Apparently Dead

Scripture: Acts 14:11-20

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 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. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you!…18 But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. (Acts 14:11-25, 18-20 NLT)

Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the crowds from worshipping them and offering sacrifices to them. Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, stirred the crowds to the point they turned murderous and actually stoned Paul until they thought he was dead. He was unconscious, unresponsive, and as near as they could see, not breathing. They dragged him out of town and left his battered body lying in the dirt by the side of the road. The believers gathered around him and he got up and went back into the town. Are we missing a notable miracle here?

The Jews were pursuing Paul from town to town, just as Saul of Tarsus had pursued the believers to Damascus before his conversion. I believe Paul did not curse them as they crushed his body with stones. I believe his heart was breaking with compassion because they were exactly where he had been before he met Jesus. As they were stoning him, did he pray “Father forgive them” as Jesus and Stephen had done? Did he pray, “Father may there be someone among my murderers who will take my place as a light to the Gentiles as I die here in the dirt”?

Picture the evening: Paul and Barnabas resting overnight in the home of one of the new believers. Some of the women bathing Paul’s wounds. Barnabas giving him some wine to ease the pain. Someone else bringing clothes for him to replace his bloody rags. Paul and Barnabas left the next day for Derbe, nearly 70 miles away.

I’ve never really sat with this story before. This is helping me love Paul deeply. This is filling my heart with a new respect for what genuine conversion can be. Father, I want to be converted and transformed like Stephen and Paul. I want to be able to forgive. I want to be able to pray for my enemies. I want to be a disciple of Jesus! Amen!