The Creator

Good News For The Intellectual Yet Ignorant 

5.10.26 [Acts 17:10-34] River of Life (5th Sunday of Easter)

Have you had a conversation where you felt like the other person was speaking a foreign language? If you’re at a party, you can probably get away with politely nodding and pretending like you know what they’re talking about when the conversation shifts to something outside of your knowledge base, like pop culture or geopolitics. 

But not always. Sometimes, you wish you could understand what someone is talking about. Maybe it’s when your HVAC technician starts talking about condenser coils and capacitors. Or when your internet provider asks when you last updated the firmware on your router. Perhaps a financial advisor, a lawyer, or your doctor starts using jargon that makes your head spin. Nobody likes being in a conversation where they don’t understand what someone is talking about. 

Human pride kicks into high gear in these moments. So, even though we know we don’t understand, we are too prideful to admit it. We laugh at the joke. We pay the bill. We sign the contract.  

Othertimes, our pride lashes out. We imagine they think they’re better than us. We might even assume they’re taking advantage of us. So we attack the person we don’t get for reasons we don’t understand. 

Pride causes people to pay too much and to make silly mistakes. Pride leads people to overestimate their own abilities and refuse to ask for the help they really need. But nowhere is pride more destructive and disastrous than in spiritual matters. 

Athens was always a proud city. At this point, Athens was not what it once was. But it was still one of the most important cities in the world when Paul visited. It was the cultural and intellectual leader of the Roman Empire. But as Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him, he surveyed the city. Acts 17:16 He was greatly distressed because it was full of idols. So when he wasn’t in the synagogue, Paul spent his days in the marketplace reasoning with anyone who would listen. 

It didn’t take long for some locals to take notice of Paul and his message. Acts 17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with Paul. Normally, these two groups agreed on very little. The Epicureans believed the goal of life was to find as much pleasure as you can and avoid pain whenever possible. The Stoics believed that pain and hardship were life’s greatest teachers and necessary for developing character and virtue, which were a man’s highest goal. 

But when they heard Paul talk about Acts 17:18 Jesus and the resurrection, some were baffled. Acts 17:18 He seems to be advocating foreign gods. They confused the resurrection with a deity. Others belittled Paul. What is this babbler trying to say? None of them was like the Bereans that Paul had just been ministering to. Not only did they not dig into the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true, they likely had no idea who Abraham, Moses, or David were. And they didn’t care. 

Have you ever found yourself in a spiritual conversation where the person you were talking with did not care about the Bible? For them it isn’t the authoritative & trustworthy Word of God? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? 

It feels like you are trying to share the Gospel with one hand tied behind your back. Because it’s so difficult and frustrating and foreign, we often just hit the eject button before we’ve even really tried. As soon as they dismiss the Bible, we act as if we don’t have a leg to stand on. 

And that’s why this section of Scripture is so important for us. Because Paul draws on the testimonies that God has given us outside of his Word to lead people to see that there is only one God.

So where do you begin when you can’t begin with the Bible? Well, Paul got to know the people of Athens. He walked through their city and looked carefully at their objects of worship. He observed their culture and their values. And he noticed a strange altar among the many. To an unknown god. A strange inscription, right? Not to Athens. 

Around 600 B.C. Athens was experiencing a terrible plague. They tried everything and nothing stopped the plague. A Cretan sage told them to release a bunch of black and white sheep from the Areopagus, and wherever the sheep lay down, they should sacrifice the animal there and dedicate it to whatever deity claimed that site. 

Paul used this altar as his spiritual workbench. After being brought to a meeting of the Areopagus, Paul stood up and commended their religious fervor. He told them he wanted to bring to light the God that they did not know. Despite all her intelligence and zeal, Athens did not know the One true God. Paul made the unknown known that day. He told them about the God who made the world and everything in it. He told them God did not live in a temple and didn’t need anything from people. Paul began with creation. 

Paul told them that the Lord of heaven & earth was not petty or selfish like the Pantheon of Greek gods. He was the God of all nations. He was the God who shaped history and put kings on their thrones and then in their graves. He did all this because he wants us to seek him, to know him, and to repent of our sins. Paul told them there was a day coming when this God would judge the whole world with justice by the man he raised from the dead. He continued by pressing their consciences. 

