Acts 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Acts 17

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews¹ were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10 The brothers² immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul in Athens

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,³ 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;⁴

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’⁵

29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Footnotes

[1] 17:5 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 13
[2] 17:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 14
[3] 17:24 Greek made by hands
[4] 17:28 Probably from Epimenides of Crete
[5] 17:28 From Aratus’s poem “Phainomena”

Commentary

v1-4: Paul reasons with the Jews in the synagogue, using the scriptures to proclaim the message of Christ. He follows this pattern later in Athens, v17. We have a thoroughly reasonable faith, based on clear facts.

v5: Persecution from the Jews, as in v13. They use "some bad characters" to attack the Christians; we should not expect those who oppose us to show integrity.

v6-9: The effectiveness of a tiny band of Christians; they proclaimed Christ "all over the world." Again, their accusation is about legality, as in 16.21, this time that the message challenges the authority of Caesar himself.

The apostles had turned the world "upside down." They had challenged Roman customs (16.20-21) and Jewish customs (18.13). Whilst the message was not primarily aimed at undermining any culture, its content necessarily involved challenges to what people accepted.

v10-12: At Berea, Paul's reasoned preaching is matched by reasoned listening; the gospel affects the mind as well as the heart.

v13-15: The Jews continue to pursue Paul, forcing him to move on. But we see that the are disciples in each place, marking his travels.

v16-17: Paul waits for Timothy and Silas to join him; but he is not inactive. His spirit is stirred up, or provoked, by rampant sin around him, evidenced by a city "full of idols." His solution is not to destroy the idols, but to proclaim "Jesus and the resurrection." The gospel is God's way of defeating idols, 1 Thess 1.9. Paul therefore shares God's concern for sinners, and His hatred of sins.

Paul was "greatly distressed;" no doubt he had seen idols elsewhere, but here is a deep outrage, demanding a measured and determined response.

Again, he reasons first with the Jews in the synagogue, and takes such other opportunities as come his way.

v18: The resurrection of Jesus Christ, a stumbling block to many, but essential to salvation and the gospel. The accusation ‘babbler’ literally means a ‘seed-picker,’ one who scavenges and pecks at ideas that don’t fit together. (see Dan Strange, Making Faith Magnetic)

v19-20: "some strange ideas," is the philosophers' opinion of Paul's message, yet they grant him further opportunity to teach at the Areopagus.

v21: The attitude of many; telling or hearing some new thing; no thought of devotion or commitment.

v22-23: Man is naturally ignorant of God, even where there is abundance of deities. Those who have listened to many things have no certainty of anything!

John Piper states; "The worshipping of the unknown god was simply a polytheistic admission that there might be another deity, unknown to them, whose favour, if he exists, they would like to have." (Let the nations be glad.)

v24: The true God is creator; 4.24; 14.15 not limited, nor invented by man. He is the all-sufficient one.

v25: God is totally self-sufficient and independent. And God is generous to all. He gives to "all men" both life and breath and everything else. There is blessing upon people of all faiths and none because of the outrageous generosity of the Creator. (Matt 5.45).

In Matt 13.31-32, the Lord Jesus referred to the birds perching in the branches of the tree, a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. This refers to those who do not know God enjoying shelter and safety and security from His Kingdom..

v26: Our common origin; a starting point for the gospel, but not a guarantee of salvation.

God is in control of all the nations; His control maintains an order in the world, that man might see something of Him, and seek Him. We are therefore without excuse, Rom 1.20.

v27-28: A relationship with God is possible; God's works in creating and sustaining the world are a testimony to Him, and can, of themselves, draw men and women to Him. Greater testimony is through Jesus Christ.

Note that Paul is not describing the faith he is promoting. Where humans seek after God, that is the ground of primitive human religion, not faith in Christ.

v29: Since we are "God's offspring," we are foolish to think that God is an idol, made by man.

v30: Past ignorance and idolatry is overlooked by God, but now is the time of salvation, and repentance is the only route.

v31: The coming day of judgment - personal accountability. The authority to judge is vested in Jesus Christ; set apart by God the Father, and raised from the dead. And His judgment will be "with justice."

v32: Again, Paul is interrupted by those who mock the message of Christ. "We want to hear you again," is their response, without urgency; thus the devil snatches away the seed.

v33-34: Paul leaves their presence. A few follow the Lord.