Acts 14:14-18 14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, after tearing their garments, they rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, proclaiming to you good news, about turning from these worthless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them. 16In past generations, he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17And yet, he did not leave himself without witness, doing good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18Even after saying with these things, they had difficulty restraining the people from offering sacrifice to them.
The people of Lystra were so excited about seeing a miracle that they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods and wanted to offer sacrifices to them. This suggests that they were fairly ignorant about an almighty God, but were so ingrained in their idolatry that they could not think beyond their religious experiences. Luke switches the order of names, putting Barnabas first since the people thought him to be the highest god, Zeus. Barnabas and Saul saw a crisis of faith emerging, and so they rushed out into the crowd, proclaiming their humanness like all the people. Tearing their garments showed their protest and was an action Jews showed when mourning or complaining.
The two apostles spoke with one voice, though Paul may have been the primary speaker, with no hesitancy evident. They put the emphasis on the good news. Their response contains several significant insights about sharing the gospel with people with no concept or belief in the God of Israel. This is the first “sermon” to a completely pagan group. First, they spoke of a living God, implying that idols and the myths the people believed were meaningless. This God was real, the true God, the creator of heaven, earth, sea, and all life. This statement echoes Psalm 146:6 and was foundational to Israel’s faith. This monotheistic idea gives theology in its broadest and easiest terms.
Second, the apostles spoke of God’s mercy to past generations of all nations. God “allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.” In God’s providential grace and care, he provided all that past generations needed to live, but he also allowed them to follow their own thinking. Because of our fallen nature, humanity thinks about itself first and tries to make sense of the world from humanistic thinking. This has led to the development of many religions trying to explain and make sense of life and creation. In today’s world, science has replaced the myths and imaginations of former generations, but it also serves in the same capacity as the ancient religions by trying to explain the world and everything in it.
The third point touches upon God’s prevenient grace and how he provided evidence of his existence in nature by giving rain to grow produce, resulting in a harvest with food and joy. Many cultures of the world have developed celebrations around the harvest time or with the killing of animals for food. Not always have these cultures acknowledged a creator, but many have. Romans 1:18-25 gives the opposite of how people ignore the proof in nature of God’s existence and follow their own selfish ways into sin. The apostles were pointing out things that the Lystrians had experienced themselves. Barnabas and Paul were helping the people make a connection between their experiences and the gospel. They had enough evidence to acknowledge God. The miracle of the healing of the lame man proved the truth of the words Barnabas and Saul preached. Even the simple logic of their argument could not stop the people from trying to sacrifice to them. Their response shows that it can be extremely difficult to overcome one’s past religious beliefs.