SUFFERING AND SOVEREIGNTY
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, help me to seek your righteousness today, to represent your kingdom in ways that will enable others to see your grace and mercy.
Read ACTS 14:8–20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
In Lystra and Derbe
8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.
14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.’1
Paul and Barnabas flee persecution in Iconium and arrive in Lystra, where a lame man is healed, leading to a brief gospel proclamation. This message is noticeably different from the synagogue message in Pisidian Antioch: there is no mention of Jews or a synagogue in Lystra, so they seek to find common ground with a gentile audience through natural theology, without even a mention of the Hebrew Scriptures (vv. 14–18). Once again, we see how Paul, an expert rhetorician, feels free to contextualize his message about Jesus to be relevant to his audience.
Paul’s interaction with the Lystrans takes a violent turn when Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrive and convince the crowds to stone him, drag him out of the city, and leave him for dead. Paul attracts riots and public disorder like a magnet throughout Acts, but this incident is one of the most serious, for his life is clearly in danger. Luke emphasizes that this is sometimes the result when one takes the mission of God seriously. Early Christians considered suffering for Christ to be an honor. Luke reassures his readers that they should not be surprised when they suffer, but should trust that God will care for them, as he cares for Paul.
The Lystran disciples gather around Paul, presumably in prayer and for his protection, and the next day Paul leaves for Derbe, where he experiences further missional success. The way Luke recounts these episodes emphasizes God’s sovereignty—human opposition can never defeat the mission, for divine providence sustains and furthers it. There seems to be plenty of room in the theological worldview of the early church for suffering, alongside a conviction that God is bigger and will use it for his glory, however painful it may be.
Apply
Do you regard suffering for Christ to be an honor? Nobody wants suffering, but stories like this can help us to be prepared, trusting God when it comes our way.
Closing prayer
Whatever the cost, Lord Jesus, help me to follow you faithfully. Give me courage to honor you, no matter what opposition might come against me.
1 Acts 5:41
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