Author: Charlie Garrett

Nifty New England architechure just down from the Vermont State Capitol.

Sunday, 19 February 2023

And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them. Acts 14:18

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The apostles have made their appeal to the multitudes before them at Lystra. They have told them about the nature of God and how He has left a witness of Himself in the created order. Despite their appeals, it next says, “And with these sayings.”

Rather, the Greek reads, “And these things saying.” The word “saying” is a present participle verb, not a noun. They were speaking to the people, and even while they continued to appeal to them to be reasonable in their thinking, “they could scarcely restrain the multitudes.”

One can imagine the scene. Someone thought these were the gods having come down among them. And so, they prepare a sacrifice. Even while the apostles are appealing from reason for them to not do this, the crowds remain unreasonable, totally caught up in their vain imaginations. The thought can be summed up in the idea of being in a darkened state, without knowledge, and then acting on a false view of how things really are.

Because they were in this state, and because they were unwilling to believe the words of the apostles, they could scarcely be restrained “from sacrificing to them.”

The crowds had become so deluded in their own thinking that they were willing to ignore the words of the supposed “gods” that they were about to sacrifice to. Though that thinking is wholly illogical, it is as common among readers of the Bible as it could be.

Life application: The attitude of the people, as noted above, was based on either a lack of information, thus acting on a faulty understanding of what was occurring, or it stemmed from a sort of cognitive dissonance where the people simply went ahead with what they believed, even though they had been clearly shown that it was the wrong avenue to pursue.

To understand these two possibilities, one can use any faulty view of a particular matter. For simplicity’s sake, we can use King James Onlyism to explain what is wrong. King James Onlyism is the misplaced belief that the King James Version of the Bible is the only inspired and authorized version.

Using this to look at the two possibilities, the first can be corrected by gaining the knowledge necessary to correct one’s thinking. Suppose someone is told, “You should only read the King James Version. It is inspired by God and all other versions came as an attempt to lead people away from God.” As stupid as that sounds, it is what is commonly taught in this cult.

A person could say, “Ok, I have been told this. Now I will check it out to see if it is true.” In checking it out logically and methodically, he finds out that the KJV is riddled with translational errors so that it contains contradictions, incorrect theological presentations, and so forth. The matter has been investigated and found to be false.

The second possibility, that of cognitive dissonance, is actually harder to resolve. A person is told that the King James Version is the only Bible that should be read. He simply trusts what he is told and allows this thinking to become the predominant thought in his mind from week to week. Eventually, he deceives himself into believing this lie that he has never checked out. Finally, he is presented with a list of errors found in the King James Version, including those of Acts 14:18. (There are at least four translational errors in this one verse in the original KJV. The NKJV cleared up two of them.)

In being presented with the error and shown from the original Greek where the error lies, the man’s mind mentally denies what he sees and it conjures up an excuse to suit his thinking, “Well then, the original Greek is wrong. I know God inspired the KJV, and so the text from which it is derived is obviously in error.” As crazy as that sounds, this is the view of those who are in this cult. They deny the reasonable and go forward in their state of delusion.

This is what occurred right before the eyes of Barnabas and Paul. They had provided the truth and the people had failed to check it out with what is logical and reasonable. But more, when they were presented with evidence, from the source of the events that had transpired (meaning the healing of the crippled man by the Lord through the word of the apostles), they simply continued to believe what their own minds had conjured up.

The Bible is showing us, in its own pages, that we are to think. We are to use logic and reason because God is both logical and reasonable. He has endowed these traits in us, and He expects us to use them along with our faith to make a right determination about who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do in the world around us.

Be aware of how your mind works and be aware of how your own thoughts can deceive you if you are unwilling to accept that it may be wrong. This is an important lesson from Acts 14 that you should consider.

Lord God, help us to think clearly and reasonably in how we approach You, Your word, and our interpretation of the world around us. We are to be people of faith, but we are not to be people of blind faith. You have revealed Yourself to us through Scripture, so our walk is to be in Your revealed light, not helplessly groping around to find our next step. Thank You for Your word. Now help us to consider it properly, all the days of our lives. Amen.

Capitol dome (shiney), Vermont State Capitol.

Saturday, 18 February 2023

“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The apostles are in the process of telling the Gentiles at Lystra about God, the Creator. In the previous verse, they said, “who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.” With that, the words continue, saying, “Nevertheless.”

Despite not giving the Gentiles the revelation of the Law of Moses nor being selected as His covenant people to bring in the Messiah, “He did not leave Himself without witness.”

