NOT A TAME DIETY
Acts of the Apostles 14:11-15
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.
¶Lystrans, steeped in many generations of worship of the debauched gods of the Roman pantheon, brought sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. In reality these were nothing more than appeasements and bribes to influence the gangster-gods they imagined controlled their lives. The apostles were dismayed. This depiction is not far from our own lives if we take our eyes off of God in His grace and glory and dwell on our own circumstances. Jesus desires that we take no care for what we eat, drink, or wear, but to seek first His kingdom. Worldly things are important. They are pointers, drawing us in toward the God of grace and glory. God even finds occasion to use them and transform them into holy sacraments. But let's not create gods of our own to worship as we see fit. Any "god" that crumbles before our own desires and wishes is no god at all.
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Now the temple of Zeus was located just outside the town. So the priest of the temple and the crowd brought bulls and wreaths of flowers to the town gates, and they prepared to offer sacrifices to the apostles. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.
¶Lystrans, steeped in many generations of worship of the debauched gods of the Roman pantheon, brought sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. In reality these were nothing more than appeasements and bribes to influence the gangster-gods they imagined controlled their lives. The apostles were dismayed. This depiction is not far from our own lives if we take our eyes off of God in His grace and glory and dwell on our own circumstances. Jesus desires that we take no care for what we eat, drink, or wear, but to seek first His kingdom. Worldly things are important. They are pointers, drawing us in toward the God of grace and glory. God even finds occasion to use them and transform them into holy sacraments. But let's not create gods of our own to worship as we see fit. Any "god" that crumbles before our own desires and wishes is no god at all.
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