Ignorance of Darkness

Reading the testimony about the ministry of Paul in Lystra in its broader context leads to important insights about missionary opposition. At the end of the series of snapshots regarding the first missionary journey, we see Jews and Gentiles bonding together in opposition against the Christian missionaries. The unfolding narrative shows that the deep root of this missionary opposition was the ignorance of darkness. In spite of the intense opposition encountered, Luke concludes the Lystra narrative by showing that the word of God cannot be conquered as he shows Paul dusting himself off after being stoned and left for dead and heading off to Derbe to preach the gospel.