The Law of Moses, the utterances of the prophets, the use of the Urim and Thummim, and so forth are known as special revelation. God specifically revealed Himself or His intentions through these things. What was revealed in these ways would not have been attained any other way. However, despite not having these things, God still did reveal Himself to the Gentiles in a general way. This general revelation witnesses to the workings of God, testifying to His nature and to the fact that man is accountable to acknowledge Him and seek after Him.

Paul writes of this in Romans 1. It is something that man understands, and yet he suppresses that knowledge, thus bringing wrath upon himself –

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20

The apostles, appealing to this precept, next explain some of the ways that man can generally understand God and what He must be like, even if in a limited sense, saying, “in that He did good.”

Rather, the verb is a present participle, “doing good.” It isn’t that He did good and then it ended, but it is ongoing even to this day. Within the creation, we know that there is goodness, David testified to this in the 19^th Psalm by noting that what God has done in creation for the benefit of man is something that reveals God’s glory –

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
² Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

This goodness that David writes about is next explicitly explained by the apostles, saying that He “gave us rain from heaven.”

Again, the verb is a present participle, and the noun is plural, “giving us rains from heaven.” The words are intended to wake the people up to the state of things. It’s not, “Rain came 47 years ago, and we had crops and fruit trees to sustain us.” It is, “The rains come each year at the set time. The calendar returns to the time when the rains were here before and they are here again. The cycle of life is predictable, and what happens provides just what we need to again have what we had before.”

This cycle of life gives evidence of order and harmony. It also gives evidence that God is attending to the needs of His creatures. He has set things in order, and they continuously provide for man’s needs. As such, these rains bring about “fruitful seasons.”

Man exists because God created a world where man can exist. The house was prepared, and then the guests were invited in. Within this world, however, is more than simple sustenance. God could have created a single type of food that would sustain man. Although this would have been acceptable to keep him going, it wouldn’t have had the excitement that comes through the stimulating of taste buds.

But God has sent the rains to moisten the land, and then from the land have come an incomprehensible number of delightful things to satisfy man’s tastes and yearnings. From the king of all fruit, the durian, to the harvests of the field such as barley, spelt, lentils, and wheat. There is corn, there are potatoes, and there are taro plants.

As one travels throughout the world, different plants are seen – various fruits, various vegetables, and various grains. The world is filled with tastes that excite, delight, and satisfy. All of this gives witness to the wisdom and goodness of God on man’s behalf. This is all the more evident because the tastebuds of man can process these many tastes, identifying them and allowing man to rejoice over them. As the apostles note, saying “filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

It is reminiscent of the 104^th Psalm, and it could be those words that were on the minds of the apostles –

“He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
¹³ He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
¹⁴ He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the service of man,
That he may bring forth food from the earth,
¹⁵ And wine that makes glad the heart of man,
Oil to make his face shine,
And bread which strengthens man’s heart.” Psalm 104:10-15

Instead of appealing to the law and the prophets (special revelation) as was done while evangelizing the Jews, the apostles appeal to the created order (general revelation) to evangelize the Gentiles. But the result is the same. Both lead to the need for a Messiah in the lives of man. It is this Christ who has been the focus of Barnabas and Paul’s words to lead the Gentiles to a right understanding of God.

Life application: As David noted in the psalm, the creation testifies to the glory of God. But one might say, “But my son got stung by a scorpion and died. How can God who is supposedly good make something that is harmful and bad?”

The question fails to understand the entirety of the biblical narrative. It was not God who brought these things about, but man. What has happened is a result of man’s turning from God and the entrance of sin into the world. The supposed “bad” that occurred is simply the lack of a good thing. Man was in Eden. All was good at that time. Only after man disobeyed came the curse upon the land, including thorns and thistles, bee stings and shark bites, killing and adultery, and so forth. This was not the original intent for man. These have come as a result of our failing to rightly fellowship with God.

But God promised that these things would not be permanent. He would send the Messiah to restore all things to perfection. Isaiah prophesies of a time on earth when things will be glorious for man for a thousand years. But beyond that, Revelation goes further and reveals the details of eternal glory for the redeemed of mankind.

Restoration is ahead, and it is available to those who accept God’s offering of pardon and renewal that has come in the giving of Jesus Christ for the sin of man. With sin dealt with, and only after it has been fully dealt with in the redemptive process, can man experience the fullness of what God promises for His people. Everything is working toward that time.

