SS11-23-03
“CONFRONTING OTHER WORLD VIEWS.”
ACTS 17: 16-17, 18-20, 22-23, 24-28, 29-31.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ACTS 17.
Last Sunday we traveled along with Paul and Barnabas as they established the churches in Asia Minor. At the conclusion of their first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas returned and reported to the church at Antioch in Syria. Acts 14:27-28 says, “Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time; this was about one year.”
In addition to proclaiming the gospel, Paul also recognized his responsibility to mature the new believers in their faith. In Acts 15: 16 we find that “after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘let us go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the Word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John Mark. But Paul insisted that they should not take him with them, because he had deserted them on the first journey. The contention became so sharp that they parted. Barnabas took his cousin Mark and sailed to Cyprus. But Paul took Silas and departed.
Paul and Silas went through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches. In Lystra a disciple named Timothy joined the missionary team. Paul wanted to preach the word in Asia; especially in the famous city of Ephesus, where God wanted Paul to go at a later date, but not now.
Paul was not permitted by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia at this time. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia they came to Troas where Paul waited for direction from the Holy Spirit.
In the night a vision appeared to Paul. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with Paul saying, “come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul responded to the call. With Luke, Silas and Timothy he crossed the Aegean Sea from Troas to Philippi. We could call the events that followed, “The invasion of Europe by the Word of God.” The invasion of Europe was not in the mind of Paul, but it was evidently in the mind of the Holy Spirit.
We now must skip over the wonderful things that occurred in Phillipi, Thessalonica, and Berea as our lesson today concerns Paul’s experiences in Athens, the leading city of Greece. Athens was not only the center of the intellectual but also the religious center of the ancient world, for in it was the seat of all the prevailing schools of philosophy and religion.
When Paul left Berea for Athens he left Silas and Timothy in Berea. Luke had evidently left the party in Philippi. Paul had sent word back to Berea that Silas and Timothy should join him immediately. In the mean time he would be a tourist in Athens.
Our lesson opens on Mar’s Hill in Athens, Greece. The time was probably 50 AD, The focal passage is Paul’s sermon preached to the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers.
PLEASE READ ACTS 17: 16-17.
Today we consider the first impression which Athens made on Paul and the first impression that Paul made on Athens. For 500 years Athens had been the center for art and philosophy in the Mediterranean world. In Paul’s day the city had little left except pride in the past. Its religion was bankrupt; its philosophers spent their time in shallow argumentation. The glory days of Athens were in the past, but Athens was still a center for education and of impressive buildings and statues.
At its zenith Athens was home to the most renowned philosophers in history, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who was the most influential philosopher of all. Athens was also the religious center of Greece. Virtually every deity known to man could be worshipped there. It was said that there were more gods in Athens than there were men.
Unfortunately, from Paul’s point of view, many of the impressive sights in Athens were connected with idolatry. Luke tells us that Athens was wholly given to idolatry; it was full of idols. We might say it was ‘smothered with idols’ or ‘swamped’ by them. What Paul saw was a ‘veritable’ forest of idols.
Paul represented a totally different worldview on this subject. Visitors to Jerusalem would have seen many impressive sights, but they would have found no statues or idols, except for some in areas occupied by Romans.
Two things impressed Paul in Athens. Not the Parthenon or other places of worship but it was that the city was full of idols and (2) one altar bore an inscription to an Unknown god. Paul’s spirit was provoked within him. He was angry—He was in a rage. Men were worshipping everything, and therefore were worshipping nothing.
Paul
was not the kind of person to mope about because he was alone in this
pagan city. While he waited for Timothy and Silas, he began a one-man
missionary ministry. He began as he usually did in the synagogue with
the Jews, and with the God-fearing Greeks. He reasoned with them. But
Paul did not limit himself to one place, one day, and one group. He
went in to the marketplace or Agora. He went there daily. The
marketplace was the shopping and social center of most Greek cities.
People of all kinds came there, and Paul talked with them that met
with him. That is, he witnessed to “those who happened to be
there.”
In these two venues Paul confronted people with a
variety of worldviews. As a Jewish Christian, Paul’s worldview
had much in common with the Jews in the synagogue. They believed in
the same God and in the same scriptures. They differed in their view
about the deity of Jesus and their attitude toward Gentiles. It is
not surprising that many converts came from this group.
In the marketplace, Paul must have encountered people with all kinds of worldviews. In first-century society were many who believed in the old Greek gods of Mount Olympus. Others had lost faith in any gods. Some were adherents of one of the mystery religions. Still others followed one of the leading philosophies. As a result of his preaching in the marketplace, Paul came to the attention of certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.
PLEASE READ ACTS 17: 18-20.
Epicurus lived 342-270 B.C. He taught that pleasure is the primary goal of life. The pleasure might be sensual or it might be avoiding any pain or discomfort. Followers of Epicurus believed that the ancient gods were unconcerned about human affairs. They denied any meaningful life after death and placed all their attention on finding pleasure in this life. Paul’s Christian worldview had little in common with the Epicureans. He experienced happiness, but it was the kind of joy that comes from a life surrendered to God.
