Paul and Barnabas Witness in Lystra (Acts 14:8-28)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, June 8, 2025

We are journeying our way through Acts and we come to an amazing passage. Think about the complexities in this passage:

• This is a passage where the Apostles can heal someone, yet be stoned in the same passage, really?
• This is a passage where Paul will be stoned and left for dead. Yet, he will preach so that people can receive real life immediately after that. Preaching the Gospel, you were just stoned to death for? They are killing you, but others are receiving real life!
• This is a passage in which we realize Paul’s ability to identify with an audience through preaching. We see an abbreviation of a sermon which he will preach in Acts 17:16ff.

Who’s your god? Do we make people gods as well? Paul and Barnabas wouldn’t allow themselves to be worshipped?

When I was a kid in school, I recall studying ancient Greek culture and the gods and goddesses it worshipped. The idea was that they had many gods, whereas we worship only one God. We were studying in public school, so the majority of the class believed that in today’s time, many people don’t believe in or worship a God at all. The idea is that we have advanced, we know these things about Zeus and Hermes aren’t true. Looking at the church across America, I wonder, have we really advanced? The Ten Commandments say, “Do not commit idolatry.” Do we?

Can you remember a time when you got something new? For me, it is hard to get something new and not let that “thing” consume me. When I get a new car, that is all that I think about. I might even commit idolatry with that man-made thing. It has been said that worship is our response to what we value most. It has been said, “If you follow the trail of your time, energy, passion, money, you will find out what you worship.” It could be money, yourself, friends, things, your past, etc. The point is that we were created to worship.

We are about to turn to a passage in the New Testament where people who have worshipped Hermes and Zeus now try to worship Paul and Barnabas.

