Acts 17:16-34 - God's Man Confronts Satan's City

God’s Man Confronts Satan’s City

Acts 17 : 16 – 34 Lesson 62

Athens dazzled visitors with marble temples, exquisite sculpture, and a roll-call of philosophical giants—Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, Zeno. Yet beneath the brilliance Paul saw a city “full of idols” (v 16)—a shrine to human pride and demonic deception. Luke invites us to watch the apostle’s lone confrontation with the intellectual capital of the ancient world and to learn how one gospel-anchored believer can pierce a culture saturated with false gods.

I. What Athens Did to Paul (vv 16–17)

Observation Text Explanation

Spiritual Sight “He saw that the city was full of idols.” Paul looked past glittering architecture to the souls behind the statues. He measured a city by its worship, not its skyline (1 Sam 16 : 7).

Holy Agony “His spirit was provoked within him.” Paroxynō – a violent inner spasm. Paul felt what Jesus felt when He wept over Jerusalem: zeal for God’s glory and heartache for blind

worshippers.

Immediate Action “So he reasoned … in the synagogue Emotion became evangelism. He talked to anyone—religious Jews, God-fearing Gentiles, or casual shoppers in the agora.

and in the marketplace every day. ”

Lesson: A Christian who sees idolatry and shrugs will never change a city. Vision → Emotion → Action.

II. Who Confronted Paul (vv 18–21)

1. Epicureans

Founded by Epicurus (342–270 BC)

Core ideas:

Universe formed by chance atoms—no design, no providence.

Gods, if they exist, are distant and indifferent.

Death ends all consciousness.

Therefore, pursue pleasure (moderate, not reckless) as life’s highest good.

2. Stoics

Founded by Zeno (334–262 BC); taught in the Stoa Poikilē (Painted Porch).

Core ideas:

Pantheism—everything participates in the divine Logos.

History is endlessly cyclical and fated; accept it with cold virtue.

Emotions are disturbances; cultivate apatheia (impassive self-sufficiency).

Their Reactions

Mockery: “What does this babbler [lit. seed-picker] want to say?”—a scavenger picking philosophical scraps.

Misinterpretation: They thought he preached two deities—“Jesus” and “Anastasis” (the Greek word for resurrection).

Curiosity: Athens loved “something new” (v 21). They invite Paul to the Areopagus—first a rocky hill, later also the elite council that vetted new religious ideas.

III. What Paul Said to Athens (vv 22–31)

Paul’s address is a master-class in contextualized evangelism—without compromise.

Contact – Common Ground (vv 22–23)

Compliments their religious impulse: “very religious.”

Bridges to the altar “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.”

“What you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

2. Character – Who God Is (v 24)

Creator of heaven and earth.

Lord—not confined to temples.

3. Care – How God Relates (vv 25–27)

Gives life, breath, everything.

Sovereign over nations and their times.

Purpose: that humans seek Him; He is “not far.”

4. Citation – Speaking Their Language (v 28)

Quotes Epimenides (“In Him we live…”) and Aratus/Cleanthes (“we are His offspring”).

Uses their poets to expose their inconsistency—if we are God’s offspring, God cannot be a gold-statue.

5. Correction – Confronting Idolatry (v 29)

Idols reduce God to man-made art; this is ignorance.

6. Command – Call to Repentance (vv 30–31)

“God now commands all people everywhere to repent.”

Why? A fixed Day of Judgment by a Man God appointed.

Proof: God raised Him from the dead. (The sermon’s climax.)

IV. How Athens Responded to God (vv 32–34)

Response Description Outcome

Contempt Some mocked the resurrection—philosophical snobbery. Walked away unchanged.

Curiosity “We will hear you again.” Intellectual postponement. Opportunity deferred; the Bible records no later decision.

Conversion “Some men joined him and believed.” Birth of the Athenian church.

Names: Dionysius the Areopagite, Damaris, and others.

Lesson: The gospel always provokes a threefold response—reject, defer, receive. Our task is to present; God handles results.

V. Timeless Applications

Cultivate Spiritual Sight – Evaluate your city by its worship, not its wealth.

Feel Holy Jealousy – Let God’s dishonor move you to tears and testimony.

Speak Daily in the Marketplace – Take the gospel where people actually live, work, and debate.

Bridge Without Blurring – Start where hearers are, but end at Christ crucified and risen.

Expect Mixed Results – Faithfulness is measured by proclamation, not popularity.

Outline for Teaching / Preaching

I. Paul’s Distress in a City of Idols (16–17)

II. Athens’ Philosophers Confront the Gospel (18–21)

III. Paul’s Areopagus Address (22–31)

A. Contact – Unknown God

B. Character – Creator, Lord

C. Care – Giver, Seeker

D. Citation – Greek poets

E. Correction – Folly of Idolatry

F. Command – Repent; Judgment; Resurrection

IV. Threefold Response (32–34)

V. Lessons for Modern Athenians