Can you imagine the since of panic that Paul and Barnabas must have had when they realized that the people started worshiping them as gods. Talk about the whole, wow! I think they may have gotten the wrong message here. Very humbling of them to quickly stop them. I would have had to wait and break the news to them after dinner. I’ll say that it amazes me but in all actuality its just the world we live in, but its amazing how these people turned on Paul and Barnabas so easily. Just a few words from some Jews from Antioch and they crowed stoned Paul drug him out of town and left him for dead. To us we like to believe that this is just something that could happen so long ago and we live in a much more civilized society now. I hate to break it to you but we’re no more civilized now then they were then. Their are still countries around the world were you can still be stoned, beaten and left for dead in the street. The likely hood of that happening here are much slimmer, but it doesn’t have to be a physical beating. A mental beating can be a lot harder to get over than some physical wounds. I’ve been beaten both physically and mentally, I’d choose the physical. I ask you all this. Be aware of those around you. You would be surprised how many people you are in contact with that are right on the edge of that mental beat down, and you may inadvertently be the one who delivers that final blow. Walk in Love and bring peace with you everywhere you go. These two chapters reiterate that the gospel is for everyone, so lets treat others with love. We’ve all been beaten down at one time or another lets treat everyone we come in contact with like the disciples did the morning after Paul was beaten and left for dead, they gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. We have the ability to pick each other up, lets do it.
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