David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 14:1-8

Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.

When I first graduated from the seminary I carried a chip on my shoulder about being a Lutheran (or so I was told by someone very near and dear to me). I would prove my true Lutheran identity by means of a more-rapid-than-necessary reponse to any apparent aberation from the true Lutheran way. Sadly that often meant not really listening to others and understanding what they were saying, or simply approaching people as theological problems rather than loved-by-God individuals. It often meant that I did not apply the truth of James 1: 20, “The anger of man does not accomplish the righteous things that God desires.”

The fact is that my mind had been poisoned. Satan had taken all the good theology I had learned – a theology centered in the grace of God – and twisted it around my own insecurity and fear. That may also have been aided by some of my professors, but the real culprit was (and always is) Satan. Rather than loving people I was worried about being seen as a true theological purist. Rather than seeking to help people I was more concerned about being right and being seen as right.

We can look at the events recoreded by Luke in Acts 14 in this same way. Those who opposed the witness of Paul and Barnabas were poisoning the minds of the people of Iconium. Because of that the message of the gospel was limited. Because of that the messengers of the Good News of Jesus went elsewhere. God saw to it that the Word grew. He saw to it that the lost were found. But the people in Iconium removed themselves from this message at that time. For their minds were poisoned.

Minds are poisoned by Satan, working behind the scenes in our flesh. Minds are poisoned by others whose minds have been poisoned. The poison is the thought that God could never simply forgive people for the sake of Jesus. The poison is the idea that a man so brutally treated and dying such a horrible death could never rise from the dead. The toxic idea is that God could not use anyone who was not properly credentialed or certified for the sake of his name.

Poisoned minds poison other’s minds. The pure Good News of Jesus is the antidote for the gravest poison of all. Thank God that we have that Good News! Is there something getting in the way of that Good News in your life? Has someone poisoned you against God’s grace? Repent and believe the Good News! That message gives hope and brings the truest joy to you and those whom you encounter each day.