Acts 17

Acts 17:1

17:1 After leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas traveled thirty-three miles southwest to AMPHIPOLIS (am-fip’-o-lis). Their next stop was APOLLONIA (ap-o-lo’-ni-a), another thirty miles southwest. From there they moved in a westward direction thirty-seven miles to THESSALONICA (thes-a-lo-nye’-ka). This city was strategically located on trade routes, and was thus an excellent center of commerce. The Holy Spirit chose it as a base from which the gospel would radiate in many directions. In our day, the city is known as Saloniki. Luke may have remained at Philippi when Paul and Silas left there to claim new territory for the Lord. This is suggested by the narrative changing from the first person plural (we) to the third person (they). 17:2, 3 As was their custom, the missionaries located a Jewish synagogue and preached the gospel there. For three Sabbaths Paul opened the OT and showed convincingly that it was predicted that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Having established this from the Scriptures, Paul went on to declare that Jesus of Nazareth was the long awaited Messiah. Had He not suffered, and died, and risen from the dead? Did this not prove that He was the Christ of God? 17:4-7 Some of the Jews were persuaded, and took their place with Paul and Silas as Christian believers. Also many of the Greek proselytes and not a few of the leading women of the city were converted. This provoked the unbelieving Jews to decisive action. They rounded up some of the hoodlums from the marketplace, incited a riot, and besieged the house of Jason where Paul and Silas had been guests. When they did not find Paul and Silas in the house, they dragged Jason and some of his fellow believers before the rulers of the city (politarchs). Without meaning to, they paid a genuine tribute to Paul and Silas when they described them as men who had turned the world upside down.

Then they charged them with plotting to overthrow the government of Caesar by preaching about another kingJesus. It was, to say the least, a strange thing for Jews to be so zealous in safeguarding the government of Caesar, because they had little or no love for the Roman Empire. But was their charge true? Doubtless they had heard Paul proclaim the Second Coming of Jesus to reign as king over all the earth. But this did not pose an immediate threat to Caesar, since Christ would not return to reign until Israel had repented nationally. 17:8, 9 The politarchs were troubled by these reports. They required Jason and those with him to post bail, probably adding instructions for his guests to leave the city. Then they let them go. 17:10-12 The brethren in Thessalonica decided it would be well for the preachers to leave, so they sent them away by night to BEREA. These indomitable and irrepressible evangelists went straight to the synagogue of the Jews. As they preached the gospel there, the Jews showed their open-mindedness by searching, checking, and comparing the OT Scriptures. They had a simple and teachable attitude and a determination to test all teaching by the Sacred Scriptures. Many of these Jews believed. And there were also a good number of converts from prominent Gentile women as well as men. 17:13, 14 When word trickled back to Thessalonica that Paul and Silas were carrying on their ministry in Berea, the Thessalonian Jews made a special trip to Berea and stirred up the crowds against the apostle. The brethren thereupon sent Paul toward the seacoast, accompanied by an escort of believers. They probably went as far as DIUM and sailed from there to PIRAEUS, the port city of ATHENS. Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 17:15 It was a long journey from Berea to Athens. It showed the true devotion of the Christians there that some of the brethren were willing to accompany Paul all the way. When it came time for them to leave Paul in Athens, he sent word by them for Silas and Timothy to join him with all speed. 17:16 While waiting for them at Athens, Paul was deeply burdened by the idolatry of the city. Although Athens was the center of culture, education, and fine arts, Paul was interested in none of these things. He did not occupy his time with sightseeing trips. Arnot comments: It was not that he valued marble statues less, but living men more. … He is not the weak but the strong man who regards immortal souls as transcendently more important than fine arts. … Paul did not consider idolatry picturesque and harmless, but grievous. 17:17, 18 He reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, whereas in the marketplace he preached to all who would listen. It was in this way that he came in touch with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The Epicureans were followers of a philosopher named Epicurus, who taught that pleasure and not the pursuit of knowledge is the chief end of life. The Stoics were pantheists who believed that wisdom lay in being free from intense emotion, unmoved by joy or grief, willingly submissive to natural law. When these two schools of philosophy heard Paul, they considered him a babbler (Greek, seed-picker) and a proclaimer of foreign gods, because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.17:19-21 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, a judicial body like a supreme court that met on the hill of Mars. In this particular case, it was not exactly a trial, but simply a hearing in which Paul would be given an opportunity to set forth his teaching before the members of the court and the multitude.

