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Zeus and Hermes Tore Their Garments
Wes Schaeffer
May 20, 2019
From today’s reading…
“When the crowds saw what Paul had done,
they cried out in Lycaonian,
‘The gods have come down to us in human form.’
They called Barnabas ‘Zeus’ and Paul ‘Hermes,’
because he was the chief speaker.”
Paul and Barnabas were nearly killed in Iconium so they fled to Lystra where Paul cured a crippled man.
This is when the crowd loses their collective mind and wants to give private jets and mansions and box seats to the Dallas Cowboys to them both in the hopes of currying their favor and getting free medical care, free childcare, free school lunches, two years of unemployment, free college tuition, free cell phones,…
Oops. Got on a bit of a soapbox there. Where was I…?
Oh yeah. The crowd wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas and make sacrifices to them but “The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments,” which is not a good thing in the Jewish religion, and they chastised the crowds, but to no avail.
Yet Paul and Barnabas stayed true to their mission and purpose, which was to to speak these words…
We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.”
Be like Paul and Barnabas. Stay humble. Stay true to your calling.
Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.