Acts 14:8
Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse emphasizes that this man was "crippled from birth and had never walked," highlighting that his condition was not a temporary ailment but a lifelong, seemingly insurmountable impossibility. This detail serves to magnify the miraculous nature of the healing, making it abundantly clear that the power at work was divine, not human.
Paul and Barnabas, fleeing persecution and stoning in Iconium, arrive in Lystra and begin preaching the gospel. While ministering there, they encounter a man who has been unable to walk since birth. The text emphasizes the man's lifelong immobility and likely need to beg, making the subsequent healing a powerful public demonstration of God's power.
Imagine a life where walking is just a dream, a constant ache of impossibility. This man at Lystra knew that reality intimately. What does his story reveal about human suffering and hope?
This verse introduces us to a man whose entire existence was defined by his inability to walk.
A Crippling Reality
What happens when the message of hope meets a life defined by impossibility? This man’s story shows the powerful connection between hearing God’s word and experiencing His power.
The narrative in Acts 14 doesn't just present a physical ailment; it unfolds a spiritual awakening that leads to a miraculous healing.
From Hearing to Hoping
This healing wasn't just a display of divine power; it happened in a pagan city where the inhabitants were quick to deify visitors, highlighting the cultural context that would soon misunderstand and reject Paul's message, leading to his brutal stoning.
c. AD 47
Paul and Barnabas' First Missionary Journey
The Apostle Paul and Barnabas embark on their first major missionary journey, traveling through Cyprus and parts of Asia Minor, including Pisidia, Lycaonia, and Galatia. This period saw them establishing churches and facing various challenges, including opposition from both Jewish and Gentile authorities. This journey laid the groundwork for future Christian expansion.
c. AD 47— this verse
Flight from Iconium to Lystra and Derbe
After facing a violent threat of stoning from both Jews and Gentiles in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas flee south into the region of Lycaonia. They seek refuge in the cities of Lystra and Derbe, where they continue to preach the gospel.
c. AD 47
Healing of the Cripple at Lystra
While Paul is preaching in Lystra, he encounters a man crippled from birth who had never walked. Paul, seeing the man's faith, miraculously heals him with a word. This event leads to the people of Lystra attempting to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods.
c. AD 47
barnesActs 14:8: "And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:"
And there sat - There dwelt, Matthew 9:16 ; Acts 18:11 (margin). The word "sat," however, indicates his usual posture, his helpless condition. Such persons commonly sat by the wayside, or in some public place, to ask for alms, Mark 10:46 . Impotent in his feet - ἀδύνατος adunatos. Without any power. Entirely deprived of the use of his feet. Being a cripple -…
cambridgeActs 14:8: "And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:"
8–18 . Cure of a Cripple at Lystra. The heathen people regard the Apostles as gods 8 . And there sat a certain man ] Perhaps this cripple, like that other in Jerusalem ( Acts 3:2 ), was brought by his friends to some much-frequented place that he might ask alms of them that passed by. There is no mention of a synagogue in Lystra, and it is very improbable that…
The verse emphasizes that this man was "crippled from birth and had never walked," highlighting that his condition was not a temporary ailment but a lifelong, seemingly insurmountable impossibility. This detail serves to magnify the miraculous nature of the healing, making it abundantly clear that the power at work was divine, not human.
Paul and Barnabas, fleeing persecution and stoning in Iconium, arrive in Lystra and begin preaching the gospel. While ministering there, they encounter a man who has been unable to walk since birth. The text emphasizes the man's lifelong immobility and likely need to beg, making the subsequent healing a powerful public demonstration of God's power.
Paul and Barnabas, fleeing persecution and stoning in Iconium, arrive in Lystra and begin preaching the gospel. While ministering there, they encounter a man who has been unable to walk since birth. The text emphasizes the man's lifelong immobility and likely need to beg, making the subsequent healing a powerful public demonstration of God's power.
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It wasn't just a suggestion; it was a command that brought life to a man who had never walked. What does this moment reveal about the authority behind the message?
The climax of this encounter is the direct exercise of divine power through the apostle's authoritative word.
A Word of Power
Attempted Worship and Subsequent Stoning
The miraculous healing of the cripple at Lystra causes the local populace, particularly the priest of Zeus, to believe Paul and Barnabas are divine. They attempt to offer sacrifices to them, but Paul and Barnabas vehemently protest.
c. AD 47
Paul and Barnabas Stoned at Lystra
Following the attempt to worship them, a mob incited by hostile Jews from Iconium and Antioch arrives in Lystra. They drag Paul out of the city and stone him, leaving him for dead. Barnabas and other disciples gather around him, and he miraculously recovers and is able to re-enter the city.
c. AD 47
Return to Lystra and Derbe
After the stoning incident, Paul and Barnabas do not abandon Lystra but return to strengthen the disciples there and in Derbe. They appoint elders in each church, underscoring their commitment to establishing and nurturing the early Christian communities.
c. AD 48
Return to Antioch
Paul and Barnabas complete their first missionary journey by returning to Antioch in Syria. They report all that God has done through them, including the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles. This marks the end of their extensive travels in Asia Minor.
"Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked." — The verse emphasizes that this man was "crippled from birth and had never walked," highlighting that his condition was not a temporary ailment but a lifelong, seemingly insurmountable impossibility.…
