The Amazing Race - team Zeus and Hermes
The Amazing Race enters into week
three as Paul and Barnabas continue their travels. Last week they were on the island of Cyprus,
where Paul won his first major completion against a magician and won a convert
for the Lord. This week they are back on
the mainland but far from the promised land.
They are in Asia Minor bringing both the message of Jesus Christ and
Paul becomes God’s instrument in healing a lame person. Because of this action, Paul and Barnabas
become team - Greek Gods. In each
Amazing Race, the teams of two usually have a theme that they are known
by. Contestants have been: flight attendants, former NFL Cheerleaders,
Harvard educated lawyers, parent child or sibling teams. But never before has there been team: Greek Gods.
The Greek influence was widespread
through the region, as was an established Jewish population. In various places, Paul and Barnabas would
begin their teachings at the synagogues.
As Paul and Barnabas fled to Lystra they encountered a crippled
man. In the act of healing this man,
Paul joins the cast of those whom God uses to heal. First, of course, we have Jesus who
heals. But then in Acts 3 Peter also
heals. In all three cases it is a man
who has been crippled since birth.
Without faith, without the word of God in our lives, without hearing the
message of the good news brought to us in Jesus Christ, are we not all like the
crippled man, unable to walk since birth?
And upon receiving this good news, upon hearing the message of God’s
love, upon receiving the gift of faith, should we all not jump to our feet and
begin a life of action? A life that
involves movement? A life that involves
wholeness?
Perhaps the crowd that witnessed
this healing only saw the healing and did not hear the message of God’s good
news. But in this good work, in this
healing, they jumped to conclusions.
They did not have the whole story and they misinterpret a powerful
action of God. They allowed their
worldview, their understanding of life and the world around them to be
reflected back out on Paul and Barnabas.
They cannot see things as they actually are because they are so focused
on how things have always been. And so
it is only logical in their understanding that Paul must be Hermes and Barnabas
must be Zeus. Their gods have come to
them in human form for there is no other way to explain the healing they have
just witnessed.
Zeus is the Greek god of thunder and
is the main god while Hermes is the messenger of the gods and is Zeus’s
son. Since Paul did the healing and the
speaking he must be the messenger of the gods and is given the title of
Hermes. No sooner had word spread that
Zeus and Hermes were present in the city than the priest of Zeus was in
action. If Zeus truly has come in human
form, he must be given a sacrifice to keep him appeased. So he came with oxen and garlands and the
crowds joined him in making the sacrifice.
But Paul and Barnabas could not
allow themselves to get caught up in the glory.
Here they were, being set up on a pedestal, being worshipped, glorified,
and they did not wait to get knocked of the pedestal but rather jumped off
themselves. We do that to people, we put
them up on a pedestal, we have expectations of them that are not realistic, and
so when they do not meet up to what we want of them, they fall off. But Paul and Barnabas do not want to be up on
the pedestal, they do not want unrealistic expectations made of them, they know
the real purpose behind their Amazing Race and that is to preach the good news
of God made known in Jesus Christ and to make disciples.
And so as quickly as they can, they
denounce their name of team Zeus and Hermes.
They proclaim that they are only mortals. And then they make the hard sell. They name things as they are. They tell the people to stop worshipping
their worthless gods and worship the true God, the God that made the heaven and
the earth and the sea and all that is in them.
As Paul and Barnabas tried to
convert the people of Lystra from following the Greek gods to believing and
understanding in the one true God. As
they denounced themselves as gods themselves, the crowds kept coming and
continued to give them sacrifices. It
was not until a strong Jewish delegation came and won over the crowd that
finally the people of Lystra stopped and listened. And again, they did not hear the message Paul
brought but turned from worshipping him to stoning him. He was beaten so badly that he was left for
dead.
Team Paul and Barnabas have hit another
roadblock, is their Amazing Race over?
After winning the crowds in city after city they have been denied, they
have entered a place unwilling to participate in the amazing witness of God’s
love. Worse yet, they have been
physically beaten and cast aside.
William Willimon writes this: “Power, even power for good, is liable to
misinterpretation and misunderstanding.
Both believers and non-believers may mistake the gospel for magic or
divine omnipotence. Dramatic healings
are sure to draw a crowd in Lystra, or on Sunday morning television - for all
the wrong reasons. Bearers of Christ’s
power are always in danger of being mistaken as the sources of power in
themselves. Therefore they must be
prepared to correct misapprehension of their good work and to point beyond
themselves and their good work to Christ.”
This reminds me of John the Baptist.
People come and believe he is the Messiah and he remains humble and
points towards Jesus.
In my youth ministry course work, we
discussed this concept of the pied piper.
We get so caught up in personalities that we begin to follow the pastor
rather than Jesus. We all want a dynamic
leader that we gravitate towards, that we connect with. Sometimes
in pointing away from ourselves, sometimes in jumping off the pedestal others
want to put you on, leads to an unexpected outcome. Paul was stoned and left for dead. But just like Paul, the crowds of Lystra did
not have the final word. Paul
miraculously gets up and continues on the Amazing Race. God is not finished with him yet.
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