Why Did People Think Barnabas Was Jupiter?

Tom:

In this, our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the Book of Acts Chapter 14, and Dave, we are going to pick up with Verse 13, but a little background here.You remember last we were talking about miracles and sometimes it works for good, people get saved and respond to it, and other times it doesn’t have the results that many people would like.You talked about John Wimber and others last week, Dave, but here we have Paul involved in a healing and it should have been exciting but the results would not---I’ll read Verse 11:“And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.”And Dave, I’m going to pick up with Verse 13:“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.Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things?We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”

Dave:

Tom, I think Paul is a little bit too narrow-minded and dogmatic here.I mean this is a terrific ecumenical opportunity.So, they’re a little bit off in their doctrine so they got this idea of Jupiter and they think we’re gods.Well, after all, Benny Hinn on TBN, Paul Crouch, they said, We are gods.So, they believed in a lot of gods and they are not saying that he’s the true God, the Creator, but there are a lot of different gods.I don’t see why you can’t just kind of join with them and use that as an opportunity then to present the gospel.Tom, that’s the kind of stuff we are getting today, and Paul is not going to received any praise on this basis.It’s a false basis, and this is introducing a really serious misunderstanding.See, Jupiter, the god Jupiter, is outside the city at the entrance to the city, apparently, as it says in Verse 13, it says that the god Jupiter is just outside, I guess, apparently at the entrance to the city.And they think now Jupiter has favored them with a visit.So they call Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius.And Tom, that’s not to be desired, and Paul is not going to accept any praise from that source.It would bring confusion.We must be absolutely clear as to who God is, and to the means of reconciliation to Him only through the death of Christ our Savior and His resurrection and the payment of the penalty for our sins.So, they rent their clothes!In other words that’s an expression of despair even.

Tom:

And, “rent” doesn’t mean they loaned them out, they were torn.

Dave:

No, they tore them, this is Old English, and ran in among the people saying, Sirs, why do you do these things?We’re not gods, we want you to turn from these vanities to the living God which made heaven and earth and the sea and all things that are therein.And it goes on:Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.And with these saying scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.”Another lesson, Tom, when we get a little farther in the chapter we find they are going to kill them, the two.One minute you’re a god, and the next minute they are going to kill you.

Tom:

Tells you something about the heart of man, doesn’t it?

Dave:

Right.You know, Oral Roberts, one of his books, I forget the name of the book, but one of chapters is titled:What’s in it for me, gods?

Tom:

And his son, just to add this, Richard Roberts said:A miracle settles everything.A miracle didn’t settle everything here.

Dave:

If you see a miracle you know it’s God, he said.That was at the Word of Faith World Outreach Center in Dallas.Robert Tilton was the pastor at that time, since discredited, horribly.But anyway, what does it mean when it says, He gave us---Verse 16, He allowed the nations to walk in their own ways.Well, He’s done that, but they are going to be punished for it, they will be judged for it.But even though the world was in rebellion, Verse 17 says, He didn’t leave Himself without a witness, He did good, He gave rain and fruitful seasons and so forth.So that He didn’t just clamp down on people and punish them, but He poured out blessings them.And any thinking person would realize---you know, you plant a seed into the ground and Wow!As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, It’s like a resurrection, God gives it a new body, and it produces more grain.Any thinking person looking at that and looking at the harvest of the fruit and the grapes and so forth, this didn’t happen by chance, it not just in the seed, there must have been some great God, the Creator, who put all of this together for our benefit.Now, if He that He must have a purpose for our lives and we need to honor Him not Jupiter.Jupiter---that’s a planet out there!That’s a light up in the sky, that didn’t create the universe.So, I would say that, as Paul in Romans 1 says, They are all without excuse.When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God.And the eternal power and the love and the grace and the goodness of God is revealed in the things that He made.This is what Paul is saying.Even with this, it says they scarce restrained the people.They are still wanting to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas.Not easy to persuade people to turn from their idols.But then, I think of First Thessalonians where Paul says of the Thessalonians:You turn to God from idols to serve the living and the true God, and that really rejoiced Paul’s heart.

Tom:

Verse 19, “And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.”Did they drag him out?Is that what that means, they dragged him out?

Dave:

Yeah, they dragged him out, they were determined to kill him.The Jews came--it doesn’t tell us exactly what they said--but these are other cities where Paul has preached, and they are telling lies about Paul--These guys have turned the world upside down, they are causing trouble, they are trouble makers, and so forth.So, you go from recognizing that they did miracles, Well, Wow, they must be the gods, and now you are going to kill the gods who did miracles!What twisted thinking on the part of these Jews who are determined.So, Tom, it’s not true what Richard Roberts said, a miracle isn’t going to cause people to believe.The most unbelieving people were the Jews in the wilderness and they saw more miracles than anybody.It’s a matter of heart and the willingness to confess our sins and to be made right with God through Jesus Christ.

Tom:

Dave, when you say, Jews, some people out there might be thinking, well, wait a minute!Is this anti-Semitism here?No, Paul was a Jew, the disciples were Jews, these were a certain part of the Jews who would not believe.