1. Let’s look at the miracle.
   1. Acts 14:8-10:
   2. 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.
   3. Context is everything.
   4. Look at the previous seven verses.
   5. Paul is on what we call his first missionary journey.
   6. Paul had left for this journey back in Acts 13:4. They had already gone to Pisidian Antioch and preached there.
   7. While still in Antioch, in Acts 13:46, the Jews got jealous; consequently, Paul and Barnabas moved on to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. This seemed to start a precedent for Paul that he would always go to the synagogue first and then to the Gentiles. In Acts 13:50, the text tells us that the “Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.”
   8. That leads us to the beginning of Acts 14. They have now moved on to Iconium. They followed the same procedure in Iconium as they had in Pisidian Antioch. Paul and Barnabas first went to the synagogue and spoke to the Jews. Many Jews and Greeks believed. In Acts 14:2 the text tells us that the Jews who disbelieved “stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” However, Paul and Barnabas stayed around and spoke boldly. Still, verses 5 and 6 tell us there was an attempt to stone them, and Paul and Barnabas found out about it and left. They then went to Lycaonia, Lystra, and Derbe, and the surrounding region. Verse 6 tells us where they went, and then verse 7 tells us what they were doing. They continued to preach the Gospel in those locations. Now, that brings us to verse 8. Now, what happened at Lystra?
   9. The miracle (Acts 14:8-10).
   10. We will look at the miracle but first notice how Paul and Barnabas were persistent in preaching the gospel.
   11. They tried to stone them! In verse 5, it says this. Did that shock you? It didn’t shock me. The first-century person would have been shocked by this. Stoning was a terrible punishment. The accused would usually be taken outside the city and stripped. Then, the witnesses would cast the first stones, followed by everyone else. I have heard that they would throw stones until the person was buried.
   12. Although this occurred in the previous city due to Paul and Barnabas preaching the Gospel, they continued on to share the Gospel.
   13. Paul and Barnabas were focused then, but what was about to happen would have tested me.
   14. Verses 8-10: Now they are in a city called Lystra. This is a city in what would be modern-day Turkey.
   15. Verse 8 tells us that a man who had no strength in his feet was sitting. How long was he lame? The Bible tells us from birth. Then the same verse gives an extra emphasis by saying he had never walked. Now, if the text has already said, “Lame from his mother’s womb.” Why does the text need to say that he had never walked?
   16. Luke emphasizes that this man had never walked before. Luke is preparing us for what is about to happen. Why? What is about to happen is a miracle.
   17. This man was interested in the Gospel.
   18. Paul looks at him and can tell that this man had faith to be healed. What does that mean?
   19. We can’t be sure what this passage means by saying, “Faith to be made well.” What I think is that the Holy Spirit supernaturally showed Paul that he believed in Christ and had faith. It is overreaching to take this passage and say that everyone who is not healed doesn’t have faith.
   20. Just because in this case it says he had faith to be made well does not mean that when someone is not healed it is a faith issue.
   21. In Inductive Bible Study, this is called:
   22. Fallacy of Composition: This fallacy involves the assumption that what is true of the part is necessarily true of the whole.¹² If one were to infer that because Luke presents some Samaritans as more generous (10:29–37) or grateful (17:11–19) than some Jews, he wants his audience to conclude that all Samaritans are morally superior to Jews, then one would be going well beyond the evidence and committing the fallacy of composition. The same would be the case if one were to infer from the story of the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate in Acts 3:1–10 that Luke thereby teaches that all who are in need of physical healing will find it if they likewise place their faith in the name of Jesus.^[1]
   23. In verse 10, Paul told this man to stand upright. This man leaped to his feet.
   24. I notice no hesitancy in Paul’s voice, I notice no physical therapy for this man. He leaped to his feet.
   25. Many of you are parents and grandparents. Remember when your children started walking? Did they just leap and start walking? Of course not! There was a slow process of learning to walk, not in this case!
   26. The application is that when God is involved, things can happen quickly.
   27. This is the third time in Acts that a lame man is healed (Acts 3 and 9:34).
   28. God doesn’t heal everyone; however, we do need to understand that the Holy Spirit is still active today. The Holy Spirit hasn’t hidden in a cave or retired.
   29. One last thing about this: When someone is made well due to our medical advances, give the Lord the credit. God works.
2. In verses 11-13, we see the reaction to what God had done.
   1. Acts 14:11–13 (ESV)
   2. 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.
   3. A whole crowd appeared to have seen what God had done through Paul.
   4. The crowd started speaking in the Lycaonian language. The people were probably speaking in Latin to begin with. It appears that at this location, they knew Latin and Greek. There is also evidence that this native language was used up until the 6^th century A.D. “There is evidence that two Christian monasteries in Constantinople (Byzantium), founded in the sixth century, used the Lycaonian language in their liturgy.”
   5. Why would they think that the “gods” had come down? One reason would be the miracle. Just imagine, you are sitting at the hospital with someone who can’t walk, and suddenly they jump to their feet!!! This would be amazing!
   6. Another reason is this: Local Phrygian legend told of an ancient visitation by Zeus and Hermes to Phrygia. In the story only one couple, Baucis and Philemon, received them graciously; the rest of the population was destroyed in a flood. Knowing some form of the story in their own language, the Lycaonians are not about to make the same mistake ancient Phrygia had made; they want to honor Paul and Barnabas, whom they mistake for gods. People sometimes considered miracle workers as gods.^[2]
   7. Do we do this today? Do we worship people? What about actors? Athletes? Do we worship video games and things? Cars? Houses? Careers?
3. Verses 14-18 show that Barnabas and Paul will not be worshipped.
   1. Acts 14:14–18 (ESV) ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 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.
   2. They tear their clothes which is a sign that they have seen idolatry. They say:
   3. We are men like you.
   4. We preach the Gospel that you should turn to the living God who:
   5. Made everything.
   6. God has given you a witness of Himself, and He gave you rain, food, and fruits.
   7. They said these things and, with difficulty, restrained these crowds.
   8. Do you notice it? They were being worshipped! They could have accepted it, but instead they turned their attention to God. They were God focused!
4. In verses 19-20, Paul is stoned.
   1. This is amazing.
   2. Acts 14:19–20 (ESV)
   3. ¹⁹ But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
   4. Notice this, Jews came from Antioch (not the same Antioch as Acts 13) and Iconium.
   5. They persuaded the crowds and dragged Paul out of the city, and stoned Paul.
   6. Wow!
   7. They thought he died.
   8. Verse 20 is so simple. The disciples gathered around him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
   9. Did the disciples pray, and was he healed?
   10. Was there another miracle?
   11. Were there two miracles in this passage- the lame man and the healing of Paul?
   12. We don’t know.
   13. Acts 14:21–23 (ESV) ²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
   14. Notice, they continue preaching the Gospel. They are also returning to the same cities that threatened them.
   15. Let’s read the rest of the chapter:
   16. Acts 14:24–28 (ESV) ²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, ²⁶ and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples.
   17. Notice that they are returning to Antioch in Syria. They are returning and celebrating what the Lord has done.

Notice two things:

Paul and Barnabas would not allow themselves to be worshipped. Always look to God. Always point people to God.

Secondly, these miracles were to point people to the gospel. Miracles in the New Testament are always about spreading the Gospel.

¹² Engel, With Good Reason, 93–94; Rudinow and Barry, Invitation to Critical Thinking, 281.

^[1] David R. Bauer and Robert A. Traina, Inductive Bible Study: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 259.

^[2]Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Ac 14:9). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.