If St. Patrick’s Day makes you think of shiny green tinsel and leprechauns, think again. This 1,000+ year-old holiday has deeply spiritual roots.

In fact, the story of St. Patrick can drive some pretty powerful Biblical lessons that can teach us about the courage of those with faith.

In the following article, we’ll look at 5 Biblical lessons from the story of St. Patrick…and how this Irish holiday may inspire us in surprising ways this March. 

Who was St. Patrick?

No, St. Patrick was not a leprechaun, and he’s certainly not a myth or simply a legend. He was a real man who was born in 386 A.D. in Great Britain along the west coast, which was then a part of the Roman Empire. As his father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest, Patrick grew up with a rich Christian heritage.

When Patrick was only 16 years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates who enslaved him aboard the ship of a pagan king and sold him into slavery in Ireland. He then became a sheepherder in Ireland, where his faith in the power of prayer grew tremendously. 

According to his autobiography Patrick had an angelic encounter in a dream that led him to escape slavery and return to his home in Great Britain. There, he continued his faith journey, became a deacon, and asked for an assignment as a missionary to Ireland. 

St. Patrick’s Ministry in Ireland

In Ireland, Patrick’s ministry flourished, though it was not without its challenges. He’s credited largely with the evangelism of powerful leaders across Ireland, many of whom were Druid–a pagan religion that places specific emphasis on worship of nature. 

Part of Patrick’s effectiveness was his ability to explain the gospel to people in a way that they could understand; for example, he used a three-leaf clover (or shamrock) to explain the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is also sometimes credited with driving out all snakes from Ireland, though many believe this is more symbolic than literal; snakes represent evil and the demonic, and Patrick helped bring light and truth to this nation.

Though there were certainly others who helped bring Christianity to Ireland, St. Patrick is perhaps the most famous of all these missionaries and evangelists. Ireland eventually developed a rich legacy of prayer, missionary work, and monastic living, and even helped preserve Scripture through the Middle Ages.  

Today, Ireland remains a largely Christian nation. 

5 Biblical Lessons for St. Patrick’s Day

The life of St. Patrick may seem remote and even implausible to many of us, but there are many lessons to be learned from his legacy. While St. Patrick certainly wasn’t a perfect man (in fact, many historians dispute the details in his autobiography), his story can nonetheless show us some powerful truths about believing in God and having the courage to follow an unusual path. 

Here are five Biblical lessons from the story of St. Patrick. 

#1: We are called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). 

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

After being kidnapped and enslaved–and then returning to his home–Patrick willingly chose to go back to Ireland with a mission in mind: to bring Christianity to the pagan nation. He didn’t choose safety or comfort, but chose to suffer hardship, ridicule, and rejection for the sake of Christ. You can bet that pagan chieftains and Druid priests weren’t an easy target for the Gospel, but Patrick persevered in his mission and reportedly saw the conversion of 10,000 people. 

#2: We are called to courage (Joshua 1:9). 

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. 

Patrick surely faced great fear and doubt when considering the task set before him: to evangelize a nation full of “barbarian warriors” and “hostile warlords.” To make it even more challenging, his family didn’t support his decision, meaning that he would have to rely solely on God for support and comfort. 

He wrote in Confessions, “As every day arrives, I expect either sudden death or deception, or being taken back as a slave or some such other misfortune. But I fear none of these, since I look to the promise of heaven and have flung myself into the hands of the all-powerful God, who rules as Lord everywhere.”

Ultimately, trust trumped fear for Patrick, and he saw the fruit of his labor. 

#3: Contextualizing the Gospel is Biblical (Acts 17:23). 

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

In the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul spoke to the people of Athens in a way that they could understand. He pointed to an “unknown God” that was effectively part of their pagan worship, and told them that what they were really longing for was Jesus. 

Likewise, St. Patrick shared the Gospel with the Celts by pointing to objects in nature–like the shamrock–to explain spiritual principles. The Celts had a deep connection with their landscape, and using nature as a reference point was a creative strategy for St. Patrick. He didn’t stray from truth, but referred them to things with which they were already familiar. 

#4: We will face persecution and criticism–even from those closest to us (Luke 14:26). 

If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

As mentioned above, Patrick’s own family didn’t support his decision to return to Ireland. While we definitely want to seek wise counsel in our decision-making and honor our parents, the point is that Patrick followed the call of Jesus even at the expense of angering his family. It’s Biblical to expect that we won’t always be supported by those closest to us–just check out what Jesus had to say to His disciples on the matter!

#5: We’re called to great faith (Hebrews 11). 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him…And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 

The Bible is full of stories of incredible faith–but there have also been men and women since Biblical times who have exhibited great faith in the face of seemingly impossible odds. One story of St. Patrick demonstrates his great belief in the power of God:

“One story that some believe is legend mentions Patrick challenging the Druid wizards in 433 A.D., on the vernal equinox, which occurred on Easter Sunday that year. Patrick challenged the wizards’ power of control by starting a bonfire, which was central to the Druids’ ritual, on a hillside opposite of the barbaric idol-worshippers. Patrick was dragged before the Druid council where he had the opportunity to share about Jesus, the light of the world. While some Druids believed, others tried to kill him.” – “The Real Story of St. Patrick,” Voice of the Martyrs

In this incredible story, Patrick made a bold move to start a bonfire in the midst of a Druid holiday. This was a direct affront to the authority of the priests and a great risk, but it eventually gave Patrick the opportunity to share the Gospel. 

Over to You

St. Patrick’s Day is often overlooked in churches, but it still provides a powerful opportunity to meditate on the life of a believer who was extraordinarily brave and bold. His legacy and impact on the nation of Ireland remains today, and it’s worth meditating on how his life reflected many Biblical principles from which we can still learn. We’ll leave you with an excerpt from the beautiful “Prayer of St. Patrick”:

Christ shield me today

Against wounding

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

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I arise today

Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation.

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