A Strange Idea

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

A STRANGE IDEA

Acts 17:16-21

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute 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. 19 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? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

NIV

We are now with Paul in the Greek city of Athens, where there were many idols throughout the city. We are familiar with Greek mythology, including gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and Hades. The point is that Paul used that to start talking about Jesus and the resurrection. The group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers disputed what Paul was saying. Interestingly, the Epicureans did not acknowledge any gods, except in name, but they absolutely denied that any gods exercised any government over the world or its inhabitants. Instead, they believe good was defined by the gratification of the appetites of the senses. So they would not believe in any resurrection. As for the Stoics, they did not deny the existence of the gods but believed that all human affairs were governed by fate, so they too would not have believed in a resurrection. Is it any wonder they disputed the idea that Jesus was a god who came to earth, died, was resurrected, and then went back to heaven? They must have thought Paul was out of his mind. However, there is another truth here regarding them taking Paul to the Areopagus so he could speak to them about this strange idea. These were men who sat around all day, spending their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. Here is where we come into this story. Why would we want to sit and listen to all the latest ideas, or ideologies, philosophies, or other human thoughts about life, or listen to ideas about astrology or astrological signs that determine our personality? There has been the New Age movement, using the rainbow, plus all sorts of human ideas that have no meaning of truth about God. Paul was not persuaded by their thinking, but was steadfast in the truth about Jesus. We will get to his great speech before all those men, but for now, we should learn that we know the truth, we listen to the voice of the Spirit within us, rather than to the meaningless ideas of men. We should be careful not to be influenced by men's strange ideas, but rather to be the influencers of men, telling them the strange idea about Jesus.