Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1916 — THE CRIPPLE AT LYSTRA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE CRIPPLE AT LYSTRA

Act* n.-8 20— Hay it. History Repeats Itself—Paul and Barnabas Persecuted Slandered and Maltreated by Professedly Religious Leaders—A Notable Miracle—Honesty Rewarded With Stones. • lie ijireth potter to the faint; and to him that hath no might He increascth strength." —lsaiah io:i9. It. F. IN G Antioch of Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas went to Icon in ra. There they preached the Word faithfully for several mouths: for it was an excellent field of labor. There also opposition was aroused. Finally the chief Jews find those Gentiles whom they influenced plotted to stone the missionaries as blasphemers. When Paul and Bar nabas were made aware of the plot, they flecl to I.ystia, twenty miles away. Arriving at Lystra. they began to preach the Gospel as courageously as though there had been no previous opposition. Amongst the auditors was a cripple who manifested much interest in the Apostle's words. St. Paul, perceiving that the man had faith; called out to him. "Stand upright on thy feet!”—a thing that the man had never dorn*. He had the necessary faith and obeyed the. Apostle’s command. Thus a miracle resulted, to the astonishment of the assembly. The effect was electrical; and the people shouted in their

own dialect, “The gods have come down to visit us!" Lystra figured as tlie scene of a ni y tii 010 gi <• a I eve :{, tlie tradin' n heing that. Jupiter and Mercury had once come to this city in the form of men. hut had been refused lodgings until they came to the hut of a poor man, who entertained

lhem to tlie best of his ability. They rewarded him by turning liis hut into a gorgeous temple, and punished the others with.a flood. This tradition was perpetuated by a statue of Jupiter at the city gate as its protecting god. It easy to discern how a com para lively ignorant and superstitious people might jump to the conclusion that the visit of the missionaries was a repetition of tiiis visit of Jupiter and Mercury, handed down through tradition. They called St. Paul Mercury, because in their tradition Mercury was the speaker; and Barnabas they called Jupiter, Forthwith the priest of Jupiter prepared to offer a sacrifice of oxen before the statue of Jupiter, at tlie city gate, in honor of the supposed gods present with them as men. The missionaries were probably preaching when they heard of the commotion in the city and of tlie sacrifice about to iso offered. Most earnestly did they entreat the people to desist, explaining tlint they were nothing but imperfect ihen. that their mission was tlie very reverse of what tile people supposed, and that Jupiter and Mercury were only products of ignorance and superstition. Running in amongst tlie excited people, with difficulty they restrained the populace from sacrificing in their honor.

Sudden Change of Sentiment. Wisdom from on High guided Paul and Barnabas to know that it would l»e useless to quote the Scriptures to these people, who had no knowledge of them. The missionaries discoursed, therefore, on what the people could understand and appreciate. They explained that in times past the living God. who made all tilings, had permitted the nations to walk in their own ways. He had interfered particularly iii the affairs of only the one nation— Israel - except so far as the others might Cross His Plan. But now He was sending a Message of instruction to all nations, (hat they should turn from the vain traditions received from their ancestors, and should recognize the only true God and His Son. who had redeemed the world and whom the Father had ordained should in due time become its King, to bless all the families of the earth. The sudden change 0 f sentiment which resulted from the Apostle's plain statements of the Truth led the Lystrians to look at the # missionaries with

very different eyes. They may have felt rather mean about their own superstition, which had so q nick 1 y roused them to do reverence to men who repudiated it and acknowledged their unworthiness of it. While the populace was iu this spirit, certain Jews from Antioch and Icouium came

thither, explaining that the missionaries were imposters, working upon the credulity of the people. The populace was ready for just such leading in the reverse direction. As a result, St. Paul was stoned, and dragged outside of the city, where he was left for dead. As the disciples stood about the Apostle’s prostrate form, supposing that he was dead, lie arose and,returned to the city. We are not to suppose that all of the citizens joined the mob which stoned him, although there must have boon general sympathy on the part of the majority. The next day the missionaries went to Derbe. a distance of thirty-five miles. This implies that the Lord wrought a miracle in Paul, that he might continue his journey.

St. Paul, Stoned, Recovers.

St. Paul Heals a Cripple.