Expose the futility of the fear of man and pursue meaning and satisfaction from God. And look for a clearer and clearer sight of him in his grandeur, allowing his glory, which is displayed everywhere in his creation, to eclipse the people whose approval or rejection seem so large to you.

Anyone who has fought the fear of man knows that the fight is rarely simple. The war is usually less like lining up head-on in an open field, and more like fending off guerillas in the jungle at night. Temptation comes from every side—through approval, praise, recognition, influence and through rejection, criticism, bitterness, hatred. The fear of man wields many weapons, and wears many disguises—sometimes luring and other times frightening, sometimes comforting and other times intimidating, sometimes flattering and other times shaming.

Perhaps no one has experienced the two extremes of temptation to people-pleasing—fatal applause and devastating enmity—like the apostle Paul. And perhaps never did he experience the two in such close proximity as he did in the city of Lystra.

When Men Become Gods

When Paul first came to Lystra with Barnabas, he encountered a lame man who couldn’t use his feet. “He was crippled from birth and had never walked” (Acts 14:8). The apostle, seeing the man’s faith, said to him, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the lame man “sprang up and began walking” (Acts 14:10). Surely the wonder of his healing was made all the more beautiful by the awkwardness of those first steps.

The crowds were entranced. They had watched the lame man lay there for years, likely decades, unable to stand or walk or run. So they didn’t question the validity of the miracle, or try to come up with some other more rational explanation; they knew this was the hand of a god.

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. (Acts 14:11–13)

This went far beyond celebrity. They wanted to bow down and slaughter an animal.

The Appealing Approval of Men

As we read about what happened in Lystra, we immediately know how misplaced their vain worship was, but we might miss the temptation Paul surely must have experienced to indulge their adoration, to soak—even for a moment—in the appealing praises of men. We are each born wanting to be God (Genesis 3:5; Psalm 51:5), and the approval and celebration of men is often the closest we come.

The scene in Lystra might seem utterly bizarre if our own culture wasn’t so enthralled with celebrity—with the unusually gifted, charismatic, and successful. We may not sacrifice animals, but how much time and attention do we lay on the altar to monitor what some people say or do? As sinful people, we have this strange and twisted impulse to deify one another—to worship someone for the ways God has made, gifted, or prospered him. Perhaps we do this because we want to believe we might be worthy of such exaltation—if never by adoring crowds, then at least by a few dozen people online.

From Gods to Gallows

The tidal wave of praise that fell on Paul, however, ebbed as quickly and violently as it had come—and with a mighty undertow of a very different temptation. After Paul and Barnabas “scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them” (Acts 14:18), the very next verse says,

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. (Acts 14:19)

These crowds were—as crowds so often are—extremely fickle. The people are scarcely restrained from making sacrifices to him, and then he scarcely survives their attempts to murder him. They unduly celebrate him, then abruptly turn on him. That’s what makes this scene unusually relevant for anyone prone to people-pleasing.

We don’t know how much overlap there was between those who wanted to sacrifice to Paul and those who wanted to sacrifice Paul, but it seems the Jews had persuaded at least some of them to lay down their praises and pick up stones instead. Excessive praise and reckless animosity rise from the same spiritual madness.

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