Application Point:
We can expect that some will not attribute God’s works to Him, choosing instead to worship other people or things.
11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they shouted, saying in the Lycaonian language,
“The gods have come down to us in human form!”
12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes,
because he was the chief speaker.
13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town,
brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended,
with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.
how Paul and Barnabas became misunderstood.
the reaction of the people in Lystra when they saw the lame man healed.
Discuss why Paul and Barnabas were identified with Zeus and Hermes.
Highlight the response of the pagan priest
and how the residents of Lystra joined in.
The gods have come down
Lystra was primarily a Greek city, and the people worshiped Greek gods.
The long-held traditions among those who worshiped pagan gods
included stories of the gods taking on human form
and visiting people.
Zeus, the chief god, and Hermes, the messenger of the gods,
were two of the false deities who were thought to visit earth (v. 12).
The people believed that these gods would provide or withhold blessings
based on how they were received.
The people of Lystra did not understand that gods had not come as men.
Instead, men had come to them empowered by God
and guided by His Spirit.
They recognized that a strong authority had intervened
to make the lame man walk, but they attributed the miracle to their pagan gods.
Of course, the God of Paul and Barnabas was and is far more powerful than any pagan gods
because He reigns as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
As you might expect, Paul and Barnabas were horrified by the response. Let’s see how they tried to control the situation.