Zeno, who lived about 336-264 B.C. founded the Stoics. He taught that self-discipline is life’s primary goal. He taught a form of pantheism, in which everything has some divinity. The demand for self-mastery of feelings and actions formed high moral demands, which led to pride or frustration.
The Stoics believed that at death the divine spark returned to the great world soul from which it had come. About the only thing Paul had in common with the Stoics was his emphasis on self-control. However, Paul saw this as a fruit of the Spirit, not as a personal achievement in which to take pride.
There is no record of any impression being made by the sermons preached in the synagogue to the Jews. The first impression he made on the Greeks in Athens was one of “contempt.”
The members of these two schools of philosophy were among those who heard Paul’s words in the marketplace. They were not favorably impressed with Paul or his message. They called him a babbler or charlatan. Babbler literally means “seed-picker.” It was used as a derisive description of a plagiarist who would continually prate to anyone who paid him attention.
They also thought Paul was a setter forth of strange gods, or a preacher of foreign deities, advocating foreign gods. Paul was actually telling the good news about Jesus, and the resurrection. Paul’s purpose was to lead the philosophers from paganism to worship and to serve the true God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The philosophers probably thought that Jesus was the name of a male god and the resurrection (anastasis) was His female consort—like the Greek god Zeus and his wife Hera. The Greek word for resurrection is feminine in gender.
The philosophers were critical of Paul, but they invited him to present his views in a more formal setting. They may have been motivated by curiosity mixed with some genuine interest. They brought him unto Areopagus. This means “hill of Ares,” referring to the Greek name for the god of war. Mars was the Roman counterpart. Originally this referred to a hill in Athens. The King James Version has Mars’ hill in vs. 22..
Our world is similar in many ways to the world Paul was trying to win to Christ. Are we as faithful as he was to making known the good news of Jesus?
PLEASE READ ACTS 17: 22-23.
Mars’ Hill was the Roman equivalent of the Greek Areopagus. It was the place of the supreme court of Athens. We are not told who heard Paul in the Areopagus. Some of the audience were Epicureans and Stoics, but the council included others. He addressed them as men of Athens. Vs. 34 says at least one of the converts was a woman. She may have heard Paul in the marketplace or she may have been at this called meeting of the Areopagus.
Paul’s beginning words seem to have addressed the problem of idolatry, which was not one of the philosophers’ problems so much as a problem for the idol-worshiping public. Addressing his audience, Paul noted his perception that they were very religious. Lest they might have missed a god whose name they did not know, in order not to offend it, they erected an altar to “the unknown god.” (Agnosto Theo). Note our word “agnostic.”
The spirit of idolatry is still with us. I very much question whether one can find any temple or altar or idol in Athens that cannot be reproduced in the great cities of America today. There is a beautiful scale model of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tenn. As far as I know it is not used for worship. Nor is it used for the Southern Baptist Headquarters.
Later in his sermon Paul showed that their idolatry was superstition, but he probably began by setting the common ground that they were a religious people too. In a sense, idolatry was a form of religion. Today many people are very religious but not Christian. Some of Jesus’ worst enemies were very religious.
Whatever the original intention of the dedication to the unknown God, it provided Paul with his point of contact, with a text for what he had to say. This God whom they worshipped, while confessing that they did not know him, was the God who Paul now proposed to make known to them.
PLEASE READ ACTS 17: 24-28.
The introduction to a sermon is designed to get the attention of the audience. We can be certain that Paul had this. They were “all ears” as they eagerly gave Paul their undivided attention. Without delay Paul plunged into his message. Paul knew if he did not get the ear of his audience in the first few minutes, he likely would not get it at all.
After the introductory words Paul did not quote a Scripture passage as he might have done in a Jewish synagogue, but he did begin with the foundational teaching of the Bible—divine creation. He told them that the God whom they did not know was none other than the Creator of the world and all things therein. He is not only the creator of all things but also Lord of heaven and earth. He did not leave the earth to go its own way, but He is the Ruler and Sustainer of the earth and of the people of the earth.
The biblical doctrine of creation confronts idolatry by revealing the God who made us, not by looking to an image made by human beings. It confronted the Epicurean notion that the gods have no concern for people. It confronted the Stoic pantheism by clearly separating the divine Creator from His highest creation. Here and throughout the sermon the apostle cut the ground from under the whole system of these philosophers.
In Vs. 24 Paul declared that God is a Spirit and cannot be confined to buildings. As Paul made this statement he may have pointed to the Acropolis with its Parthenon and other lesser temples. God cannot be confined to a building. Neither is God served by human hands, as if He needed anything. The true God gives to all people life, breath, and the whole of everything they need.
Not only is God interested in the affairs of men, but, Paul declared Him to be the God of history. This does not mean God is responsible for the evil acts of men and nations. It does mean He acts within the context of history to accomplish His benevolent and redemptive purpose.
Paul affirms the unity of the human race with a common origin in Adam, and with God as the Creator. This ran counter to both Jewish and Greek exclusiveness. Though people may dwell all over the face of the earth they are one in God’s sight.
