One Year Journey Through the New Testament
Acts 17
Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!
Preaching Christ at Thessalonica
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
(Acts 17:1–4, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- Paul and Silas went on to Thessalonica, passing through other cities along the way.
- They found a Jewish synagogue and taught them about the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Some were persuaded after three weeks of teaching and preaching.
- A multitude of Greeks joined Paul and Silas.
Assault on Jason’s House
5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
(Acts 17:5–9, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- The non-believing Jews gathered a mob to confront the preachers, and attacked the house of Jason, looking for them. When they did not find them, they dragged Jason to the authorities, accusing him of harboring the preachers, calling them “these who have turned the world upside down.”
- They decried their message that there was another king besides Caesar (Jesus). They took bond from Jason and let him go.
Ministering at Berea
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
(Acts 17:10–15, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- After this mob tried to find the preachers, the brethren sent them away to Berea.
- Paul and Silas found a more receptive audience in the Jewish synagogue there. Many believed the gospel.
- When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that they were preaching in Berea, they stirred up the city against Paul. He was sent away to Athens, but Silas and Timothy remained to carry on the work. He instructed Silas and Timothy to come very soon to meet him.
The Philosophers at Athens
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
(Acts 17:16–21, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- While in Athens, Paul noticed the drastic level of idolatry in the city. He reasoned with the Jews in Athens, and certain philosophers asked to hear from him about this Jesus he preached.
- They brought him to the Areopagus, which was on Mars Hill, and asked him to explain his teachings. They loved to debate and reason together, so this opened a door for Paul.
Addressing the Areopagus
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
(Acts 17:22–34, NKJV)
Points to Ponder:
- Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus (Mars Hill) and spoke to the philosophers among the Athenians. He called them religious, He then pointed out the inscription on one of the temples “To the Unknown God.”
- He proclaimed that the one they worshipped without knowing Him was the God Paul preached. He did not dwell in a temple, but rather is the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth.
- It is the hope that man will grope for and find Him, as He is not far from anyone. “In Him we live and move and have our being.“. God has overlooked their ignorance, but commands repentance.
- When Paul spoke of Christ’s resurrection, they mocked, but asked him to come again to discuss more. A few of the people believed in Christ and joined Paul.
- As you can see in the images below, Mars Hill was simply a rocky crag above Athens where people gathered to discuss ideas. It was just next to the Acropolis, and above the city.
- Temples could be seen below the hill, and Paul pointed out the one erected to the unknown god. They did not want to miss a god in their worship, so they created a temple to honor any that they may not have noted. Paul used the opportunity to show them Jesus as the unknown God. He was the only one that mattered.
__________________________________________________________________________
All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.
Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.
Devoted To You 