rejected the worship with horror and grief, tearing their clothes and rushing among the people to declare they were men of like passions and to urge them to turn from these vanities to the living God who made heaven and earth and sea and all things therein, witnessed in nature and in His goodness in giving rain and fruitful seasons, and revealed in His Son who was crucified, rose and ascended as man's Advocate. Only with much persuasion did they barely restrain the disappointed people from sacrificing, and that fickle reverence soon turned to hate when unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the crowd to stone Paul and drag him from the city as dead, yet the Lord preserved him because his work was not done and he rose and returned with joy. The episode stands as an example for laborers together with God in the last days to press on through mob opposition and persecution, confirming disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith that through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God.

Lystra Setting and Sacrifice

The event took place at Lystra, where there was no Jewish synagogue though a few Jews lived there, and where the temple of Jupiter stood in a conspicuous place before the city. The people were ignorant, credulous, superstitious heathen idolaters who worshiped Jupiter, in contrast to the intelligent and educated people of Athens, which was the metropolis of heathendom. When Paul and Barnabas taught together there with great power and eloquence the doctrine of Christ, the worshipers of Jupiter tried to connect that teaching with their own idolatrous faith.

The sacrifice was prompted by the healing of a well-known cripple who had never walked, who had faith to be healed and then walked and leaped. When the people saw what Paul had done they lifted up their voices in the speech of Lycaonia, saying the gods had come down to them in the likeness of men. They called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius or Mercury, because Paul was the chief speaker, and excitement over the miracle spread through the region.

Believing Paul and Barnabas to be gods and heavenly visitors come down from heaven, the priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands with precious offerings to the gates and would have offered public sacrifice with the people. Those gates were the city gates, even the gate of the private house where the apostles had retired for rest. He led a vast shouting crowd with music to honor them as visitants from heaven, fulfilling their tradition of divine visitations and the exaltation of their religion.

Rejection, Assault, and Example

Paul and Barnabas met the attempted sacrifice with indignation and horror and with grief, tearing their clothing and rushing in among the crowd to stop the proceedings. They cried out that they were only men of like passions with the people, and urged them to turn from these vanities to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all things therein. They directed the worshipers from the visible works of the Almighty in nature — the firmament, sun, moon, stars, order of the seasons, mighty snow-capped mountains and lofty trees — to a correct knowledge of the true God who alone should be adored, and set before them His witness in doing good by giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling hearts with food and gladness. They told of the Son of God who came from heaven because He loved men, was rejected by those He came to save, was tried and crucified by wicked men, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is now man's Advocate with the Maker of the world, insisting that the Creator alone must be worshiped. This preaching began to form in the minds of the people faith in the true God and the worship and honor due Him, yet the crowd listened with impatience and only after much persuasion were barely restrained, reluctantly leading the sacrificial beasts away in great disappointment that their tradition of divine visitations and the exaltation of their religion was thwarted.

The fickle reverence soon turned to hostility when unbelieving Jews from Antioch and Iconium followed on Paul's track and by falsehood, misrepresentation and false reports about the apostles and their work persuaded the people against them. Those who had been ready to worship the disciples were moved from wonder and admiration to hate, insult and abuse. They stoned Paul, dragged him out of the city and left him for dead. While the disciples stood mourning around him the Lord preserved the life of His servant because his work was not done, and he rose up, went back into the city with them, and spoke to his brethren with great joy words of courage and thanksgiving to God.

The missionary labor of Paul and Barnabas in this incident is to be studied and followed by laborers together with God in the last days, who visited every place where entrance could be gained with success in saving souls to Christ, then visited the churches they had planted and returned to Antioch from which they had been sent out by prayer and counsel. Those preparing to labor will realize similar experiences of opposition and persecution, even facing a furious mob, yet like Paul whose faith was strengthened by effort and sacrifice and was not turned from serving Christ, they are to rise up and press on. They are to preach the gospel, teach many, confirm the souls of the disciples, exhort them to continue in the faith, and teach that through much tribulation and trial and suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God, thus fulfilling the commission to teach all nations. Paul afterward returned to Lystra, the scene of that danger, to look after the fruit of his labors, and found the converts to Christ not intimidated by the violent persecution but confirmed in the faith. The credulous response of the ignorant, superstitious idolaters at Lystra contrasts with Athens, the metropolis of heathendom, where Paul met intelligent and educated people.