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Main Idea
Boldly declare the gospel and let come what may.
Many great one-liners and idioms were developed in ancient times, especially in the time of the Greeks. For example, in 441 BC, the Greek playwright, Sophocles, wrote a play called Antigone, which was the third in a trilogy based on the unfolding drama of the house of Oedipus. In the midst of the drama, Sophocles writes a one-liner that says, “For no man delights in the bearer of bad news.” Versions of this phrase were used by other writers throughout the centuries, including Shakespeare, and would eventually morph into the phrase we know today as “Don’t shoot the messenger.” We all know this means you can’t blame the messenger for the news they bring. It’s not their news, so they aren’t to be punished if it is not the news you want to hear.
Today, we will follow two messengers and discover two messages they bring to two towns, learning that you shouldn’t meddle with the messenger because it’s not about them but the news they bring.
Passage
Outline
I – Don’t stone the messenger (vv. 1-7)
II – The message of healing (vv. 8-10)
III – Don’t deify the messenger (vv. 11-13)
IV – The message of the living God (vv. 14-18)
I – Don’t stone the messenger
Acts 14:1–7 ESV
1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. 4 But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. 5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, 7 and there they continued to preach the gospel.
If you remember the story’s conclusion last week, you’ll recall that the unbelieving Jews influenced the influencers in Pisidian Antioch to give Paul and Barnabas the boot. And as the two men walked away, they shook the dust off their feet, thus signifying that by rejecting the gospel, their blood was on their own heads. From Pisidian Antioch, they traveled approximately 90 miles southeast to the city of Iconium, a prominent city in the province of Galatia since two major trade routes passed through it. It was also a very ancient city, to the point where a phrase was coined which said, “since the days of Nannacus” (Nannacus being an ancient king), which was a phrase that was synonymous with “since the beginning of time.”
Same playbook, same result
As we have come to expect, Paul and Barnabas preached the word in the synagogue first and spoke in such great power by the Spirit that it turned many hearts to Christ – both Jew & Gentile (specifically Greeks). Because this was in the synagogue, it would be reasonable to think that the Greeks were also God-fearers (or Jewish converts) and would also explain why Jews were mingling with Gentiles. Usually, that didn’t happen (as we have seen before), which makes this an interesting strategy. But here, the Jews not only mingled with them, but they also seemed to have clout with them. The Gentiles listened to these Jews. Aligning with the Gentiles shows how devoted they were to overthrowing the gospel Paul and Barnabas had brought.
The Word reveals the heart’s intentions
How do we know this? Because Luke tells us that the Jews “poisoned the minds” of the Gentiles, they slandered the two men, causing the Gentiles to think poorly of them and even embitter them against the two men. As you might see in a kid’s cartoon where an innocent person is forced to make a decision and an angel appears on one shoulder and a devil appears on the other, the unbelieving Jews whisper in the ear of the Gentiles and defile their perceptions.
Reaction. So, what did this cause Paul and Barnabas to do? Did they walk away sullen and sad? Did they return to the hotel and throw a pity party for themselves, defeated by those big meanies at the synagogue? By no means! They did the exact opposite. Instead of an attack leaving them discouraged, it fueled their evangelistic fire. The poisonous tongues of the opposition resulted in a stronger determination to proclaim the Christ. Instead of tucking tail and going to the next town, they extended their stay, speaking even more boldly while God authenticated their message with miracles. As we said last time, exposure to the Word will reveal the intentions of the heart, whether it be jealousy, poisonous slander, or emboldened exaltation.
The city was divided
The fervor and wherewithal from Paul and Barnabas were met with equal passion from the Jews and poisoned Gentiles. Instead of stopping at slander, they escalated to murderous intent, wanting to stone them. This would be standard fare for the Jews since it is a prescribed method of judgment, but it is a peculiar one for Gentiles to pursue. Again, this shows how influential the Jews were in the city and the darkness of their hearts to subvert Roman law and take the death penalty into their own hands, which was flat-out illegal.
Thankfully, the two men got wind of their schemes and, as you would imagine, they decided this would be the opportune moment to hightail it out of there and continue their journey eastward to the region of Lycaonia to the towns of Lystra and Derbe (Lystra was 18 miles south of Iconium and Derbe was 55 miles southwest), where they continued to preach.
