Day 33: Acts 17
The first part of today’s reading is indicative of much of the book of Acts. Paul and his companions traveled from city to city, meeting people and speaking in the synagogues and starting or strengthening the churches. For example, in Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia in southeastern Europe, Paul “went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” (vv. 2-3). This sermon series must have been similar to what Jesus spoke the the men on the road to Emmaus, once again using the whole of Scripture to point to Jesus as the Christ (see Day 30). Whether because of persecution or expediency, Paul and his companions never stayed in one city for too long, and the gospel continued to spread throughout Asia and Europe. In Athens, the famous cultural hub of art, philosophy, and literature, Paul took a slightly different evangelistic approach. The Athenians and other leading thinkers, members of the Areopagus, loved to listen to new ideas. So Paul started with what was already familiar to them and commented on their religious nature (vv. 22). He then used their own idol, marked “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” (v. 23), to introduce to them the God who made this world and everything in it.
Paul explained to them that this God, whom they did not yet know, was sovereign over the details of history: “He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God 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” (vv. 26-27). He even quoted the Athenian’s own poets in order to make a connection to them, using what he knew of their culture as a starting point to talk about the true God and how he was set apart from their idols. He left this particular meeting by briefly mentioning the resurrection - at which point the people were divided, but for some led to further discussion and even belief in Jesus. As a whole, Paul’s speech to the Areopagus pointed to the one true God and gave us an example for how we might speak to those around us about the Jesus we know and love.
Questions for reflection and discussion: What recurring patterns do you see when Paul and his companions enter a new city? What does it mean to you that God determined the exact time and place where you should live, in order that you might know him? How can we use what we know of our culture in order to bridge the gap between those around us and the one true God?
