What happens when a miracle is misunderstood?
In Acts 14:8–20, Paul and Barnabas arrive in Lystra and encounter a man who has never been able to walk. Paul speaks to him, the man is healed, and the crowd is amazed.
But then the story takes a dramatic turn.
The crowd decides that Paul and Barnabas are Greek gods. Paul and Barnabas desperately try to stop them from worshiping them. Soon afterward, the same crowd is persuaded to turn against Paul, and he is stoned and left outside the city.
The story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra is dramatic, surprising, and full of opportunities for discussion with preteens. It is also a great example of how teachers can use an exciting Bible story to get students actually into Scripture.
Where Does the Story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra Begin?
Lystra was one of the cities Paul and Barnabas visited during Paul’s First Missionary Journey.
They had previously been in Iconium, where they preached and faced opposition. From there they traveled to the surrounding region, including Lystra.
The story begins with a man who had never walked.
Acts says he had been unable to use his feet from birth and was listening while Paul was speaking.
📖 Acts 14:8–9
This detail is important.
The man wasn’t simply watching what Paul was doing.
He was listening.
That gives us an excellent starting question for preteens:
What was the man doing before the miracle happened?
The answer is right there in the Bible.
He was listening to Paul.
Paul Heals a Man Who Could Not Walk
Paul looked closely at the man and recognized that he had faith to be healed.
Paul then told him to stand on his feet.
The man immediately jumped up and began walking.
📖 Acts 14:9–10
Imagine being in that crowd.
You have just watched someone who has never walked suddenly stand up and walk.
The crowd’s reaction was enormous.
But they didn’t understand what had happened in the way Paul and Barnabas did.
The Crowd Thinks Paul and Barnabas Are Gods
The crowd began shouting that the gods had come down to them in human form.
They called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes.
Acts explains that Paul was called Hermes because he was the main speaker.
This is an important cultural detail for teaching Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.
The people were interpreting the miracle through their own religious beliefs.
Instead of understanding that God had worked through Paul, they believed that Paul and Barnabas themselves were gods.
The situation became even more serious.
The Crowd Wants to Worship Paul and Barnabas
The priest of the nearby temple of Zeus brought animals and garlands because the priest and crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.
📖 Acts 14:13
This is a fascinating moment to stop and ask students:
“What would you do if a crowd suddenly wanted to worship you?”
Then read what Paul and Barnabas actually did.
Paul and Barnabas Point the Crowd to God
When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd.
They told the people that they were human beings just like them.
Then they urged the crowd to turn away from these things and toward the living God, who made heaven, earth, the sea, and everything in them.
📖 Acts 14:14–17
This is one of the central lessons of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.
They did not accept the praise.
They did not allow the crowd to worship them.
Instead, they redirected the attention toward God.
For preteens, ask:
Why did Paul and Barnabas refuse the attention?
Then let them find the answer in Acts 14.
This is much more effective than immediately giving them the answer.
The Crowd Changes Completely
The crowd had just been preparing to worship Paul and Barnabas.
Then the situation changed.
Some people arrived from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the crowd against Paul.
Paul was stoned and dragged outside the city.
The people thought he was dead.
📖 Acts 14:19
Think about how quickly the crowd’s attitude changed.
First:
“These men are gods!”
Then:
Paul is attacked and left outside the city.
That dramatic change makes this passage particularly useful when discussing peer pressure and following a crowd.
Paul Gets Up
The disciples gathered around Paul.
Then Paul got up.
Acts says that he went back into the city.
The next day, he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
📖 Acts 14:20
The passage doesn’t give us a detailed explanation of what Paul was thinking.
So we shouldn’t invent one.
But we can observe what he did.
He got up.
He returned to the city.
He continued the journey.
That provides a natural opportunity to discuss perseverance with preteens.
What Can Preteens Learn From Paul and Barnabas in Lystra?
The story contains several ideas that connect naturally with preteen life.
Don’t Follow the Crowd Without Thinking
The crowd changed direction dramatically.
This provides an opportunity to talk about peer pressure.
Ask:
“Why do people sometimes follow a crowd even when they don’t really understand what is happening?”
Give God the Credit
Paul and Barnabas refused to accept worship.
They pointed people toward the living God.
Ask:
“What did Paul want the crowd to understand about the miracle?”
