16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and also in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18Also some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities.” (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 19So they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20It sounds rather strange to us, so we would like to know what it means.” 21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there would spend their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new.
22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. 23For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
29Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33At that point Paul left them. 34But some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
- Acts 17:16-34
This passage is Paul’s sermon to the Athenians. It is a rhetorical masterpiece. One of the interesting aspects of the sermon is that Paul does not directly quote scripture nor does he ever mention the name of Jesus. Yet it is still a sermon. His audience is the Greek intellectuals in Athens. His remarks are appropriate for their experiences, philosophies, and cultural understandings. In fact the two quotes in the passage are from Greek philosophy and poetry. The line that we will recognize, “in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a) is actually a quote from Epimenides the Cretan who was born around 600 BC. Even though it is the last line of quatrain that Epimenides had written six centuries before Paul came to Athens, but it would have been familiar to the intellectuals of Athens. The second quote, “for we too are his offspring” (Acts 17:28b) come from the fifth line of Aratus’ work Phainomena. Aratus was born in 310 BC. In fact even the thought God “does not live in shrines made by human hands” (Acts 17:24b) which is a strong biblical view is consistent with the Stoic philosophers. Plato articulates in his work Euthyphro that the gods do not need us for their advancement or well being.
This ends the brief historical lesson on Greek philosophy. The purpose of this introduction of Greek thought and poetry is meant to show that Paul used the thoughts, lyrics, and culture of the Athenians to share the Gospel with the Greeks. It is similar to a preacher of today using a line from a hymn, a country song, or a movie. The quotes and illustrations are used to encourage people to move toward faith.
The challenge for the church of today is how to share the Gospel in a manner in which it can be heard. Three weeks ago at the 9am worship celebration we asked for people to call out their favorite hymns for us to sing. The first hymn lifted up by a congregational member was a contemporary song found in the “Faith We Sing” supplemental hymnal. The second was one that was oriented for children and the third was a “golden oldie.” This demonstrates the challenge of designing a worship service today. In each congregation there is a variety of ages, experiences, and desires. Consequently, the worship designer must always keep that in mind. The worshiper needs to understand that there is a wide range of experiences and expectations in our church. This is one of the reasons we try to offer three distinct services: informal on Saturday night, communion at 9am, and traditional at 11am. A church of our size needs to offer not only different times, but also different experiences.
In addition to the variety of expectations within our church, there is the “language” and expectations of people in the community. We do not exist for own sake. Our purpose as a church is to share the Gospel to those outside the fellowship of the faith that they may be attracted, inspired, and ultimately make a commitment of faith and discipleship to Jesus Christ.
Paul’s ministry and his sermon in Athens provides us with an excellent example of being sensitive to the context of the community. Paul never changed the truth of the gospel, but his sermon was adapted to speak eloquently to the Athenians. I invite you to join with me in prayerfully discerning how we can share the Gospel and worship in a way that brings glory to God, inspiration to the faithful, and speaks in a way that those who are new in seeking God may hear the news of salvation in a way that leads to faith and abundant life.
Prayer:
Almighty God, in whom we live and move and have our being, who made us for yourself, so that our hearts are restless till they rest in you: we give you thanks. As we seek to rededicate our life and work to you, grant us purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing your will, or weakness from doing it; but that in your light we may see light clearly, and in your service find our perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- after St. Augustine (with a little help from Epimenides the Cretan).
