Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: crowds

Why worship legends, idols and false gods?
Why worship legends or stone idols or false gods of mythology?
Men, why are you doing these things?
Idols of Crowd frenzy – a contemporary context
Crowds Behave Badly
Acts 14:
What a turn of events!
After the hate-feeding frenzy of the crowds is complete
A day after being stoned by the Jews and Pagans
What next?
Men, why are you doing these things?

It’s a great question, isn’t it? Paul has asked adoring crowds who would worship him, WHY are you preparing a party to worship ME?
```
In case you missed the parallels of first & 21st century application from our previous post from ACTS 14:
```
The gods have become like men

Statue of Hermes (who the crowds called Paul) in front of Grand Central Station NYC US

Why are you treating men like God? Why do you worship legends of culture – idols of stone?

Why do you believe the myths of what cannot possibly be true?

These are great questions for the unenlightened masses, those with no thought of doing what is right in the eyes of God.

Paul and Barnabas could have been worshiped like gods..

(or Presidents.. or some football hero

or a goddess-like media diva of the day

i.e. Taylor Swift).

The crowds wanted to party with these miracle-working men who made a lame man walk!

Wow, our lesser gods could not have commanded a lame man to get up!

The heavens declare the glory of God.
The expanse shows his handiwork.
Day after day they pour out speech,
and night after night they display knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2 World English Bible

Idols of Crowd frenzy – a contemporary context

Paul and Barnabas stand up to the CROWD!

NO EXCUSE for worshiping idols.

NO EXCUSE for worshiping a mere man or mortal woman from our present or past.

THEREFORE, PAUL PROCLAIMS:

“We also are men of like passions with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

Yet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

Acts of the Apostles 14:15-17 WEB

In essence, Paul and Barnabas tell the idol-worshipers of Lystra:

Worship GOD and not idols of the sky and the earth and the sea.

Do NOT worship the creation, but the Creator.

Do NOT worship men claiming to save and heal, but only the Living God our Creator.

Incited by all sides,

Crowds Behave Badly

It was a message as politically incorrect in first century culture as calling out false gods of our contentious 21st century culture.

In fact (like today), these men having heard the Gospel hated Christ.

So by their intentional blindness to Scripture they despised the Good News of Jesus Christ the Apostles persistently proclaimed in all the world.

We cannot know for certain how long Paul and Barnabas remained in Lystra after these events, but because of their own agendas political leaders had outsiders ‘bused in’ to incite these idolatrous Lyconians, hoping to execute the messengers of grace through Christ.
```
Is anything new under the sun? 
Evil men will continue to oppose Almighty God by their own means and to their own ends -- until the judgment.
```
Acts 14:

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and after winning over the crowds and stoning Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.
Acts 14:19 Legacy Standard Bible

What a turn of events!

The Jews at one extreme opposing their own risen Messiah Jesus in order to cling to traditions set in place by Roman-appointed officials of the Herod’s go after Paul and Barnabas.

And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Gospel of Matthew 15:14b LSB

They convince these uneducated small-town Greek idolaters of the other extreme of religion who worship ALL of the Roman and Greek gods and goddesses to join in their Jewish custom of stoning men opposed to gods.

PAUL SPEAKS AGAINST THEIR gods!

So when they seize Paul, they punish him, wounding the Apostle of Christ to the gentiles before his Greek admirers of Lystra

AND then the ignorant angry mob stones Paul to death (or so they thought victoriously at the end of this hatred outburst).

Then they drag the tortured, battered and stone-beaten corpse of Paul out of the city gates of Lystra in victory of this justice of the Jews with the pagan worshipers of this city of Zeus.

After the hate-feeding frenzy of the crowds is complete

Luke then adds an amazing detail of the unexpected — yet another miracle.

For it seems once again that the Lord has used Paul and Barnabas to convert some men and women of Lystra to become disciples of The Way of Jesus Christ.

But while the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city.
Luke records the Act of the Apostle Paul getting up after being stoned to death and walking back into the town of Lystra!

