The answer is: Jupiter

Acts 14:12

In Acts 14, we find Paul and Barnabas embarking on an extraordinary journey that leads to the city of Lystra, where they perform a stunning miracle of healing a man who was crippled from birth. The people there, witnessing this, get caught up in the excitement and mistakenly think that Barnabas is the god Jupiter (or Zeus in Greek)! They even bring sacrifices to him, emphasizing their deep background in paganism.

Now, tie in the amusing fact that Jupiter was the chief god of the Romans, ruling over the sky and thunder, quite different from the humble, often-misunderstood life Paul and Barnabas practiced. Meanwhile, Paul—portrayed as the more gregarious companion, akin to the messenger god Hermes in this narrative—frantically tries to make it clear that they aim to worship Yahweh, the one true God. In responding to the mayhem, they emphasize the notion of a living God, contrasting the lifeless idols typically revered in pagan cultures.

This story serves as a contemporary reminder of the cloud of misunderstandings that surrounds various faiths. While Lystra may seem a world away and a long time ago, similar misinterpretations and deifications of figures continue today. So, as you think about Paul's preaching, consider how communication and context influence belief systems. Acts 14 isn’t just a tale of geography and adventure; it's a lesson on how diverse cultures perceive divinity and the challenges of spreading an understanding of a monotheistic faith in a polytheistic world!