July 24, 2000
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Aug. 13 Lesson
Reaching out to the religious requires respect
___Acts 17:16-34
___16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. ...
___22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To An Unknown God. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
___24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
___29"Therefore, 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 man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For 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 all men by raising him from the dead."
___32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."
___By Ronnie Prevost
___The missionary journey of Paul and Silas continued after the miracles in Philippi--the earthquake, the release from prison and the many people including the jailer, Lydia and their families, who had experienced the greatest miracle of all, a new life in Jesus. The missionary group followed the Egnatian Way, the major highway down the east coast of Greece from Philippi to Thessalonica, Berea and Athens.
___In Thessalonica, just 100 miles from Philippi, they stayed only a short time, approximately three weeks. The city had been named after a half sister of Alexander the Great and was autonomous, ruled by the city officials before whom Paul and Silas were brought. The two had witnessed at the local synagogue, and some who heard believed. Among these were Jewish men, Greeks who honored the God of the Jews, and "not a few prominent women." These conversions angered some, who caused an uproar with their vague and false accusations of Paul and Silas being trouble-makers and disloyal to the civil authorities. After their hosts posted bond, Paul and Silas left for Berea.
___Berea was 50 miles west of Thessalonica and just south of the Egnatian Way. It had been the first Greek city to surrender to Rome and was a populous trading center. Again witnessing at the synagogue, Paul and Silas found the Bereans were eager to study the Scripture and to hear their message. Once again, many Jews and Gentiles, men and women believed. It was not until agitators from Thessaloni-ca came to Berea that Paul and Silas left, under escort, for Athens.
___Athens in Paul's day was not at its peak. Still it was a great city of learning and a very religious city in which many gods were worshipped. There were countless altars to these many gods and not just to the well-known Olympian gods of Greek and Roman mythology. Indeed, there were many altars to unknown gods. Following their usual pattern, Paul and Silas began witnessing in the synagogue and the marketplace to God-fearing Greeks and to Jews. However, something different was just around the corner.
___In Athens, Paul encountered and talked with a group of philosophers known as Epicureans and Stoics. The Epicureans distrusted the rational and believed feelings were the standard of truth. They believed gods were not involved in the lives of humans and religion and ritual were meaningless. Human beings, they said, had total free will and determined their own destinies. Happiness was to be found in freedom from fear of the gods. They did not support today's common understanding of the term "epicurean" as one who would "eat, drink and be merry." Rather, they called for lives of purity and self-control. They emphasized the significance of personal relationships, mutual care, common meals, etc.
___The Stoics differed. Stoicism had become the dominant philosophy of the Roman Empire and held virtue as the only good, vice the only evil. Stoics sought indifference to pain and pleasure, wealth and poverty, success and misfortune. They taught one to be self-sufficient and to be content in whatever state they found themselves. Their attempt was to live in keeping with their own nature and the nature of the universe and to find agreement between the spirit of the individual with the governor of the universe. Further, Stoics held that freedom meant to accept that which is ordained by one's fate (cf. 17:28)
___Both sets of philosophers heard something familiar in their dialogue with Paul, but also saw him as "a babbler." They thought he had some scraps of ideas, but no depth of understanding. Nevertheless, they took him before the Areopagus where he was further asked about his teaching.
___The Areopagus was a council named after the hill on which it originally met. The hill, named after Ares (or Mars), the god of war, was also known as Mars Hill and sat just northwest of the Acropolis. It was the original site of an ancient council which had some semi-official jurisdiction that changed from time to time. However, at the occasion of Paul's appearance it dealt mostly with education, religion and politics. Especially important in this event would be Paul's chance to speak with some of the most influential people in Athens.
___Paul's message was thoroughly rooted in Scripture, but it was expressed in terms of the philosophies. The gist of his speech was God is not the created, but the Creator. God not only had guided history, but had revealed himself and had made humans to long for him. Paul also stressed life is neither extinction nor progress but a journey to judgment by God.