Doing the Right Thing Doesn’t Guarantee an Easy Life
Paul and Barnabas were serving God, but that didn’t prevent opposition.
Students can explore the difference between:
Doing what is right
and
Everything going the way we want.
Keep Going
Paul’s response after the attack provides a powerful picture of perseverance.
Ask:
“What did Paul do after the crowd attacked him?”
The answer is simple:
He got up and continued.
Why Paul and Barnabas in Lystra Works So Well as a Bible Lesson
This passage contains almost everything a preteen Bible lesson needs:
- A surprising miracle
- A man whose life changes
- A confused crowd
- Greek gods
- Paul and Barnabas
- A cultural misunderstanding
- A powerful speech about God
- Peer pressure
- Opposition
- A violent attack
- Perseverance
And all of it happens in just Acts 14:8–20.
That means teachers don’t have to manufacture excitement.
The Bible story already has it.
The challenge is helping students engage with it.
Getting Preteens Into the Bible
Teaching preteens can be difficult in a world filled with distractions.
Students are surrounded by games, videos, social media, entertainment, notifications, and constant stimulation.
That doesn’t mean we need to turn the Bible into entertainment.
Instead, we can use games and challenges to get students into the Bible.
Rather than saying:
“Today I’m going to tell you about Paul and Barnabas in Lystra.”
try:
“Your team has to solve the mystery of what happened in Lystra. Every answer is hidden in Acts 14:8–20.”
Now students have a reason to open Scripture.
They have to read.
They have to search.
They have to compare.
They have to solve.
And then they can discover the story for themselves.
Turn Acts 14:8–20 Into a Bible Investigation
Give each team a Bible and a series of questions.
For example:
1. Who was unable to walk?
📖 Acts 14:8
2. What was the man doing when Paul saw him?
📖 Acts 14:9
3. What did Paul tell the man to do?
📖 Acts 14:10
4. What did the crowd call Barnabas?
📖 Acts 14:12
5. What did they call Paul?
📖 Acts 14:12
6. Why did Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes?
📖 Acts 14:14
7. Who did Paul tell the crowd to turn toward?
📖 Acts 14:15
8. What happened to Paul?
📖 Acts 14:19
9. What did Paul do afterward?
📖 Acts 14:20
Now the students aren’t simply completing a worksheet.
They’re searching the Bible for evidence.
Turn the Story Into a Game
The answers from Acts 14 can be used in all kinds of activities:
- Word scrambles
- Matching puzzles
- Hidden messages
- Character cards
- Sequencing challenges
- Scripture searches
- Team competitions
- Map activities
- Escape-room puzzles
The important principle is:
The Bible provides the answers.
The game provides the reason to search for them.
That is especially valuable when teaching preteens who may struggle with traditional lesson formats.
Paul and Barnabas in Lystra as an Escape Room Challenge
The story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra is part of Paul’s Journey #1 — Escape Room Adventure, a Scripture-based escape room covering Acts 13–14.
One of the four connected puzzles focuses on: WHAT DID PAUL DO?
Students investigate Acts 14:8–19, solve Bible-based word clues, extract letters, and discover: HEALED A MAN
They then return to Scripture to verify their discovery. The goal isn’t to replace Bible teaching with a game. The goal is to make the game a path into Scripture.
A Simple Teaching Pattern
When teaching Paul and Barnabas in Lystra, try this pattern:
READ — Read Acts 14:8–20.
SEARCH — Give students questions to answer.
SOLVE — Turn the answers into a challenge.
DISCOVER — Let students work out the story.
VERIFY — Check their answers against Scripture.
DISCUSS — Talk about what the passage teaches.
This approach gives preteens an active role. Instead of simply receiving information, they’re investigating the biblical text.
Final Thought
Preteens don’t need us to make the Bible exciting. The Bible is already exciting.
The story of Paul and Barnabas in Lystra has a miracle, a crowd, Greek gods, confusion, opposition, and perseverance.
Our role as teachers is to help students discover what is already there. Give them the Bible. Give them a challenge. Give them something to investigate. Then let Scripture lead the way.
When the game gets preteens into the Bible, the Bible can do the teaching.
You can also go to our Etsy store and purchase the Escape Room Puzzle on Paul’s First Journey directly.