This is somewhat explained in verse 21. The Athenians loved to stand around and talk, and to listen to others. They seemed to have an unlimited amount of time for this. 17:22 Standing in the midst of the court, Paul delivered what has come to be known as the Mars Hill Address. It must be remembered in studying this address that he was speaking to Gentiles, not Jews. They did not have a background in the OT, so he had to find some subject of common interest with which to begin. He began with the observation that the Athenians were very religious. That Athens was indeed a religious city was well attested by the fact that it was reputed to have more idols in it than men! 17:23 When he thought of the idols he had seen, Paul was reminded of an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. He found in that inscription a point of departure for his message. The apostle saw in the inscription the recognition of two important facts. First, the fact of the existence of God, and second, the fact that the Athenians were ignorant of Him. It was then a very normal and natural transition for Paul to enlighten them concerning the true God. As someone has said, he turned the wandering stream of their piety into the right channel. 17:24, 25 Missionaries tell us that the best place to begin in teaching pagans about God is the account of creation. This is exactly where Paul began with the people of Athens. He introduced God as the One who made the world and everything in it. As he looked around on the numerous idol temples nearby, the apostle reminded his hearers that the true God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He dependent on the service of men’s hands. In idol temples, the priests often bring food and other necessities to their gods. But the true God does not need anything from man, because He is the source of life, breath, and all things. 17:26-28a Paul next discussed the origin of the human race. All nations came from the common ancestor, Adam. Not only were the nations brought forth by God, but He also arranged the years, and determined the countries in which the various peoples would dwell. He showered innumerable mercies on them in order that they might seek Him. He wanted them to grope for Him and find Him, even though in actuality He is not far from each one. It is in the true God that we live and move and have our being. He is not only our Creator but our environment as well. 17:28b To further emphasize the relationship of the creature to the Creator, Paul quoted from some of their Greek poets, who said, For we are also His offspring. This is not to be interpreted as teaching the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. We are the offspring of God in the sense that He created us, but we only become sons of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 17:29 But Paul’s argument continues. If men are the offspring of God, then it is impossible to think of God as a gold or silver or stone idol. These are shaped by art and man’s devising, and therefore are not as great as men. These idols are, in a sense, the offspring of human beings, whereas the truth is that human beings are the creation of God. 17:30 Having exposed the folly of idolatry, Paul goes on to state that for many centuries God overlooked the ignorance of the Gentiles. But now that the revelation of the gospel has come, He commands all men everywhere to repent, that is, to do an about-face. 17:31 This is an urgent message, because God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Man whom He has ordained. The judgment referred to here will take place when Christ returns to earth to put down His enemies and begin His Millennial Reign. The positive assurance that this will take place is found in the fact that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Thus Paul leads up to his favorite theme, the resurrection of Christ. 17:32, 33 Perhaps Paul did not finish his message. It may be that he was interrupted by the scorn of those who mocked at the idea of a resurrection of the dead. Others did not mock, but hesitated. They delayed taking any action by saying, We will hear you again on this matter. They counted the time of closing with Christ an evil day. They couldn’t say Never but Not Now.17:34 However, it would not be right to say that Paul’s message was a failure. After all, Dionysius believed, and he was an Areopagite, a member of the court. A woman named Damaris also believed and others whose names are not given. So Paul departed from among them. We hear no more of Athens. To centers of persecution Paul returned again, but to intellectual flippancy, there was nothing more to be said (Selected). Some people criticize this sermon because it seems to praise the Athenians for their religiosity when actually they were gross idolaters; it supposes a recognition of the true God from an inscription that might have been intended for an idol; it seems to accommodate itself too much to the manners and customs of the Athenians; and it does not present the gospel as clearly and forcibly as some other messages by the apostle. These criticisms are unjustified. We have already sought to explain that Paul first sought a point of contact, then by easy steps he led his hearers first to the knowledge of the true God, then to the necessity of repentance in view of Christ’s coming as judge. It is sufficient vindication of Paul’s preaching that souls were genuinely converted through it.

EXCURSUS ON UNCONVENTIONAL PULPITS Paul’s preaching on Mars Hill is an illustration of the unconventional places in which the early believers preached the word. The open air was a favorite. At Pentecost the message may have been preached out of doors, judging from the number who heard and were saved (Act_2:6, Act_2:41). Other general instances of open-air preaching are found in Act_8:5, Act_8:25, Act_8:40; Act_13:44; Act_14:8-18. The environs of the temple echoed with the message on at least three occasions (Act_3:1-11; Act_5:21, Act_5:42). Paul and his associates spoke the Word by the riverside in Philippi (Act_16:13). Here in Athens he preached in the marketplace (Act_17:17) before the address on Mars Hill. In Jerusalem he addressed an angry mob from the stairs of the fortress of Antonia (21:40-22:21). At least four times the message was declared before the Jewish Sanhedrin: by Peter and John (Act_4:8, Act_4:19); by Peter and the other apostles (Act_5:27-32); by Stephen (Act_7:2-53); and by Paul (22:30-23:10). Paul and his associates habitually preached the gospel in the synagogues (Act_9:20; Act_13:5, Act_13:14; Act_14:1; Act_17:1-2, Act_17:10, Act_17:17; Act_18:4, Act_18:19, Act_18:26; Act_19:8). Private homes were used repeatedly. Peter preached in Cornelius’ house (Act_10:22, Act_10:24). Paul and Silas witnessed in the home of the Philippian jailer (Act_16:31-32). In Corinth Paul preached in the house of Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue (Act_18:7-8). He preached till midnight in a private house in Troas (Act_20:7). He taught from house to house in Ephesus (Act_20:20) and in his own hired house in Rome (Act_28:30-31). Philip preached to an Ethiopian eunuch in a chariot (Act_8:31-35), and Paul preached on board a ship (Act_27:21-26). At Ephesus he reasoned daily in a schoolroom (Act_19:9). Paul preached in civil courts before Felix (Act_24:10), Festus (Act_25:8), and Agrippa (Act_26:1-29). In Act_8:4 we read that the persecuted believers went everywhere preaching the word. It shows that they did not think the proclamation of the message should be confined to some specially consecrated building. Wherever there were people, there was both reason and opportunity for making Christ known. A. B. Simpson agrees: The early Christians regarded every situation as an opportunity to witness for Christ. Even when brought before kings and governors, it never occurred to them that they might evade the issue and avoid identifying themselves with Christ because of being fearful of the consequences. It was simply an occasion to preach to kings and rulers whom otherwise they could not reach. It is probable that God allows every human being to cross our path in order that we may have the opportunity to leave some blessing in his path, and drop into his heart and life some influence that will draw him nearer to God. The Lord Jesus had commissioned them to Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mar_16:15). The Book of Acts shows them carrying out the command. We might add that most of the preaching in Acts was spontaneous and extemporaneous. Usually there wasn’t time to prepare a message. It was not the performance of an hour but the preparation of a lifetime. It was the preachers who were prepared, not the sermons.