Acts 14:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

NIV: The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

NASB: Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

CSB: The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought bulls and wreaths to the gates because he intended, with the crowds, to offer sacrifice.

NLT: 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.

KJV: Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

NKJV: Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

When Jesus called Paul to follow Him and be His apostle to the Gentiles, He promised intense suffering (Acts 9:16). So far, Paul has seen comparatively minor persecution, including being run out of Damascus (Acts 9:23–25), Jerusalem (Acts 9:28–30), Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:50), and Iconium (Acts 14:5–6). At this point, it's unlikely Paul imagined people would try to dedicate sacrifices to him as the Greek god Hermes or adorn him with garlands of wool. If Paul does not speak the local language natively (Acts 14:11), it might explain why he takes a moment to understand their intent.

Paul is trying to share Christ's offer of salvation to a crowd in Lystra. When he notices a crippled man has placed his faith in Christ, Paul tells the man to stand, and God heals him. Since Paul does most of the speaking, the crowd surmises he must be Hermes and Barnabas, Paul's ministry partner, must be Zeus (Acts 14:8–12). Although these are names of two prominent Greek gods, they're also the names given to regional father and son gods. Either way, the people determine that the only appropriate response is to offer sacrifices to the visiting deities.

About three years before, another crowd declared a man was a god, which did not end well. Herod Agrippa I stood before the audience of games he had organized in Caesarea Maritima, his capital. He wore clothing made of silver which shone brightly in the morning sun. In response, the crowd shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" (Acts 12:22).

Josephus, an ancient historian, explained that Agrippa had been a friend to the Jews. He kept Caligula from placing a statue of himself in the temple and regularly read the Mosaic law. As an act of friendship with the Jewish leaders, he beheaded James the apostle and arrested Peter (Acts 12:1–5). In this moment of adoration, however, he hesitated—exulting in the crowd's praises rather than giving the glory to God. In response, he spent the next five days in terrible pain as worms ate his bowels before he died (Acts 12:23).

Paul and Barnabas have no interest in sharing such a fate. As soon as they realize what is happening, they tear their clothes and reason with the people (Acts 14:14).

Acts 14:8–20 finds Paul and Barnabas in Lystra in the province of Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor. This city's reaction is the extreme opposite of what happened in Pisidian Antioch and Iconium, where they were threatened with stoning (Acts 13:50; 14:5). In Lystra, they are initially worshiped as gods. The two Christian missionaries are horrified by this reaction and do their best to stop it. Before long, however, antagonistic Jews from their previous stops arrive and convince the locals to stone Paul. God's warning that Paul would suffer greatly for Him begins to come true (Acts 9:16), but Paul considers being left for dead a small price to pay for his salvation through Jesus (Romans 8:18).

Acts 14 describes the last half of Paul's first missionary journey. He and Barnabas leave Pisidian Antioch, near central modern-day Asia Minor, and travel southeast to Iconium where they establish a new church. In Lystra, Paul heals a man born crippled. The amazed people insist Barnabas is the Greek deity Zeus, and Paul is Hermes. They attempt to offer sacrifices to them, much to the horror of the two evangelists. When antagonists from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrive, Paul is stoned but survives. The pair travel to Derbe, then retrace their steps, encouraging the new churches before sailing back to Syrian Antioch.

Paul's first missionary journey, recorded in Acts 13—14, gives a glimpse of issues that the church will face throughout its entire existence. When presented with Jesus's story, some will accept Him while others will not. Opposition is sometimes violent. Some integrate into church life easily, but for centuries the church has struggled with how to integrate those from vastly different cultures. This raises the crucial question of which aspects of faith and worship are biblical, making them universal, and which are cultural, and therefore optional? In Acts 15, the church leadership will start a discussion on that subject which continues even today.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.