“But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.”
Acts 17:13-15 NIV
The same pattern…the same result! The same battle lines! The hostile Jews in Thessalonica were not satisfied to get rid of Paul from their own city. They hounded him to Berea…stirring up a mob of hooligans like themselves.
Once again, Paul had to flee for his own safety, leaving Silas and Timothy to follow when the coast was clear…And so, they finally reached Athens, another hotbed of idolatry and false worship.
Paul was not idle while he waited for his companions to rejoin him. He found another opportunity to preach the truth…
“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.”
Acts 17:16-18 NIV
Of course…the synagogue…the first and best place to gather an audience. Jews and proselyte Greeks were willing to listen to him there and so did a gathering of philosophers in the market place, men who held opposing ideas about life.
Paul dived in with all the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, preaching the message he loved best to share…Jesus….crucified and risen.
…Then…
“A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”
Acts 17:18-21 NIV
Well! That was the invitation Paul was waiting for. Debate! There was nothing he could do better than debate the truth with those who were constantly looking for new ideas. Were these philosophers honestly seeking truth or were they only enjoying and honing their debating skills?
Paul gave them more than they bargained for…he had his point of contact…the very idols he hated so much.
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 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.”
Acts 17:22-23 NIV
The unknown god they included in their pantheon of gods, just in case they left one out… was the one he chose to introduce to them. The Unknown God…the Creator God…the self-sustaining God…the God who gives life and orders men’s affairs…this God is real. He is. the one who seeks and finds…
This is the God who will judge all people. He is not represented by an idol…and neither are we!
““LTherefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.”
Acts 17:29 NIV
“It’s time, people of Athens! God is here, now, calling on you to change your minds and turn back to His way. Judgement is coming and no one will escape.”
“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30-31 NIV
Paul finally dropped the bomb! Carefully weaving his argument around the one whom God appointed as judge because He vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead, he had their attention! Resurrection! This was a brand new and startling idea.
“When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council. Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”
Acts 17:32-34 NIV
This was a cliff-hanger…and Paul left them with it. The real ones…the ones who had taken the bait…the ones in whose hearts was hunger and hope…were the ones who wanted more. They went after him to find out about the truth…and they believed…
and so, the church took root in yet another city…regardless of conflict…opposition…war…the word of God prevailed again…the kingdom planted in human hearts!
God had added Athens to the growing list of towns and cities where the gospel had begun to take root. Seeds were sown…new life was beginning to sprout…despite jealousy, hatred, opposition, persecution…everything the enemy threw at them failed to stop them because the march of God’s kingdom was unstoppable. No matter how hard some of the soil might be, the seed of truth would fall into good ground, take root and grow.
To be continued