Scripture: Acts 17:16-32
Scripture tells us that our God is a jealous God - in Deuteronomy 4:23-26
we read that 24the Lord your
God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. And later
in Deuteronomy 32: 16-18, Israel, and we, are cautioned about who we worship and
serve - 17 They
sacrificed to false gods, which are not God - gods they had not known,
gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear.
And there are god’s today that Israel didn’t even
know – “gods that recently appeared”.
These would be gods such as our jobs, the nature that surrounds us, gods
that human desire has conjured up. As
for those “gods your ancestors did not fear”? Even the most ancient of gods are no longer
objectionable – societal norms now see “inclusiveness” as a valid reason to be accepting
of any and all faith expressions.
Throughout the ages, people have chosen to worship any
god that may suit their fancy, instead of seeking out the one true God for
their lives. And in the days of Paul’s
ministry, as well in these days that we live in, this has never been any less
true.
Today, in our 12th lesson from the Book
of Acts, we discover just how pervasive these false gods can be.
Read Acts 17:16-21
This is Paul’s first visit to the city of Athens, which
occurs during his second missionary journey.
While he waited for Silas and Timothy to catch up with him (Acts 17:14-15), he did the touristy-thing in this great
city and spent a lot of time seeing the sights.
And the sights that seemed to catch his attention were all the idols and
alters that existed there, with each being dedicated to some other false god.
Athens was still a major center of philosophical
thought, and many, who either lived there or were just visiting the city, loved
to engage in deep debates and discussions on practically any subject. Paul’s concern over the preponderance of
false gods led him to the local synagogue where he sought the opinion that the local
population of Jews may have had over this great atrocity. We don’t read anything about what that he may
have learned there, but his next stop was with the general populace at the town
square – the most common place for men to gather and discuss the issues of the
day.
And in that
place, as Paul always did, no matter where he was, he proclaimed the glories of
his Lord Jesus. And being the convincing
apostle of God that he was, there were some who accepted his message, as well
as a few who rejected it. The debates
must have been very interesting, as the Epicureans and Stoics held very
different views of what this life was all about, and with Paul adding a third
view of religion, their discussions had to be one for the history books!
So they led him to the Areopagus, which was a form
of judicatory body that heard and rendered decisions on philosophical disputes. But Paul’s message of Jesus Christ is new to
the “court”, and they have questions for the evangelist.
Today, this could so easily be us during encounters
with those who have heard little about Jesus.
Paul saw every person as an opportunity to share the story of Jesus. Do we see the questions that others may ask
as an opening to be a witness for Jesus?
We should, if we intend to claim the name of Christ as our own!
Read Acts 17:22-28
As a great example to each of us, Paul doesn’t try
to address every idol that he found – he focuses on one that needed to be opened
up – the one that was dedicated to the Unknown One! The individuals who are questioning him are
intellectuals who are familiar with the various aspects of religion. They may not understand the Christian faith, but
they still know what validates faith – 1) the religion must advocate for a deity,
2) it must prove that the deity will be available to the community, and 3) that
its presence will show the community its benevolence.
Paul knows their hearts, and so he begins. He begins by talking about God as Creator –
that He exists throughout all creation, and instead of demanding servanthood, He
Himself gives all good things to His world. He
created all people, and established them in places and homes. He has given a great deal to humanity - not
to make them dependent on Him, but that they would search Him out to live
within Him. Paul addresses every
question that they would have asked, and gives them every reason to consider
their place within the LORD’s created order.
Paul knew what the people were anxious to learn, and
he gave them the answers. When we
encounter the curious, or even the objectors, Paul would have us know that
addressing the questions that may be hampering their search for truth is the
only direction that really has a chance of bringing them to God’s truth. But that’s the issue that we have to start
with, isn’t it – knowing what their concerns are! This is why, at least for us, that developing
a personal relationship is so important before we share our Christian
witness. There’s an old saying that punctuates
this very issue – “Make a friend, be a friend, bring your friend to Christ”.
Read Acts 17:29-32
And now Paul gets to sharing Jesus and God’s great
plan that comes to us through Him, and the first image he places in our minds
and hearts is that “we are God’s offspring”! The point is that God made us – we did not make
Him! When the false god is made by us,
the god is no different, no greater than we are. But when we are created by God, we are of His
conception and desire, and that is a relationship that makes our life based in
Him, not within ourselves.
Think about Paul’s introduction to the Areopagus,
the council – the true God gives life, and breath, and all good things,
while man-made idols can only demand human gifts – food, money, time,
etc. They can give absolutely nothing
to us! We are either dependent on the LORD
for guidance in His way, or we can resort to the ways of earth and dependency
on the impotent idols that we have created.
And one day we will be “judged” as to how well we
have trusted and honored our Creator, instead of how much we have relied on our
own limited understanding and abilities.
And Paul tells the distinguished group that this judgment will be by the
one who God raised from the grave.
And as usual, some poo-pooed the very idea of this resurrection
of the dead, but there are always a few who will hear, and want to hear more
about Jesus, and this is why we must always be ready to answer their questions,
and to inspire them to want to learn more about God, and to realize what the LORD
can do for them.
For far too many people, Jesus is that “Unknown
God” that Paul noticed, and he seized the chance to set others straight. And we can, too! May our good and true God show us those
opportunities, and then give us the wisdom, the words, the resolve, and above
all, the love to introduce them to the one who has always been Unknown to them.
So today, go out and “make a friend, be a friend,
and invite your friend into the loving arms of our one and Almighty God!” Amen.
