Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest

PAUL AND BARNABAS ARE TAKEN FOR GRECIAN GODS.
11-18. All nations at the time of our Savior’s advent were on tiptoe expecting a divine messenger
from heaven to teach them the way of salvation. Hence the heathens were on the constant lookout
for their gods to come among them in human form. When a student in college I read a myth from
a Grecian poet giving an account of Jupiter, the king of heaven and chief of all the gods, coming
down in this very country, and walking in human form among the people. While we have no way
of ascertaining the portraits of our Savior and the apostles, we certainly must make an exception of
Barnabas and Paul, as here we have a clear index to their personal physique and character. They
called Barnabas Jupiter. From this fact we know that he was a large, intelligent, fine-looking man,
because such was the familiar and well-known statue of Jupiter, of which we have often seen the
picture. His great temple at Athens, Greece, is still standing. We were not astonished when we saw
it, though in ruins, that twenty-five hundred years ago it ranked among the seven wonders of the
world, along with the Pyramids of Egypt, the Walls of Babylon, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Temple
of Diana at Ephesus, the Coliseum at Rome, and the Sphinx in Egypt. They called Paul Mercury
because he was so fluent of speech, and Mercury was the god of eloquence, inspiring all the orators,
and giving them the power to hold the multitude spell-bound. The statue of Mercury always
represented him with a small, light body, a very large head, stooping shoulders, projecting neck and
exceedingly prominent though sharp and ugly physiognomy. From this fact we have a clear index
to the physique of Paul, a small, ugly man, with a head so large as to appear out of proportion to his
body, though chock full of well-balanced brain, flashing from his homely face preternatural
intelligence. The gates of ancient cities were the great public resorts. Hence the temple of Jupiter
stood immediately in front of the gate, when the multitude all leaped to the conclusion that Paul and
Barnabas are gods because of the miraculous healing. The priest of Jupiter proceeds at once to bring
oxen for sacrifices and bouquets to adorn the apostles, like nowadays they still bring them into the
churches for the preachers. [Lord, save us from idolatry. I always have them removed from the pulpit
lest I knock them off and break the vessel containing them.] Paul and Barnabas have all they can
possibly do to restrain them from offering sacrifices to them and worshipping, them in the name of
Jupiter and Mercury.
PAUL’S MARTYRDOM.
19, 20. Behold the fickle caprice of frail mortality, which has been verified in all ages and nations!
Now they are all clamorous to worship the apostles for gods. In one short hour they are all clamorous
for their blood, and actually stone Paul! Millions, besides Paul, have passed through this same
ordeal. The very people who applaud you to the skies and worship you for a god, will cast you away
and leave you to die without a friend to soothe your dying brow; yea, they will sign your deathwarrant,
and then will kill you. Vain is human patronage! You are a king to-day and a beggar tomorrow,
without a friend beneath the skies. Take heed and fly to God, who never changes. He is your
Friend, “the same yesterday, to-day, and forever!” While Paul’s mangled and bleeding body lies
under the rock-pile, his spirit enjoys a visit to Paradise (2 Corinthians 12), there seeing and hearing
things too glorious for mortal utterance, not as E.V. says, “unlawful to tell,” but impossible. We need
heavenly language to describe heavenly glories.