A Share and a Like
NL Year 1 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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To help us better understand why the crowds are so adamant that Paul and Barnabas are the gods in human form we need to hear a story about the people of Lystra. Lystra is a Greek town and the locals are entirely Gentile believers in the Greco-Roman pantheon of gods. There is a story of Zeus and Hermes who came in human form in the Lystra area, and tried to seek lodging at people’s homes and were refused by many. They eventually found the home of a poor old couple names Philemon and Baucis. They took them in and despite the strain it had on them. This couple was then rewarded for their kindness and generosity by having their home turn into a temple with a golden roof and marble columns. The couple were made the priest and priestess of the temple and instead of eventually dying the couple were transformed into trees. The people who did refuse the gods disguised as humans had their homes destroyed.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for the people in the village of Lystra to listen to the words of Paul and Barnabas and then see this crippled man healed immediately from being crippled from birth? There is no doubt in my mind that they would have immediately thought of this story and wanted to do everything in their power to be as hospitable as possible to them. This included bringing them wreaths of welcome and sacrifices that would hopefully in turn bring about blessings to them and their land. This would be extremely important to these people because they lived in a town that was not a center so there was not a lot going for them in terms of education or financial security. Since they believed in the gods coming in human form testing humanity this would have been the only frame of reference for them.
So now Paul, being the speaker that he is, has to figure out a way to correct this wrong that he has just done. He has to help them understand that he is just the messenger of God not a physical embodiment of the gods themselves. As well as get them to understand that there is only one God and that is the God of Israel. Something they may have never heard of before. So how do you explain to someone or an entire group of people that what they are seeing and how that connects to what they believe is different than what you are trying to tell them or teach them?
Which I believe is the work that we have for us today. We might not have to explain to people that Zeus and Hermes are not gods and that they do not walk among us, but how do we share with them that there is a God who loves them and cares for them and wants nothing but healing and wholeness for them, just like Paul with this crippled man? How do we share with them that money cannot fill that part of their lives that was made for God? What needs to happen for people to realize that the things in this life will never fill the void in their hearts where God needs to be? How do we tell them that no matter how many likes or followers they get on TikTok or Instagram isn’t the same thing as being liked and loved by the God of the universe? It’s not about the ‘things’ in this life but it is about the God who gave us this life to live and enjoy.
This is what Paul does: He helps them understand in the terms and understanding that makes the most sense to the people of Lystra. First he quotes from Psalm 146:6 “6 God: the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. God: who is faithful forever,”. He does this to help them understand that what they thought was made by many Gods was made by the one God. Now that he has explained one God not many, he then speaks to them in terms they understand. He tells them that all the blessings they have received as rain, the seasonal harvests, giving them satisfaction with food and happiness. They would have understood all these things as being brought to them from the favor or disfavor of the gods. Paul explains that all good things come from the one God. Even though it was difficult the text does tell us that they were able to stop them from sacrificing to them and continue to consider them gods in disguise.
What that tells me is that we need to find the language, the examples, the metaphors in our own time to be able to reach people today. Paul reached the crippled man but it didn’t seem he was reaching the others and actually set himself way back when he did heal this man. It wasn’t until he realized that they saw him in a certain way that he had to change his tactics. This is what we need to do in our context. We need to change our tactics. We need to change our language to be able to reach other people so that they too can understand what it is that God is doing in their lives. To understand that the blessings they receive and the love they have, and even life itself is a gift from God given to each and every one of us.
That last verse, which seems like downer that Paul barely stopped them from making sacrifices, is actually a huge comfort to me and I hope for you as well. The reason it is a comfort is that it tells me that even the great Paul himself had a hard time explaining faith in Jesus and God to certain groups of people. It shows that Paul had to constantly adapt and change his methods and his tactics to be able to connect with the people he encountered. In fact, if we kept reading we see that the visit to Lystra didn’t go well and it wasn’t until later that he comes back and encourages the people in their faith. He does this both in chapter 14 and again in chapter 16. Paul has to keep trying and working and encouraging and that is what we must do as well.
As believers here at Bethlehem we must continue to work at sharing the good news with people. We must continue to find new ways to say the same message. We need to remain firm in our faith understanding that there will be lots of troubles that we will go through. Despite that hard beginning in Lystra and in many other places Paul and Barnabas were able to strengthen those communities and encourage them in their mission. So not only do we need to find ways to continue our mission here, but we have to also find ways to continually encourage one another in the work that we do. We need to lift each other up and support one another through the trials and the triumphs. Even in the most difficult of situations there are blessings that abound.
And most importantly remember as Paul and Barnabas did that we are the messengers not the message itself. The message we share is not about us, but it is about the God who loves us, who sent Jesus to be among us to show us that love and then sent the Holy Spirit so that we may feel that love and share that love with others. May you both dwell in the message of love and forgiveness that is for you and the messenger that you are for this world. You are both the receiver and the giver and that is a precious gift to have and to be. Amen.