6th
Sunday of Easter - Year A
Acts
17:22-31 & John 14:15-21
Speaking
of the "unknown god"
Paul stood in front of the
Areopagus... The next time someone
asks me what campus ministry is all about, I think I will pull out this reading
from Acts 17. This chapter's imagery -
as well as its content - captures what it means to speak the Word of the Church
amid a pluralistic and segmented society.
Paul stood in front of the Areopagus... The words themselves conjure up images of
Greek architecture and learned old men; of deep thoughts and meaningful
conversation.
Paul stood in front of the Areopagus... Here we have a wonderful statement of the
work of the Church - a perfect lead-in to discuss the contrast between presumed
importance and that which really matters;
to address the distinction between that which is valued and that which
is truly valuable.
Paul is in the city of Athens
(that's the ancient Greek city of Athens, not the one with a cute little
bulldog and sometimes surprisingly good football team.) But ancient Athens, by the time Paul got
there, had lost much of its former glory.
While it was once the seat of great schools and the home of wonderful
philosophers, in the first century of the modern era Athens had no real
political significance and commercially it was outshone by Corinth. It is living off of its legends. But, those legends are substantial. Aristotle, Epicurus, Plato, Socrates - their
lives had touched this city leaving behind a legacy of prominence sufficient to
sustain the city for many generations to come.
Regardless of its current political or economic status, Athens was still
a place of importance.
The text informs us that Paul is
making his impassioned speech in front of the Areopagus. This would be the Athenian equivalent of a
house of lords. This was the gathering of
the elder statesmen of this city-state.
Here, were the venerated leaders who had completed their elected term as
archons (ar-chons.) These elder
statesmen spent their days entertaining new thoughts and philosophies. Paul had been invited to speak because some
of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers had heard him in the agora
(marketplace.) They had wanted to know
about this teaching of his - these proclamations of foreign divinities,
as they referred to them. Verses just
before those read for us this morning note that Paul had been telling the
good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
It was a favored pastime of the Athenians
to tell and hear something new. So they
invited Paul to come and tell them more about this new teaching.
I promise not to do a word-by-word
analysis of Paul's entire address, but one of the first words he speaks is of
tremendous importance. Look at it if
you will. Paul begins his address, "Athenians,
I see how extremely RELIGIOUS" [this is the critical word] "how
extremely RELIGIOUS you are."
The Greek word has a double meaning.
It can be interpreted "religious" or "devout," a
word of compliment; or it could refer to one who is "superstitious,"
which would be somewhat of an insult.
Paul would no doubt look upon Athens as a hotbed of superstition, but
would not have wanted to antagonize his hearers at the outset. So he carefully selects a word which allows
them to feel good about themselves while also planting a seed for where he
wants this speech to go.
Paul communicates a deep and abiding
respect for the knowledge of his hosts.
He is well aware of the advances which have been possible as a result of
their study and dedication to their disciplines. Paul does not enter their midst and insult
them by dismissing the importance of that which they have made their life's
work. He stands in their midst and
speaks kindly of the work which they have accomplished. He honors their disciplines. But, he calls into question the ability of
their philosophies to finally provide the key to understanding life and our
role in the cosmos. That wisdom, he
says, is to be found somewhere else.
Paul makes use of a sight he has
seen in their city. He reports that
while walking around Athens he had located an altar with the inscription, 'To
an unknown god.' Paul tells them
that this god which is unknown to them is the God who has revealed
himself in Jesus.
The Athenians' fascination with new
ideas and teachings proves to be fertile soil in which Paul can plant the seeds
of fresh discovery. He wants to help
them to see this altar to an unknown god as an expression of the desire
to know the true God, the God whom they had been unable to capture in
their statues of gold, silver or stone;
the God whom they had been unable to identify in their elaborate
philosophies.
"What therefore you worship
as unknown," Paul tells this assembly of venerated elders, "This
I proclaim to you."
Paul's having been invited to speak
to the Areopagus probably had something to do with comments he had made while
in the agora. He returns to those same
thoughts here, using a few phrases which are right in line with the philosophies
of his hosts. Those who invited him may
have done so as a way of furthering their own philosophical arguments. He speaks of God as one who is not served
by human hands, a point of contact with his Epicurean listeners who
stressed God's self-sufficiency. His
next words describing God as the author of life and breath and all things
would have met with the approval of the Stoics in the crowd. Paul is allowing them to see the good aspects
of their world-view. He is complimentary
of their attempts to understand what life is all about. But, he pushes them to consider that their
philosophies only uncover part of the puzzle.
Paul touches on what they have come to think, and then pushes them to
consider how that which had been “unknown” has now become knowable.
Paul is sharing the same conviction
written by John in our Gospel lesson for today:
"You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in
you."
In the end, this is the undoing of
the Areopagus' willingness to listen to Paul.
Our reading for today ends with verse 31. Verse 32 reads: When they heard of the resurrection of the
dead, some scoffed; but others said, "We will hear you again about
this." At that point Paul left them.
Paul had exposed the limits of where
their thoughts and theories could take them.
Paul had addressed the opportunities available just beyond the borders
of where their reasoning could go. Paul
points out the foundations shared by their beliefs and his word about
Jesus. And then Paul invites them to
embrace the opportunity to know that which till now has been for them an
unknown god.
Stoics and Epicureans are rather
difficult to come by in our day and time, but there are others systems of
belief with have taken their place.
Self-sufficiency is probably more of an issue for us than for any
society which has gone before. There
remain many who find their gods in items fashioned out of gold or silver or
stone. Maybe now-a-days the material of
choice is silicon. I am grateful for all
the advances which have been made by dedication to lofty ideals and great
aspirations. But with Paul we need to
affirm that these pseudo gods have their limits. Christ is the God, unknown by far too many,
who holds the package together.
Paul stood in front of the
Areopagus and said, "...I see how extremely religious you are in every
way." What would Paul say to
us? Are we religious (as in devout) or
merely superstitious? Do we come before
God, at this altar to express our thanks and offer our praise for the One in
whom we are placing our final confidence?
Or, do we come because we fear the consequences of not coming? Is our offering an offering of ourselves to
God? Or, is it a tax, paid so as assure
us a place in the sweet-by-and-by?
Presumed importance remains on the
side of gadgets and devices which make our lives more comfortable. Valuable are those who can organize and
structure our interactions so as to result in the greatest good for the
greatest number of people. And yet,
Paul's words claim there is but one thing which is important. His presentation to the Areopagus states that
the Word of God is the thing of greatest value.
Is this superstitious mumbo-jumbo,
or is it our deeply held religious conviction?
Amen.