God has set the time of the rising of nations and their boundaries. No nation emerges from the womb of time as a surprise to God; no nation enters the grave of history without His knowledge of it.
Vs. 27 pictures the groping darkness of pagan people. The Athenians were seeking God but in the wrong way. God’s purpose is that all people will worship Him. When a lost world failed to worship and serve Him, He sent His Son to seek and find it. Those who want to find God can find him, for “He is not far from every one of us.” This is quite a different picture than the absentee gods of the Epicureans. It is also contrary to the thought of the Stoics that we are not alone in life’s struggles.
Up to this point Paul’s intellectual sword had stripped away the various tenets held by these philosophies. Now in Vs. 28 he drove his weapon through their hearts. He had dealt with both philosophies, but especially with that of the Epicureans. Vs. 28 is actually quotes from two Stoics. Paul used what they wrote to declare the truth about God.
“In him we live, and move and have our being” is possibly a modification of part of a poem by Epimenides, a sage of Greece in the sixth century B.C.
PLEASE READ ACTS 17: 29-31.
In Vs. 29 Paul drew a logical conclusion from the very words of these Stoic writers. Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to worship anything of a material nature. We should not even think of bowing before images made out of gold, silver, or stone no matter how beautiful an artist can make them.
Common sense, to say nothing about the Bible, tells us that the maker is greater than the thing made. It is utter folly, therefore, for a person to worship an idol some other person has made. To bring this up to date we need only to see those who worship things rather than God who made them.
People make things out of a variety of materials, and the human makers control the idols. This is very different from being the offspring of God. God created us and should control us. When idol worshipers go to their god for help, they find none.
Thus far in his message Paul had shown the folly of paganism. He had totally dismantled the smug systems of these philosophers. So he called them to turn to this “UNKNOWN GOD” whom he had declared unto them. No, said the apostle, I am not a setter forth of a foreign God; I am here to set forth the God to whom you have already erected an altar.
Paul really began with the note of conciliation and from beginning to end there was nothing calculated to offend, or drive away the men whom he desired to gain. In this address he recognized their religious instincts. Every idol proved their capacity for God.
He dealt with his listeners in terms of their own understanding. Next he turned to the heart of the matter as he called on them to act on what he told them.
Until now the philosophers had not known about the true God. Indeed, men everywhere were lacking full knowledge of God until His full and final revelation in Jesus Christ.
“Winked at” reads as if until this time God had condoned sin. Here the sense is “overlooking.” God always has been opposed to sin. Here the sin is idolatry with its attendant evils. The First Commandment forbids having “other gods before Me.” The O.T. bristles with God’s opposition to idol worship.
Vs. 30 says, “Man in his ignorance was not able to discover God through natural revelation, so God gave a new revelation (in Christ).” Now, man must repent or perish. In true gospel fashion Paul called for repentance on the part of all people---Jew and Gentile alike. God had been patient and forbearing with them. But this day of divine forbearance was now past. Thus it was time to repent. Notice three things about repentance: (1) This was God’s command, not His request. (2) This applied to all men everywhere. (3) The time to repent is now. God has appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness. This is one appointment everyone will keep (Heb. 9:27).
Into these few sentences the whole fact of the Christian religion is condensed. In Vs. 31 Paul referred to the final judgment with Jesus Christ as the judge. Even though he did not use Jesus’ name, he certainly referred to Jesus. In Vs. 18 Paul was speaking to this body to explain what he meant by: “Jesus and the resurrection.” The philosophers thought he spoke of two new Gods. Where as in vs. 18 he used the noun anastasin, in Vs. 31 he used the verb form anastesas. Thus they realized that he spoke of an act, not a person. The concept of raising someone from the dead was foreign to their philosophies.
In Vs. 32 they cut Paul short by abruptly ending the meeting. We are left in the dark as to what Paul might have said otherwise. The sudden ending was caused by those who heard Paul speak of “the resurrection of dead men.” At least, the Stoics would have accepted the survival of the spirit. But the resurrection of a dead man? No!
Some began to mock (jest and laugh) and continued to do so. Others, however, told Paul they would like to hear more at a later time. Paul then left the group.
Did Paul fail in Athens. Some say he did. They hold he failed because he preached philosophy and not the gospel there. “Jesus Christ, and him crucified,” always was Paul’s message, and he preached it in Athens. (Jesus resurrection from the dead, implies His death by crucifixion). Paul preached this message within the context of the philosophers’ understanding.
What of the fruit of this sermon? Certain men glued themselves to Paul and believed in Jesus Christ. Among them was one of the twelve judges making up this court. Also, a woman of such prominence as to be mentioned by name. And others with them.
Did Paul fail at Athens? Not at all! We can always be grateful that Paul gave to the world this sermon he preached in Athens.
NEXT SUNDAY THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL IS DEMONSTRATED THROUGH THE CHANGED LIFE OF SAUL OF TARSUS. ACTS 21:27-22:29. A.V. DAUGHERTY 11-26-03