We, however, must live through these difficult and trying times. But God is with us in them, and He will get us through them. Trust in this and be thankful to God who has provided the remedy to restore us to idyllic perfection someday. Be patient and wait for it. It will be worth it!

O God, how grateful we are for the promise of restoration that lies ahead for Your redeemed. And yet, we know that we have the sealing of the Spirit now that guarantees our future redemption. Thank You that we have this sure and firm hope. Thank You, above all, for Jesus Christ who has made this possible. Amen!

Lovely front courtyard. Vermont Capitol.

Friday, 17 February 2023

“who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Acts 14:16

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, Paul and Barnabas spoke against those who were preparing to sacrifice to them, attempting to correct their faulty thinking by saying there is one God, the living God, who made all things. With that, they continue speaking of Him, saying, “who in bygone generations.”

The meaning is that up until this point in time, God had set forth parameters by which something had been the case, but which would no longer be the case. With the introduction of the gospel, a new order and direction had come into play. What was the case before is next explained, saying, “allowed all nations.”

There is an article before the word translated as “nations.” But more, it should say, “the Gentiles,” as it is translated often elsewhere, such as Matthew 6:32 –

“For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

The reason it should be translated this way is that the words of the apostles do not include Israel. Rather it is a general statement concerning all of the nations outside of Israel. That is seen in the next words where it says, “to walk in their own ways.”

God allowed the nations to conduct their own affairs under the dispensation of government while Israel was set under different parameters, meaning the dispensation of the law. They were not allowed to walk in their own ways –

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.” Deuteronomy 30:15-18

Verses such as this in Deuteronomy set forth the parameters for the conduct of Israel. However, and more directly to the matter that is being relayed to those at Lystra, the Lord’s words to the people of Israel through Ezekiel clearly and unambiguously set Israel apart from how the Lord conducted His affairs with the Gentiles –

“What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’” Ezekiel 20:32

In God’s previous dealings with humanity, there was a complete contrast between how He dealt with the nations and how He dealt with Israel. It is true that God judged the nations for their wicked conduct bringing them to an end as He saw fit, but they were not imputed sin without law. This is explained by Paul in Romans 2:12 where he notes that “as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.”

The law was given to Israel. It was not given to any nation under the heavens except Israel. Thus, Israel’s judgment would be greater because of the imputation of sin that came from being under law. With that understood, the apostles will continue to appeal to the crowd, making their defense concerning the nature of God in relation to the people of the world.

Life application: The thoughts that are being explained to these Gentiles by the apostles are quite clear when properly translated and considered. The law, rather than giving freedom from sin, only increases sin. It is true that the nations without the law would perish apart from the law, but the guilt of Israel was far greater than the other nations because they had the law and still did not obediently follow the Lord –

“If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, ⁵⁹ then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. ⁶⁰ Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. ⁶¹ Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. ⁶² You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. ⁶³ And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.” Deuteronomy 28:58-63

This was the burden laid upon Israel. They were to be an object lesson to the world that all people, Jews and Gentiles, needed something greater than law. What we all need is grace. That is the grace that comes through the giving of Jesus Christ.

Wanting to go back under the law is as nutty as putting square tires on a bicycle. It is contrary to the smooth and even path set forth by God in Christ. Don’t be nutty! Trust in God’s grace, live by God’s grace, and be set in your mind that you will find that alone sufficient to bring you back to Him. Nothing else will do.

Lord God, help us to rightly contemplate what You have done in the sending of Jesus. He has accomplished everything necessary to bring us to a right standing before You. What more could we add to that? Help us to trust that Your grace is sufficient and to rest our souls in what You have done through Him. Yes, Lord God, thank You for the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Vermont Naval History (the cannon used on this ship). Vermont State Capitol.

Thursday, 16 February 2023

and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, Acts 14:15

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

Barnabas and Paul were thoroughly distressed at the events taking place in Lystra. Therefore, they tore their clothes and leaped into the multitude, crying out “and saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things?’”

It is most likely that the apostles speak their words in the Greek. They had certainly been preaching in Greek, but when the people were so astonished at the miracle they saw, they began speaking in their own language. Barnabas and Paul now attempt to bring them back to their senses by speaking in Greek.

By asking a question rather than making a statement, the effect is even more pronounced. A question asks the mind of the hearer to stop and think. From there, a response is expected. By speaking in Greek, it will beg for a response in Greek. This should begin to quell the excitement of the crowd while the minds adjust to the question and the answer that is provided.

From there, they next say, “We also are men.” In other words, and quite obviously, “We are not gods.” However, the people had assumed that the gods had come down among them in the form of men, and so to further dispel that thinking, the words continue with, “with the same nature as you.”

