When
Paul and Barnabas give a man born lame the ability to walk, the citizens of
Lystra believe them to be the gods Hermes (the Messenger) and Zeus, and make
preparations to honour them with sacrifices and a feast. This is a perfectly
reasonable assumption, given their cultural frame of reference.
Therefore,
when Paul defeats (the spirit of) Python in Philippi, we would expect the local
population to assume that he was the god Apollo. Instead, Paul and Silas are
thrown into Tartarus, the deepest dungeon of the underworld.
The
difference is that in Philippi, Paul’s proclamation of the good news of
salvation in the name of Jesus results directly in loss for a gang who have
invested in grooming a vulnerable child for their financial gain.
Such
people have always been dangerous.
The
gospel should always be good news for the most vulnerable, and a problem for
those who would exploit them.
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