¹⁸Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. ¹⁹But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. ²⁰But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city . . .

You would think that after healing the lame man in Lystra and resisting the locals’ attempted worship, things would have gone smoothly for Barnabas and Saul. But the crowds were not easily put off from what they thought was a supernatural visitation from the Greek gods, Zeus and Hermes. Passionate fervor dies not easily. Things began to heat up.

The reaction of the people, though, does speak to the nature of a bona fide miraculous event. We today are not eyewitnesses, but we have the testimony of Luke, the one who carefully recorded the reaction. Historians would take as substantial evidence the effect of the event on the people who witnessed it: there was no doubt in their minds that a supernatural happening occurred! God confirmed the gospel to them with irrefutable evidence.

Yet, despite Barnabas’ and Paul’s refusal to accept worship and their effort to thwart the crowd, the Jews from their previous preaching engagements arrived and turned the people against them. The very same ones who had been thwarted from worshiping them as gods come in the flesh, now wanted to stone them, presumably for their pretending to be gods. The irony of this is astounding. Paul and Barnabas clearly identified themselves as mere men, just like everyone else. But the Jews convinced the crowd of their supposed blasphemy, and rather than chastise the crowd for their attempted worship of mere men, they blamed the apostles.

Paul in particular, as the chief spokesperson, drew the attention of their ire. We can imagine the scene, dragging the apostle Paul out of the city. But we cannot picture him kicking and screaming. He had no time for escape as he did in the previous towns where he preached; fleeing was not an option. But after they pelted him with rocks and left him for dead, he got up and went right back into the city! No, this was not a fearful Paul, and stoning would not stop him from preaching the gospel to the very ones who tried to kill him.

One final, humorous note: if the crowds originally thought him to be a god for healing the lame man, what would their response be to Paul walking back into the city after being left for dead? Luke’s silence on this is intriguing. Even if Paul had not actually died but was stoned to unconsciousness, it would still be miraculous that he could get up and go back into the city after such an ordeal!

Lord, give me strength to not fear any opposition when sharing Your Word.