Acts 14:8-18
8 In Lystra a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked.
9 This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well,
10 and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And the man leaped up and began to walk.
11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!”
12 And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.
13 Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside 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 about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out
15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them.
16 In past generations He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;
17 yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
18 And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
Lystra (1)
Introduction
Persecution erupted in Iconium (Acts 14:1-7). To avoid being stoned, Paul and Barnabas left the city and went to Lystra, a small city about 100 miles (160 km) from Antioch, which was a Roman colonial city. This city was located away from the main roads and did not have a sufficient Jewish population to maintain a synagogue. Therefore, Paul taught like the traveling philosophers of the time, preaching the gospel in the streets. He spoke in the agora (public square, marketplace).
The healing of a man with incapacitated feet
“In Lystra a man was sitting whose feet were incapacitated. He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke.” (1) While Paul was preaching the gospel in the agora, there was a man sitting there who had been unable to use his feet since birth. Luke vividly conveys the man’s condition: “He had been disabled from his mother’s womb, and had never walked.” (2) Since there was no synagogue in Lystra, God prepared another method: the miracle performed by Paul drew the attention and favor of the people. (3) The man who had been unable to use his feet from birth was listening to Paul as he spoke. (a) Some scholars believe this man was a convert to Judaism. (b) It is likely that Paul spoke about the signs and wonders that had occurred in Iconium. “Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well, and he said with a loud voice, ‘Stand upright on your feet!’ And the man leaped up and began to walk.” (1) Paul discerned the man’s spiritual condition. (a) “He had faith to be made well” means that he believed in Paul’s preaching. (b) A true evangelist can sense whether the listener has truly believed. (2) This miracle is similar to Peter’s healing of the lame man in Acts 3:1-26. Let’s note the similarities between Peter and Paul: (a) They fixed their gaze on the man. (b) They commanded, “Stand upright on your feet.” (c) The man immediately leaped up and began to walk. (d) This miracle serves as a validation of Paul’s apostleship. Paul possessed the same apostolic authority that Peter had. God is the primary agent of evangelism. Both Peter and Paul are merely vessels used by God. Let’s learn to evangelize according to the methods God provides and with the power He grants. Today, let us continue to pray that God will use us also.
Today's prayer
Holy God, without the methods and strength You provide, I can do nothing. Please use me for evangelism. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.