So, what can we draw from this story in Iconium? First, you should anticipate division when you openly share the gospel. Remember, exposure to the Word will draw out the contents of the heart. Don’t be surprised by it, but rather anticipate it and let any opposition fuel your boldness to declare it more fervently. Adopt the attitude to boldly declare the gospel and let come what may. Don’t worry about the reaction of others. More times than not, it’s not about you. Their contention or anger isn’t about the messenger but the message you bring.
So don’t stone the messenger, but wrestle with the message they bring. Here, they wrestled with the identity of their Messiah. In the next town, this is a message of healing for one fortunate soul.
II – The message of healing
Acts 14:8–10 ESV
8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.
Lystra was settled as a Roman colony by Caesar Augustus just a few years before Jesus’ birth. As a fun side note, Lystra is where Paul will meet his future protege – Timothy – and it could have been during this visit that he met Timothy’s mother and grandmother (who discipled young Timothy in God’s ways).
Walking by faith
This brief interaction serves as another overt parallel between the leader of the Gentile church – Paul, and the leader of the Jerusalem church – Peter. In Acts 3, Peter commanded a crippled beggar to be healed and stand to his feet. Here, Paul does the same. And, what is intriguingly similar about this story, is the description of who is acting on faith. In Peter’s story, the man wasn’t looking to be healed. He just wanted a financial donation. In this story, the crippled man was listening to Paul preach. Yet, the internal desires of his heart were made evident to Paul as he spoke. Whether by revelation from the Spirit or by the yearnful expressions on his face, Paul saw the faith to be made well in this man. This man believed in God’s power to save (to be set free from his physical handicap in this instance).
Normally, we would think that the one who needed healing is the one to act in faith, and while he had the faith within him to be delivered from his birth defect, Paul is the only one taking action. This was lived out, not by the one who needed healing but by the one who was full of the Spirit. Paul saw, perceived, and commanded. Paul was living by the guidance of the Spirit, and this man was delivered because of his faithfulness to the Lord. Boldly declare the gospel and let come what may. It may lead to persecution, or it may lead to someone else’s restoration.
Simple obedience
The crippled man simply obeyed. Paul said STAND, and so he stood, though he had never stood a day in his life. His skeletal, atrophied legs became robust and strong enough for him to immediately spring to his feet and walk around. Amazing! Indeed, the message of Paul and Barnabas’ God was true!
We can all be one of these two men in our own lives. Maybe right now, you are like the crippled man who needs faith in God to deliver you from an affliction, sinful habit, physical ailment, or difficult conditions. Or perhaps you are like Paul and need to grow in your ability to be full of the Spirit, to see the world around you with spiritual eyes and the needs that are there, and to take action on behalf of another.
This miracle led to a reaction from the citizens that was quite different from those in Iconium.
III – Don’t deify the messenger
Acts 14:11–14 ESV
11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out…
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction
Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I wonder if he was reading this passage of scripture when he applied this truth to the laws of physics.
In Pisidian Antioch, the proclamation of the Word divided the room. It stirred up opposition, which is precisely what we just witnessed in Iconium, but now, rather than riots, resistance, and death threats, the men of Lystra thought Paul and Barnabas were gods!
This may seem like a strange and extreme conclusion, but it wasn’t uncommon to think that the Greek gods would disguise themselves and test humans. As James Montgomery Boice points out:
Acts: An Expositional Commentary The Work in Lystra
“In Metamorphoses Ovid collected the mythological stories that have to do with people being changed into one thing or another, which is what metamorphosis refers to, and at one place he told a story about this very area. According to Ovid’s story, Zeus and Hermes had once visited a valley near Lystra. They went from door to door, but the people refused to take them in. Finally, they came to a poor house occupied by a man named Philemon (the same name as that of the runaway slave of Paul’s acquaintance) and his wife Baucis. These elderly people received Zeus and Hermes. So they stayed the night. In the morning the gods took the couple up out of the city to a mountain, and when they looked back on the valley they saw that the gods had flooded it, drowning everyone. Then, while they were looking on, Philemon and Baucis saw that the gods had transformed their poor hovel into a great temple with a glittering gold roof.“
If this is true, it explains why the citizens and even the High Priests of the pagan temple were so quick to deify Paul and Barnabas. An entire village was wiped off the map for failing to be hospitable, and they would make sure to throw the best welcome party in the history of parties! Perhaps Barnabas had a bigger build or looked more regal because they thought he was Zeus. And, since Paul was the main speaker, they thought he was Hermes: the messenger of the gods.
