Mistaken for God – Acts 28:1-10

Fictional literature abounds with stories about people being mistaken for other people.

Sometimes the hero, or villain, chooses to be mistaken for someone else, as in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

But then, in what are usually funnier stories, there are accidental cases of mistaken identity.

Have you ever been guilty of mistaking someone for someone else?

I remember when I was a very little guy, 2 or 3, walking around with my parents in a very public place.

After going off on my own for a minute, I returned to an put my hand in what I thought was my father’s hand, but it wasn’t my father.

I remember that very quickly I did find my father, and I didn’t look back.

Have you ever spoken to someone whom you thought that you knew, but you were mistaken?

It can be embarrassing.

And then on the other hand, have you ever been mistaken for someone else?

That has happened to me a time or two and it usually makes for an interesting situation.

If you had a choice of being mistaken for someone, and if you could choose, who would you rather it be?

For example, would you rather be mistaken for a criminal or someone who was blessing to mankind?

Would you rather be mistaken for someone rich and famous or someone more like yourself?

How about this: If you could choose, would you rather be mistaken for God, or mistaken for the Devil?

There should be no hesitation on the part of the Christian, assuming that these were the only two choices.

On at least a couple of occasions, Paul was mistaken for – God.

Of course, it happened here in this scripture, and we’ll be taking a quick look at this in a couple minutes.

But the earlier instance was in Lystra on the First Missionary Journey and is recorded in Acts 14:

“And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:

The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God,

And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.”

Can you imagine how embarrassing that would have been the priest of Jupiter and to the people who called him?

Not only was it a case of mistaken identity, but Paul actually rebuked them, essentially calling them fools.

He told them to turn from that kind of vanity towards the true and living God.

Do you suppose that there was a relationship between that embarrassment and what took place in the next verse:

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.”

Making mistakes in identification, especially in a case like that, can turn from simple embarrassment to some-thing really ugly.

Now, I don’t want to make light of this, and I don’t want it to appear any less foolish than it really was.

But as I was reading our scripture again last Tuesday, I asked myself about the reason that Paul was confused with the God whom he served.

I don’t want to condone what either of those barbarous people did or thought,

and I certainly don’t want to criticize Paul for whatever part Paul played in this situation,

but a question struck me:

what was it that made those people think that Paul was the Lord?

And are there characteristics in us which should, or at least could, lead people to mistake you and me for the God Whom we serve?

Let’s briefly think about being mistaken for God.

First of all, this idea can come can come and go more quickly than the sun on a mostly cloudy day.

In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas were just Jewish strangers, until they healed that man.

Most of the Galatians who were in the area didn’t even stop to listen to Paul’s religious jabbering.

But the instant the former lame man started shouting and dancing around for joy, those who didn’t look twice at the strangers, we calling them Jupiter and Mercury.

But then again, in 24 hours those same people were heaving boulders towards Paul’s head.

What very fickle things fame and honor are.

The preachers went from strangers to gods in a matter of minutes, then back to criminals.

And then here in Acts 28, Paul was at first nothing be a semi-drowned piece of luggage from a sinking ship.

But then it appears that he became worse than that – a criminal who nearly escaped.

And then from there he became the victim of divine justice through the bite of a venomous beast.

But when the venom of that serpent didn’t kill him or make him very sick, Paul the survivor, the prisoner, the victim, became some sort of god in the sight of those islanders.

May we make the application that our background might not be all that critical in the business of being mistaken for God?

Again, I’m not saying that the people of Malta were showing any exceptional genius in this, and I’m not giving my approval to what they did.

But may we learn that our immediate circumstances don’t necessarily have to keep people from the highest levels of respect?

The fact that you didn’t graduate from college doesn’t mean that you can’t be a great servant of God.

Or as some of you would say, the fact that you attended public school, doesn’t need to keep you from the honor of God.

So you don’t look like Robert Redford or Julia Roberts; what does that mean?

And you don’t have the money of Paris Hilton or Nichol Richie; perhaps you should praise the Lord for that.

You are not as athletic as a football player or as tall as basketball player.

Are you going to tell me that Paul had any of these characteristics?

It’s not what you AREN’T which keeps people from looking up to you.

It’s more likely that it’s what you ARE which keeps them from praising you.

What was it in Paul which made some people think that he was God?

Wasn’t it because he displayed some of the characteristics which people associate with God?

In both of these cases, he did something which only God could do.

In one he healed a well-known cripple and in the other he healed a well-known deadly malady.

Remember that I’m not trying to tell you that we OUGHT to be mistaken for God.

I’m not rebuking anyone because you haven’t been worshipped lately.

And likewise, I’m not saying that you and I ought to go around healing the sick and raising the dead.

I believe that God has some communicable attributes of God, which we ought to have received of the Lord,

and there are non-communicable attributes which we will never possess, no matter how godly we are.

And then there are other attributes of God which He does not very often share with any human being, but which from time to time and for special purposes does give to men.

The ability to give life and to raise the dead is not something which rests in men or even with angels.

There have been occasions when the Lord ordained that some Elijah or some Elisha should bring the dead back to life, but those are very rare occasions.

And it would be presumptuous for Christians to go about saying that they can cure anyone who is sick, although there have been a few periods in human history when the Lord granted that power to specific people for specific reasons.