And you see the reaction. As soon as Paul talked about the resurrection of the dead, the sneering began. But not from everyone. Some were curious. God even brought one of the members of the Areopagus to faith, a man by the name of Dionysius, along with Damaris, and a number of others. It’s amazing that Paul was even this successful. 

But what’s the point? Other than being a cool story and an interesting approach to speaking the truth, what value is there here for us today? When are we ever going to need to tell philosophers about God? 

It’s easy for us to think these ways of thinking are of the past, but they’re not. We live among modern Epicureans and Stoics. 

So many live like Epicureans today, even if they know nothing of the philosophy. They go to great lengths to curate an exquisite life. They want to have the best of everything. They know all the best spots and trips. And they have no idea how to process pain or grief or hardships. They assume life should be great and they’re shocked when it’s not. 

Modern Stoics think most are soft. Too sensitive for the real world. Modern Stoics search out obstacles. They put themselves through pain. They focus on living with intentionality, staying present, and expressing gratitude. They take ice baths and maintain strict diets. They do strange and hard things because they believe it develops their character. 

They have dramatically different worldviews, but the same idol. The unknown god they worship is right there in the mirror. The pleasure seeker is the Epicurean looking for her next dopamine rush. The strict tough guy is desperate to prove that he can handle any challenge that life might throw his way. So what can you do? What can you say? 

What did Paul do? He was disturbed by what he saw. But his agitation led him to action. He looked at the idols and the altars and learned what the Athenians valued and why. Then he spoke to them directly. 

And that’s our challenge isn’t it? Sometimes, we just don’t say anything. We tell ourselves it’s none of our business. That people should be able to do whatever they want so long as they aren’t hurting anybody. But it’s not true. By worshipping themselves, they are hurting themselves. 

You should be disturbed by that. You should want to do something about it. But what? Talk to them. Not down to them. Not past them by using language and terms they don’t understand. Don’t tiptoe around the real altars and idols they have in their hearts and lives. Talk to them. 

Then listen. And pray. And speak with clarity & confidence about Christ. Too many people who don’t believe in Jesus don’t really know who he is. Too many who have dismissed Christianity only know a caricature. 

Talk to the people who are content to say they are spiritual but not religious. Ask them what that means. Roam around in the roads of their heart. You will find their altars. They want inner peace. They think that organized religion is intolerant, power-hungry, and quarrelsome. Show them that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He loved the lost and the marginalized. He confronted power-hungry religious leaders and they crucified him. But he endured all this so that we might have real peace, not surface peace, but peace that passes all understanding. Our greatest enemy is not the ego or avarice of others, but our own sin. 

Talk to people who are more concerned with political issues and ask them why it matters so much to them. Listen carefully, and they’ll tell you about their idols and altars. They long for freedom, certainty, and safety. Show them that no prince or power cares for them like Christ. He is the God who is over all and in all and works through all. He has won for us freedom from sin, guilt, and shame. He defends us as a great Warrior. He guides as a Good Shepherd. We have better in Jesus.

Talk to people who treasure earthly relationships. They love their kids. Their parents. Their neighbors. They want a community that is kind and charitable. Ask them why this is so important. Why does community make life worth living? Remind them that all these things are blessings from our heavenly Father. We don’t pick our family. We have so little control over where we live and none over when we live. What they want is to love and to be loved. We know where that desire comes from and who made us to carry it out. Point them to the Father’s love in sending his Son. Show them how Jesus laid down his life for his friends. Open their eyes to see the glorious community that awaits us in heaven. Show them the beauty of the parable of the prodigal son. 

These conversations don’t have to feel like we’re speaking another language. At least not for long. Because God has equipped you to be a spiritual sherpa or a guide to the things of God. You know who your God is. You know what he has done. But not everyone else knows what you do. So ask questions. Immerse yourself in dialogue. Talk to them. Not down to them. Not past them. Not around the issues. Talk to them about Jesus. And see what the creator of heaven and earth will do with his word. Amen.