Paul and Barnabas set the record straight
I’m sure it was confusing for the two men at first. The citizens spoke in their local language, so they could only see excitement. Maybe they thought they had just hit a home run! It wasn’t until they saw the priests bringing out the garland-necklaced oxen for sacrifice that they realized what was happening.
Their reaction was very appropriate. Seeing that they were being worshiped, they tore their clothes (which was a sign of lament and horror in the presence of blasphemy), and instead of receiving worship like Herod did, they flatly rejected it.
There was no way they would receive the praise of the One True God.
Romans 11:36 ESV
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
We would do well to reflect that same attitude.
Now, we come to the second message from our messengers. The first was a message of healing and deliverance. The second is the message identifying the only true and living God.
IV- The message of the living God
Acts 14:15–18 ESV
15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.
In essence, they wanted to communicate two things.
Repent from
1. repent from your dead gods or “these vain things.” In worshiping the Greek gods, they were worshiping idols who weren’t real. Isaiah lays this out more concretely in Isaiah 44, where he explains the foolishness of cutting down a tree, burning half of it to cook dinner, and crafting the other half into an idol to bow to. In essence, Paul is saying to them: Stop bowing to idols and turn to the true and living God.
And don’t be so foolish as to think that was only an ancient practice. While we don’t craft wooden idols to bow down to, we do still idolize things. John Calvin famously said, “The human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” If not wooden idols, then we idolize celebrities, careers, money, fame, and many other things. At the core, our fallen human nature remains the same, where we would rather worship things of God’s creation rather than Him as the Creator.
Turn to
2. And when you repent from dead idols, you must turn to:
- the living God who created all things
- the God that all creation testifies about
Because the people of Lystra were Greeks (and not Jewish), Paul did not quote OT scripture as he had done previously. Instead, he pointed to natural revelation, which seeks to show people that one can know the God of the universe exists through creation itself.
Paul appealed to what we refer to as the cosmological and teleological arguments for God’s existence. Or in other words, creation must have a creator, and the what that creation is structured, organized, designed, and fine-tuned testifies to the reality that it was designed, not randomly formed from chaos. The fact that we have ecosystems, the elaborate coding of DNA, and the grand design of the cosmos all point to the glory of a living, Creator God.
Psalm 19:1–6 ESV
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Romans 1:19–20 ESV
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
- the God who showed grace in the past
- the God of providence (rain for crops, a harvest, full bellies, full hearts)
The Christian God is the one who allowed the nations to go their own way (what Paul would later call the “times of ignorance” in Acts 17:30). This same God (and the only God) is not only benevolent and patient, but also the one who’s providence provides for all people. His grace in the past and his provision in the present show His goodness to all humanity. And like the plagues of Egypt demonstrated Yahweh’s power over the Egyptian gods, Luke uses this specific verbiage to contrast Yahweh (the good God who sends rain and yields fruit in season) with Zeus, who, according to an inscription found in Pisidia, is “the one who does good and is fruitful.” By appealing to nature and God’s good grace in his provision of the harvest, Paul is taking terminology used for Zeus and using it for Yahweh, thus making Him superior.
In summary, we don’t stone or exalt the messenger, mainly because it isn’t about the messenger at all. It is about the message they bring. Today’s message shows us that people’s hearts are darkened and need the light of the Word, but we shouldn’t be surprised when we see some retreat further into the darkness rather than embracing the light of the gospel (just read John 1). Our job is to boldly declare the gospel and let come what may.
We also see that human hearts are prone to idol worship. Sometimes we put the messenger on a pedestal and point them instead of Christ. Praising a preacher instead of the God he (hopefully) points to is idol worship. Trusting in the security of money leads to idol worship. Crafting your identify and social status based on your perfect house and material possessions is idol worship. So, the question I leave with you today is: what is the pantheon of gods you cling to? What idols is your heart producing? While we don’t worship Zeus or Hermes, we constantly value things more than our relationship with Christ. Whether it is recognition, wealth, children, a spouse, a career, or an ability, we all tend to take an element of this world and make it our life’s pursuit… our idol. What is yours? And, once you identify it, what are you doing to do about it?