Stoned For Speaking The Truth
Acts 14
Being stoned would seem to be a slow and painful way to die. It was actually a legal death penalty in the Bible, but not simply because you were angry at someone and hated what they were saying. It was for crimes of willful and blatant immorality and disobedience. It would seem that a sword or hanging would be less agonizing, but nonetheless, there was capital punishment, just as there is today. However, when mobs took the law into their own hands, stoning was not justified….even when people in high places were in agreement with the mob.
Paul found himself in the midst of an angry mob once again. He and Barnabas had just fled Antioch in Pisidia because of persecution, now in the city of Iconium they once again met with severe opposition. They went into the synagogue and spoke to a great multitude of both Jews and Greeks…and many believed! “But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.” There were two sides; one was the side that believed the gospel, the other was the unbelieving…apeitheo. This means to be disobedient. They stirred up (agitated aroused, and incited) the unbelievers to create a hateful division.
What exactly is evil affected? It means to mistreat, to harm, to oppress, persecute, poison and embitter others, by creating a volatile atmosphere of angry hate and division. Most of us would want to leave this city rather quickly; but what is interesting is that Paul and Barnabas did the opposite. “Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” They knew by the power of Holy Spirit when and where to stay. Had they left immediately, no one would have heard the gospel message…no lives would have been redeemed.
Eventually when the opposition party erupted with a violent attempt to stone them, they were able to depart to region of Lycaonia. New people, and new opportunities. When the Lord sends you and empowers you, it won’t take long for His Spirit to break out. When Paul saw a certain man without strength in his feet, “a cripple from his mothers womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand up straight on your feet! And he leaped and walked.” Can you picture this?? Imagine this crowd of people that only knew what pagan gods were! Their gods never spoke to crippled, blind, or diseased people.
The people immediately wanted to make sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas and honor them! It took all that they could to restrain them, and convince them that the power came from the Living God….and right on the heels of this chaos, came the angry Jews from Antioch that had tried to stone them in their city. It didn’t take much to incite this already anxious crowd. It was like a pile of dry tinder that needed a match…and these angry men brought the match! “And having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.”
Paul was very familiar with stoning long before he was ever stoned himself. Go back and read Acts 6-7 He went by the name of Saul then. He had permission from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem to round up all these crazy believers and get rid of them! Acts 7:57-60 details his condoning of Stephen’s stoning. After Stephen had just finished preaching a powerful and anointed sermon, “they stopped their ears, and ran at him in one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God…”
What was going through Paul’s mind as these angry men and women were stoning him? There is no way he could forget that scene or ever forget what he heard Stephen say as he was on his knees being stoned, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Yes he knew he had been forgiven, just as each one of us are when we come to the cross of Calvary and acknowledge that it was Jesus sacrificial death that paid the price for our sins. However, we need to remember “the pit from whence we came.” We are reminded in Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD; Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.”
We are living in a time when truth is being attacked on every side. We may see it as a powerful and intimidating threat; so much so that we are fearful of what we say, what we wear, and where we go. We may think twice about wearing a certain shirt or a certain hat, as it may get us name called, or labeled as a crazy fanatic of something or someone. Is this any way to live? Are we to shrink back out of fear? While I’m not looking to “get stoned” I’m definitely not going to disguise or hide my faith, or the love for my country. We have the same admonition that was given to Joshua, “Only be strong and very courageous.” Joshua 1:7
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man shrink back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38