Even in these days of “enlightenment,” if I could point my finger and lame men could walk or cancer patients would be instantly healed, there might be some people who would call me a “God.”

And I think that I would rather be called “God” than a devil.

I think that if we were called Gods, it might afford an opportunity to bring people back to the truth.

It seems to me that it would be easier to preach Christ from a position of deity than from a position of hellishness.

But for the most part, I think that to be called a god would be detrimental to the work of the Lord.

In Lystra, when Paul and Barnabas tried to bring the people back to reality,

the reality was that those people were sinners living in rebellion against the true and living God,

and the moment the preacher’s back was turned those people were throwing stones at him.

Even to be God for a day, didn’t help Paul win that city to Christ.

It would be sort of like having a billion dollars to spend on the work of the Lord – if God thought that it was a really good idea, He would have granted it to us.

If God thought that it would be good if the world thought that we were Gods, so that they would listen while we pointed them to Christ, then the Lord would have granted that to us.

But apparently He has never thought that was a good idea.

Over and over again, man’s plans for evangelism have not pleased the Lord – and with good reason.

So what sort of Divine characteristics should you and I display?

What about HOLINESS.

I Peter 1:13 – “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

How is holiness to be seen in someone who isn’t holy by nature, like us?

It’s seen in living as free from sin as possible.

It’s seen in honesty in a world where genuine and thorough honesty is rare.

One of the things that appeals to me about Paul’s episode with the viper was his lack of concern.

“Oh, oh, there is a snake attached to my hand, and look at that he’s biting me. Ow, that hurts.

I guess that I had better shake him off. Oops, he’s fallen into the fire. Poor viper. Sorry.”

There is no record that Paul turned to anyone to see if they were watching, although there must have been several who saw it.

Certainly, Paul didn’t start screaming or boasting.

He didn’t even casually say, “Did you see that?”

It reminds me of the guy who trips & falls, but jumps to his feet in an effort to suggest that it didn’t happen.

Paul displays a kind of humility here by not making a big deal about being bitten by a snake.

And this raises a question about the Lord.

Is humility one of the attributes of God?

Think about it: There are people in positions of authority who like to “lord it over” those beneath them.

I suppose that some psychologists would say that they behave that way because they actually have some kind of inferiority problem.

Will the Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings have to “lord” over his glorified creation?

If the Jesus of Nazareth of Whom we read in the four Gospels is Jehovah, can we say that meekness and humility will be characteristics that we shall see in him throughout eternity?

Is it Christlike to be humble or is it anti-Christlike?

Then on the other hand, should we make some sort of analogy about the fact that the viper died?

Why didn’t Paul shake the beast off into the bushes at the edge of the camp, instead of the over the fire?

This was no garter snake or bull snake which slithers away at the sight of man and lives by eating the rats that eat the grain that the humans grow.

This was a venomous beast that could eventually attack and kill some little child, or perhaps several.

Years ago, the daughter of our friends the Yeomans, was bitten by a Rattlesnake without warning as she was going out to pick some vegetables from her garden.

Wasn’t Paul doing the right thing to make sure that this killer fell into the fire?

Doesn’t God judge that which is evil?

Shouldn’t the child of God do the same, especially when it is attached to his own hand?

Did the fact that Paul was willing to gather wood for the fire in the first place, keep those barbarians from saying that he was a God?

How God-like is it to be a blessing to others?

If Christians display graciousness towards others, are they behaving in a God-like fashion?

Several times now, we have made note of Paul’s help of Publius’ father.

“And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.”

Does the Bible tell us who took the initiative in this man’s healing?

Did the chief man of the island beg Paul to come and help his father,

or did Paul hear about the poor man and volunteer to try to help?

We aren’t told.

But what is more common: God’s care of us, or our prayer for God’s care?

Paul displayed godliness by being a blessing to that man in his need.

There are several ways in which Paul could have been confused with the Lord in the healing of that man.

And you know, there was even a little godlikeness in accepting the gifts and honor of the people.

Sometimes there is a fine line between pride and humility.

Let’s say that you have helped someone, but they walk away without so much as a “thank you.”

Why is it that you are just a little angry?

Is it your humility that makes you hurt at this snub?

But then what if that person reaches into his pocket and offers you $50.00 for your help?

Is it humility which urges you to refuse his honorarium, or is it pride?

It could honestly be either one, depending on the condition of your heart at that moment.

Maybe your pride tells you to tell him that you don’t need his $50.00.

Sometimes it would definitely be the wrong thing to take that man’s money.

Sure you helped him, and perhaps he might have had to pay a professional a $100 to do what you did.

But, you know that the man really can’t afford to give you even $20.00.

Perhaps you should refuse any kind of gift

But then again, sometimes your refusal would be offensive to the man.

Sometimes to take or not take that offer requires some wisdom and a quick prayer for direction.

What would Christ Jesus have done on the Island of Melita if he had been in Paul’s shoes?

Would he have accepted the gifts of the thankful islanders?

I think that He probably would have.

Once again, Paul displayed some of the traits that God Himself would have displayed.

I don’t think that it should be our desire to be mistaken for Gods.

Do you remember what happened to Agrippa when the people of Caesarea started yelling, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.”

To have someone say that of you could be like a poison to your soul.

On the other hand to have it said of us that we behave like true children of God is a highly commendable thing.