The word is homoiopathés. It is found only here and in James 5:17. It is a compound word coming from homoios, meaning resembling, equal to, etc., and from paschó, signifying to feel heavy emotion, especially suffering. Together, they give the sense of one who is like in nature and able to go through the same experiences with the same results occurring that would come about in another. The use in James provides the sense of the word –

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” James 5:17, 18

In telling the people this, they are adamantly stating that they are not gods, nor could they be gods. They are simply men like any other men. They have come from another area, not heaven. With that, they continue, saying, “and preach to you.”

Here, they use the word euaggelizó. It is the announcement of the good news. Anyone can come and preach anything on a street corner, but the apostles have come to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. It is He who has come down from heaven, not they. They are simply His sent ones telling others of what has transpired. And more, they tell the people “that you should turn.”

The word means just that. They are on one path, and they are to turn from it. It is not a literal, physical turning, but a figurative one. Their lives are headed in the wrong direction and the apostles have come to redirect them. And what is it that they are to turn from, that is next proclaimed with the words, “from these useless things.”

The obvious meaning is what they were doing right then and there. They were in the process of worshiping the created rather than the Creator. They were inventing a religious expression from their own minds and preparing to bow down to the objects of their invention. They had taken myths from the past concerning the Greek gods and brought them alive in their own minds in the physical manifestation of Barnabas and Paul. But these two apostles were telling them that this was wrong and that they were to turn from that “to the living God.”

“The living God” is an expression that goes back to Deuteronomy 5 where Moses reminded the people of the events at Sinai –

“Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. ²⁶ For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? ²⁷ You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.” Deuteronomy 5:25-27

This term, the living God, continues to be seen throughout the Old Testament and is brought into the New with the proclamation of Peter that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).  The words of the apostles are intended to direct the minds of these people to this living God and then explain how He came in the flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. Those in Thessalonica heard this message and they got it. Paul referred to this when he wrote his first epistle to them. His words mirror what they are trying to teach those at Lystra now –

“For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10

With this understood, the apostles next state that it is this living God “who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.” This sums up the creation and it dispels the Greek notion of there being many gods, each having power over one part of the creation or another.

For example, they had Uranus, the personification of heaven. Zeus was the king of heaven and earth and of the Olympian gods. Gaia was the personification of the earth. Poseidon was the god of the sea and of water generally. He is also the god of earthquakes and horses. But there was also Pontus, the personification of the sea and the oldest Greek divinity of the waters. These and numerous other gods were supposedly running the show in the various levels of creation and how it is manifested.

On the other hand, the apostles proclaim one true and living God, asking the people to turn from their pagan ways to a full and mature understanding of who He is and of what He has done in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Life application: Though we traditionally don’t ascribe deity in the way that those of Lystra did, there are groups of people who worship various gods in the world today. There are those who do believe in Gaia or the god of the sun or other gods. But there are also temptations to deify people, such as politicians, even in our own hearts. We need to not ascribe the all-powerful workings of God to a man. Rather, we elect people to serve over us and to direct us for a temporary time in a fallen world.

We also create gods of money, sex, friendships, or even ease and convenience to relieve the course of our lives. We must be careful to never place anything or anyone to the level of devotion or worship. We should not let things of this creation consume our thoughts or our time in an unhealthy manner. Rather, let us always focus on Jesus, direct our hearts and minds to Him, and serve the living God by honoring the Son. This is what is right and proper. In this, we will have pursued the right and good path that God has set before us.

Lord God, help us to conduct our lives in a manner that exalts You at all times. May we never find our hope or life’s purpose in something that is a part of the created order itself. Instead, may our hopes, our desires, and our constant attention be directed to You alone. Only You can truly satisfy our every need. And so, help us to look to You always. Amen.

Cannon, pointed right at you.

Wednesday, 15 February 2023

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out Acts 14:14

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

In the previous verse, the priest of Zeus brought oxen and garlands to the gate of the city intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. In response to this come Luke’s next words, saying, “But when the apostles.” There is this sudden realization that whatever had been occurring around them was not at all what they had thought.

The people were crying out in the local language and the apostles probably thought they were excited about the gospel message. But now, seeing what is taking place, they have come to the realization that their thinking was entirely incorrect. Instead of calling out for Jesus, the multitudes were crying out for a sacrifice to their “gods” who had come among them. In response to this, the words continue with, “Barnabas and Paul.”