___Important is that Paul began by commending the religious interests of the Athenians, though being "religious" can have either positive or negative connotations. He warned them against worshipping what they had made and, speaking in terms the Athenians could understand and appreciate, offered to inform them about the "unknown God" as revealed in Jesus--and the pre-eminence of Jesus as proven by his resurrection.
___Paul's approach was rooted in Greek rhetoric. (Remember that Paul was educated in both the Greek and Jewish traditions.) The strategy was to build a bridge of communication and understanding through acceptance and respect. He intentionally used the others' language to share the message he wanted them (and they needed) to hear. That is, Paul used their language, poets and philosophical terms but never compromised the gospel.
___This approach in hope of winning some reflects Paul's thoughts as expressed in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Perhaps Paul also shared with the Stoics what he would later write in Philippians 4:11-13, for those were ideas familiar to their philosophy. He may have told the Epicureans about Christian ideals they would appreciate, such as the importance of relationships (with God and among people), moral purity, knowledge beyond reason, etc.
___As mentioned above, the climax of Paul's speech was the resurrection of Jesus. Some of his hearers considered it folly, for that was a concept with which they could not agree. Paul may have been thinking of this very moment when he wrote 1 Corinthians 1:23. Others either put off Paul or wished to talk with him further regarding what he had told them.
___However, verse 34 identifies the positive response to Paul's preaching the gospel in Athens. There were a few who accepted, believed and followed. Two of these are mentioned by name. One of the new believers was a man, Dyonisius, a member of the council of the Areopagus. He is an example of the elite or prominent who had accepted the gospel message. Another who was named was a woman, Damaris. Some assume no respectable woman would be in the city square. If this is true, that this woman is named illustrates the gospel's appeal is to all people of all classes. Certainly she is yet another example of the prominence of women respondents mentioned in Paul's travels.
___The contrast of the Philippian jailer with the Athenians is stark. The jailer knew he did not have the answers to his deepest need. It was out of desperation that he asked Paul and Silas what was necessary to salvation. Not so with the Athenians. They already were a religious people who, as far as they were concerned, pretty much had most of the answers. Paul certainly had a particular challenge in telling the gospel where the familiarity was with the Scriptures and where there was a hunger for a right relationship with God. However, Paul's problem in Athens was dealing with indifference and apathy and proclaiming Jesus where neither the name nor the Scripture he came to fulfill were already known or appreciated. It was a situation similar to that faced by Jesus himself in dealing with the very religious Pharisees.
___Comparable challenges confront Christians today. The first challenge is to proclaim Jesus where the name is not already known. This can be anywhere in the world--including across the street! The second is to proclaim Jesus where that message might be met by religious people with either apathy or satisfaction with what they already have or believe. One can be tempted to argue, "brow-beat," condemn or "shake the dust from one's sandals." However, none of these approaches is consistent with the examples of Jesus or Paul. We must be aware of the witness of our witness. That is, we must try to be sure our methodology does not violate the message we bear.
___What Christians must remember about their witness is to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). The way Paul did this in witnessing to the religious people in Athens was to take his hearers from the known to the unknown. He was sensitive to and affirming of the positive aspects of the Athenian culture. He communicated the gospel (an alien concept to them) in terms they could understand and appreciate--without compromising the message of the gospel. Paul's was a witness of building relationships which, after all, is basic to the nature of the gospel. He did not seek to coerce, nor did he argue or condemn. He spoke with love, compassion and conviction. In faith--and in their terms--he shared what he knew, trusting God to reap the harvest and win the victory.
___Yes, some ridiculed and rejected him and his message. Similar people will do so today. But some believed because of the content and the method of his message. They will today.
___On the missionary journeys that are our lives, how will we share the gospel of Jesus with them? The same God who led and empowered Paul will lead and empower us if we are but willing.
For thought and discussion
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