“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, ‘What is this babbler trying to say?’ Others remarked, ‘He seems to be advocating foreign gods.’ They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.’ (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)“
Acts 17:16–21

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MARCH 17, 2025

Paul is “greatly distressed” in today’s passage. Other translators choose the word provoked, and I wonder if that is more accurate. Paul does not seem anxious; the idols that surround Paul do not cause him to shrink. Neither do they cause him to react in reckless rage. Instead, Paul reasons with the people of Athens.

I wonder: Are we provoked by the idols that surround us, today?

The Lord commands, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7). Put positively, this means that we should worship and glorify the Lord alone.

The Ten Commandments are prefaced by an important declaration: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6). This preface teaches us two important truths:

  1. God is the Yahweh (Lord), the great “I Am” (Exodus 3:14). God is transcendent, not bound by time and space. God is immanent, involving Himself in the lives of His creature.
  2. The Lord delivered Israel from Egypt and from the grip of Pharaoh—who believed himself to be a god—to take them into the land God promised to their ancestors, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3:17)

The biblical theme of deliverance is repeated throughout Scripture and climaxes with Jesus. No wonder Paul was provoked by the many idols he saw! When we are led away by an earthly or spiritual power apart from Yahweh the deliverer, we are in the processes of being enslaved yet again.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Are you enslaved to idols? What do they look like and what do they ask of you? Do you have people you can confess to, and seek freedom in Jesus?
  • Do you love your neighbor enough to be provoked by the idols you see around them?
  • Why is it important to understand the 1st commandment in light of Exodus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 5:6?

 

Church Reading Plan: Exodus 28; John 7