Acts 28:3-6
When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.
Tag: Mob Mentality: The Mob is Seldom Right
In the above story we are picking up the narrative immediately after Paul’s strenuous shipping disaster. In Acts 27 Paul had warned the captain and owner of the ship he was about to be placed upon to NOT set sail. The centurion who was in charge of Paul listened to the shipping voices and not to Paul’s voice. The result was the crashing of the ship, the loss of all cargo and the landing on the shores of this island, Malta. The residents of the island came to rescue them and the above narrative takes place. Paul, as a prisoner, is gathering sticks and is bitten by a snake. Because he is bitten by the snake the residents of the land, the mob, believes he must, indeed, be a murderer. The mob sees the circumstances and makes a logical conclusion based upon their past experiences. Yet, the mob is wrong on several accounts. Paul is NOT a prisoner because he killed someone, but because he was willing to stand up for his faith and witness for Christ. Yet, the mob uses their logic and, as a result, they condemn Paul. But, Paul does not die from the snake bite. Instead, he shakes the snake off and goes about his life. Now, the mob switches their interpretation of the events and Paul is now a “god.” In one short time period, Paul goes from murderer to Majesty!! Paul is neither. God has placed Paul in the midst to communicate the message of the Gospel. If we read further we will see that while on the island Paul performs miracles and teaches about Christ. The mob is seldom right because they rely solely on logic to develop their conclusions. Their logic is often, if not always, wrong when it comes to Christ’s plan for our lives. God allowed all of this to happen to Paul to bring him to a new place to preach the Gospel and to witness to the crew on the boat and to the centurion guarding him that God is powerful and real and transcends all logic. Note what happens on Malta next:
Acts 28:7-9
Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.
Ask Publius, or his father, about the mob’s mentality. They saw the power of the gospel. The mob lives and reacts to circumstances. God’s people live and react to circumstances by faithful obedience.
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