Here, Barnabas is placed first in the account. Paul was speaking and Barnabas was probably more closely paying attention to the events around them. When the realization of what had begun to transpire came to their minds, he probably shouted something out to Paul and started their actions in motion. This is speculation, but it fits with the word order of Luke. Together, when they “heard this, they tore their clothes.”

The word “tore” is an aorist participle. It says, “having torn.” They first did this and then their actions continued. It was an open display to catch the people’s attention, and it is a sign of the greatest distress and even anguish. The first time it is mentioned in Scripture is when the brothers of Joseph had sold him off to the Midianite traders to be taken down to Egypt. Reuben was unaware of it –

“Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. ³⁰ And he returned to his brothers and said, ‘The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?’” Genesis 37:29, 30

So great of a mark of distress is this that the high priest of Israel was forbidden to ever do it, for any reason –

“He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.” Leviticus 21:10

The reason for this prohibition is that he was distinguished by the office of high priest. This was elsewhere explicitly noted in the mentioning of the anointing oil that was poured on him. He alone was allowed to wear the garments of the high priest. These two things in particular distinguished him as Israel’s high priest.

As seen, first and foremost he was commanded not to uncover his head. Specifically, this meant that he was not to allow his hair to be loosed, meaning be unkempt. This was a sign of mourning, and he was never to demonstrate such an attitude. He was, above all, to always be holy to the Lord.

Further, he was not to tear his clothes. To do so, as noted above, was an indication of distress or anguish. As the intercessor between the Lord and the people, his conduct in one of these ways would give either a sense of utter despair to the people, or that he was impugning the Lord’s fairness, justice, or ability to control any given situation. It is ironic that this primary command to the high priest of Israel was openly disobeyed in the presence of the incarnate Lord (Jesus) who gave the command –

“And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’
⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’
⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! ⁶⁶ What do you think?’” Matthew 26:62-66

Jesus was placed under oath by the high priest. Because of the position of the high priest, He was bound by the Law of Moses, which He gave to Israel, to tell the truth. He did, and therefore He remained without guilt in the matter. And yet, the high priest was guilty of violating a precept of the very law that he said Jesus was guilty of violating. There is a lot of irony that runs through the Bible that is truly amazing when such things are put in their proper light.

With this background concerning the tearing of garments, one can see what a great display of grief is occurring with Barnabas and Paul tearing theirs. Whether those in Lystra understood the significance of the act or not could be debated, but a “god” would never have done such a thing. So even if the act was cultural and isolated from the understanding of its full significance, it would still have been comprehended on some level. After this, it says they “ran in among the multitude, crying out.”

The word translated as “ran in” is eispédaó. It literally means “to leap in,” or “to spring in.” They were probably standing on something to elevate them. This would allow them to speak to the people while being seen. In their horror at the scene, and after having openly torn their garments, they jumped into the crowd crying out. What they were crying out will be seen in the next verse.

As a side note, some translations of the word eispédaó rather use the prefix ex instead of eis. Thus, it would say they sprang out into the crowd. If your translation says this, make a mental note of the difference, but the overall intent remains the same because the word is followed in the Greek in either text with the word eis. And so, they either sprang in, into the crowd, or they sprang out, into the crowd.

Life application: Making note of the unusual things that occur in the Bible, like the tearing of garments, can be a great exercise in discovering other truths that are recorded there. As noted above, the high priest of Israel violated the very law that he was charged with while charging Jesus with violating the law. Jesus could have called him out on this, but He silently took His trial and the resulting punishments without protest.

This shows us the nature of the love of God for the people of the world. The highest official in Israel, and the one who was to mediate between God and the people, was guilty of violating the very law that he was charged with overseeing and mediating. This is true with every high priest who ever lived under the law. How imperfectly the Law of Moses could satisfy the appeasement of God who is infinitely holy!

And yet, despite these things, even the high priest was given grace each year on the Day of Atonement. And the Day of Atonement was given as an anticipation of the coming of Christ. All the symbolism of the sacrifices of the law looked to His coming. And there He stood, being judged by the very people who were given the charge of that law.

Now think of yourself. You were also to be condemned because of the sin in you. And yet, Jesus took all that you have done wrong upon Himself, if you will just believe. God asks you to acknowledge your sins, admit that you cannot save yourself, and place your trust in Him. In this, you will be justified from all things that the law could never justify a person from. Be pleased to commit your eternal soul to God through Jesus. You will prevail because He has prevailed!

Lord God, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord who has done all things for us to be reconciled to You. Yes, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.