A day after being stoned by the Jews and Pagans

The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

Acts 14:20b
```
Paul had to have been hurting with all his abrasions and wounds from being beaten so mercilessly (possibly even whipped) and stoned to death (so it seemed to all).
```
It is a journey of about sixty miles through the mountains from Lystra to Derbe.

What next?

The hundred kilometer journey [60 miles] of these disciples of The Way following Barnabas further into the Taurus Mountains, accompanied by a sorely-beaten Saul of Tarsus will take a little time as we continue just a bit further to Derbe on the two-year first missionary journey of Paul.
```
To be continued...
```
November 21, 2022
CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY iēsous Crucify ben ‘elyown ‘elyown
Crowds incited against all righteousness
- “See, I am bringing Him out to you so that you will know that I find no grounds at all for charges in His case.”
- Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold, the Man!”
- So when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify, crucify!”
- Behold the Man
Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him; for I find no grounds for charges in His case!”
John 19:6b NASB

Justice of the Crowds

Though the politician in charge who happens to be Governor and Judge finds no case against Jesus Christ and mockingly charges those politicized religious officials to take justice into their own hands, the high profile trials of Jesus will continue before the watching eyes of the Jews ‘seeking justice.’

We’ve been following the false accusations against Jesus and cruel punishments placed on the innocent Son of Man for revealing the truth of who He IS.
No political correctness required here, only political expediency to please the crowds.

From indictment of Truth to the Scapegoat of Sacrifice

Where is mercy?

You will not find it anywhere in the worldly darkness of this sacrificial scene. (Just read brief description of what has already taken place.)
```
His face already bruised, swollen, bloodied by the blows from Caiaphas, they continued the abuse by smiting Him, putting on the crown of thorns, mocking Him.
Chuck Smith commentary on John 19
They had a third degree that was totally unmerciful. They would tie a prisoner to a post so that the back was stretched out. And then with a cat of nine tails whip, a leather whip with little bits of glass and lead imbedded in it designed to rip the flesh, they would lay the whip across the back of the prisoner thirty-nine times.
.. Many times prisoners died as the result of these scourgings. Before the thirty-ninth stripe was laid upon them, they were already dead from the loss of blood and just from the extreme pain. But Jesus bore that suffering.
```
The ruthless brutality (which pleases the crowds) charged to Rome by the captive Jews presumes death by suffering – a bloodied man – hung on crossbeams from a tree, by nails through outstretched hands and a hammer-driven nail through his taughtly-bound feet.

Our own fear of pain so etched into this fragile flesh that scarcely can we look upon this Blood of Sacrifice for our own sins.

Pilate governs a people ruled over by corrupt religious officials of Jerusalem and simmering in Rome’s unstable peace.

What better way to eliminate all who threaten the Roman political peace?

The murderous shouts of the crowds are no doubt incited by the powerful, seeking yet more power over an incited powerless people.
Roger Harned – talkofJesus.com on religious & political leaders seeking influence

The familiar Roman outcome of public trials is so matter-of-fact and suffering so severe that the other Gospels move through it quickly.

Matthew 27:

And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”

And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” .. Then he released Barabbas for them;

.. but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

Mark 15:

The crowd went up and began asking him to do as he had been accustomed to do for them.. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask him to release Barabbas for them instead. ..They shouted back, “Crucify Him!”

Luke 23:

.. but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” .. But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted.

.. And following Him was a large crowd of the people…

How will we judge the Son of God?

They knew the truth of Jesus’ signs:

Lazarus raised to life.

The blind given sight.

And most threatening to their religious rule, Jesus riding to the gate of Jerusalem like a victorious King David.

..“What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
John 11:47b-48 NASB

John 19:

7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judgment hall..

Brief respite from the crowds

Now Pilate’s examination of Jesus becomes more honest and personal away from the hateful cries of the crowds to ‘CRUCIFY!’

(.. the Son of God!)
.. and [Pilate] said to Jesus, “Where are You from?”
John 19:8,9 NASB

But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 So Pilate said to Him, “Are you not speaking to me?

Do You not know that I have authority to release You,

.. and I have authority to crucify You?”
```
To be continued...
```
```
Page TWO - Please click Page 2 below for the questions.
```
Pages: 1 2
October 29, 2020