Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever left a significant meeting feeling like a failure or at least feeling you didn’t achieve your ultimate goals? Perhaps you had a sales presentation or some business negotiations or a job interview or a meeting with teachers of your children or you had the opportunity to give a presentation to a large group of people.
I think that’s a bit of what Paul felt as he left the Areopagus that day in Athens, about 50ad. We’ve been traveling with Paul, the Pharisee turned apostle, and he had a once in a lifetime opportunity to present the Gospel to some of the most intelligent men on the planet in Athens. Over the past few days, we’ve looked closely at Paul’s words, and they seem impressive, clear, concise and convincing. They are recorded in Acts 17.
When I left you yesterday Paul had concluded his ‘sermon’ with these very challenging words: “God 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 everyone by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) You’ll notice Paul did not use the name Jesus when referring to the person God raised from the dead. Resurrection of the dead was a concept beginning to fascinate some Greek philosophers.
I can see why some in the Areopagus responded to Paul by saying “We want to hear you again on this subject.” For Paul the Gospel of Jesus Christ was built on several key foundation blocks. Here at the Areopagus Paul had already covered some of them… the uniqueness of God the Creator of the universe; and God the source and sustainer of all life, especially human life; the fallacy of idolatry with man-made idols; God holding humanity accountable and an eventual day of judgment and reckoning.
But Paul had so much more to explain specifically all about Jesus, God the Son... His incarnation, His sinless life, His atonement death and resurrection and His ascension back to heaven from which He reigns Sovereign over all things while He saves any and all people who repent of their sin and turn to Jesus for salvation from their sin condemnation.
Paul knew, however, that these wise Athenian men could only absorb so much new spiritual information at one time, so Paul’s brief comment about God’s day of judgment and the Man God raised from the dead being the Judge on that day, was intended to stir in them sufficient interest for more that they’d invite him back again.
It appears after Paul made those final statements about judgment day and the Man of resurrection, he simply waited, allowing these intelligent men time to think, to briefly discuss and to decide what would happen next. While Luke does not tell us exactly what the reaction of the Areopagus intelligentsia was, I think it’s fair to imagine some laughed at Paul, some ridiculed him for his presentation and his ideas, but some were deeply moved to further thought about idolatry and Greek philosophy which permeated Greek culture in Athens. In the end some at least indicated they’d like to hear Paul again.
As Paul was descending Mars Hill after his speech, I wonder if the words of their response resonated in his mind: “We want to hear you again on this subject.” (Acts 17:32) I notice that no definitive date was set and perhaps Paul wondered what the protocol was for the Areopagus? Was he expected to return the next day, or should he wait for some follow up invitation with a specific day and time?
From what we know Dr. Luke, the author of Acts, was not with Paul in Athens, having remained behind either in Philippi or Thessalonica, and Luke gives us no further details. In fact, are you ready for this? We have no record that Paul was ever given another opportunity to return to the Areopagus!
Luke records this summary statement next: “Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. After this, Paul then left Athens and went to Corinth” (Acts 17:33) What? That sounds abrupt, doesn’t it? Now I ask you my friends, what do you conclude from Luke’s brief statement? We know Paul was waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him in Athens. You’ll recall Paul had left them in Berea. (Acts 17:14,15) We don’t know how long Paul was in Athens and as I read Luke’s description it seems to me Timothy and Silas did not rejoin Paul until later in Corinth (Acts 18:5)
If true, none of Paul’s traveling companions were with him in Athens, he was alone in this strange city, and if he did not receive a return invitation to the Areopagus, I imagine these may have been discouraging days for Paul.
We know shortly after Paul had arrived in Athens, he had done what he usually did. Paul had searched for and found the Jewish Synagogue and began meeting there with the Jewish men, God fearing Greeks, and the local Rabbi (Acts 17:17) but we have no record of anyone responding to Paul’s presentation of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.
We know Paul reasoned with a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (Acts 17:18) but again Luke gives us no evidence any of them responded to Paul’s Gospel. And we know Paul met once with the Areopagus, as we’ve studied closely over the past few days.
We celebrate that one member of this distinguished group named Dionysius did come to Paul for further discussions and did become a believer in Jesus. We are also told of a woman named Damaris, and Luke tells us “A number of others”, but it seems this group of people who responded to the Gospel of Jesus in Athens are very few in number.
Because we can assume the name of Jesus had not been known in Athens before Paul arrived, I’m assuming when Paul left, this little group faced some challenging times ahead in their attempt to grow spiritually and share with others what they had learned from Paul.
In fact, we have no record that the apostle Paul ever returned to visit Athens nor any evidence that Paul ever wrote a letter to those few early Christians in Athens! If all this is true, what do you suppose Paul was feeling as he walked away from Athens, turning around often to look back on the imposing buildings built high on the hills overlooking Athens?
Ahead of Paul was a city unlike any he had yet visited… Corinth! This big, bustling city was famous for commerce and being a port city received goods and people from all over the known world. While Athens was a fairly quiet, thoughtful, philosophical and religious regional center, Corinth was very much the opposite. Noisy, bustling, busy with activity and all the hedonistic pursuits of selfish indulgence such a city offers travelers.
Luke gives us no record of the duration of Paul’s trip from Athens to Corinth, but if Timothy, Silas and Luke still have not rejoined Paul, I can imagine Paul making this journey alone, in deep reflection on all he has experienced and wondering what is ahead for him. Perhaps Paul even stopped occasionally to talk with travelers coming from the direction of Corinth, asking them questions which would begin to inform him about what was awaiting him at the end of this road… Corinth.
I have no doubt Paul prayed as he walked. Only God knew what awaited Paul ahead.
That is true for you and me too on this Tuesday, my friends. Only God knows what is ahead for you and me and all of us. So, let’s walk with Paul, reflecting as he is I’m sure, on what he has experienced thus far in the Macedonian cities of Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and now the Greek city of Athens.
What does the journey of your recent past look like and what is God saying about your future and mine? Here’s a song to help us reflect today. . .
Today’s Scripture is Acts 17:32-18:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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