A WORD FOR TODAY, November 19, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 19, 2021
“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be advocating foreign deities,’ because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about? For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.’ Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” Acts 17:16-21, WEB
What lead Paul to Berea and then to Athens? Earlier in chapter 17, Paul was staying with a man named Jason in Thessalonica. When some Jews became jealous of the impact they were having, they went to Jason’s house to arrest Paul, but when they were not found, Jason and some others were arrested and thrown in jail. Luke writes, “When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.” This means they posted bond and were set free, but the people were agitated. Jason and some others eventually went to another place to preach and impact the world with the Gospel.
But first they sent Paul and Silas away; the disciples of Jesus were constantly harassed and threatened, sending them from town to town. They ended up in Berea, but the Jews in Thessalonica heard they were still preaching. They traveled about 45 miles to where Paul was preaching to continue agitating the crowds. Paul and Silas were sent away again, and they ended up in Athens. There were people in Athens who spent all their time debating the religious and philosophical issues of the day. When you follow social media, you find too many people who are still living that type of life. I confess that I spend too much time reading the comments under Facebook posts.
Most of us have much more to deal with in this world to be so concerned about debate twenty-four hours a day, but as we watch the media it seems that there are some people who thrive in this type of environment and constantly voice their opinions with passion. As in the days of Paul, it seems like some people like to talk just to hear their own voice. This is not always a bad thing, because we learn from one another as we converse about the issues that affect our lives. If we were unwilling to discuss our perspective with others they would never know there is a difference, and neither would we. However, we have to be willing to both speak and to listen, and too many people are not willing to listen.
The men in Athens thought Paul was teaching about some strange new God. They took him to the place where they spent all their time debating and asked him to explain. He shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, showing them the true identity of the “unknown god” they had in their temples. Some may have listened and been changed by faith in Jesus Christ. Others may have simply heard it as another new thing to ponder, never coming to faith.
We are getting ready to gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays, and some of those gatherings are likely to end up in heated discussions about the issues of our day. In our own conversations, we learn quickly that some people will hear and be changed, while others will never be willing to acknowledge that there is another possible perspective. It might be better to avoid those discussions, but we need to continue to talk and listen so that we can find some common ground to work together for the sake of everyone. The common ground for Christians is much narrower and broader at the same time. Our common ground is Jesus Christ, the foundation of all things related to our faith. All our conversations need to begin with Him, through prayer and His Word, so that it will be founded in grace, and truth, and love.
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