The Way Home
THE HILL CALLED MARS
Story 11 -
Acts 17:1-34
From Philipi, Paul and Silas went to Thesalonica, which was the largest city in Macedonia. There they found many Jews and a synagogue or church where the Jews worshiped. For three weeks Paul spoke at the meetings in the synagogue and taught the meaning of the Old Testament writings; that the Savior for whom all the Jews were looking must suffer and die and rise again from the dead. And Paul said to them: “This Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ, the Son of God and the King of Israel.”
Some of the Jews believed Paul’s teachings, but a much greater number of Greeks, the people of the city who were not Jews, became followers of Christ. Also some of the leading women of the city were converted to Christ. So many accepted Paul’s teaching that a large church of believers in Christ arose in Thessalonica.
But the Jews who would not believe in Jesus were very angry as they saw so many seeking the Lord. They stirred up a crowd of people in the city and caused a riot. They led a noisy crowd to the house of a man named Jason, because they thought Paul and Silas were staying there. The crowd broke into the house and looked for Paul and Silas, but could not find them. Then they seized Jason, the master of the house, and some other friends of the apostles, and dragged them before the rulers of the city and cried out: “These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come to this city, and Jason has taken them into his house. They are acting contrary to the laws of Caesar the emperor, for they say that there is another king, a man whose name is Jesus.”
The rulers of the city were greatly troubled when they saw these riotous people and heard their words. They knew that Jason and his friends had done nothing against the law of the land; but to please the crowd they made
the believers promise to obey the laws, and then they let them go free. The brethren of the church sent Paul and Silas away in the nighttime, to the city of Berea, which was not far from Thessalonica. There again they found a synagogue of the Jews, and as in other places, Paul went into its meetings and preached Jesus, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles, many of whom worshiped with the Jews.
These people were of a nobler spirit than the Jews of Thessalonica, for they did not refuse to hear Paul’s teachings. They listened with open minds, and every day they studied the Old Testament writings, to see whether the words spoken by Paul were true. And many of them became believers in Jesus, not only the Jews, but the Gentiles also; for those who study the Bible will always find Christ in its pages.
But the news went to Thessalonica that the Word of Christ was being taught in Berea. The Jews of Thessalonica sent some men to Berea for the purpose of stirring up the people against Paul and Silas. To avoid a riot like the one that arose in Thessalonica, the brethren in Berea took Paul away from the city, but Silas and Timothy stayed for a time.
The men who went with Paul led him down to the sea and went with him to Athens. There they left Paul alone, but they took back Paul’s message to Silas and Timothy. He wanted them to hasten to him as quickly as possible.
Paul waited for his friends in Athens, but when he saw this city full of idols, his spirit was stirred. It was said that in the city of Athens the images of the gods were more in number than the people. Paul talked with Jews in the synagogue and with people in the public square. The people of Athens as well as those visiting in that city spent most of their time either telling or hearing whatever was new. Many men in Athens were thought to be very wise; teachers of what they called wisdom. Some of these men met Paul and when hearing him, said scornfully, “What does this babbler say?”
And because he preached to them of Jesus and His rising from the dead, some said, “This man seems to be talking about some strange god!”
So they brought Paul to a place in Athens called Mars’ Hill, and asked him, “May we know what is this new teaching that you are giving? You bring to our ears some strange things, and we wish to know what these things mean.” Then Paul stood in the middle of Mars’ Hill, with the people of the city around him, and he said: “You men of Athens, I see that you are exceedingly given to worship. For as I passed by, I saw an altar upon which was written these words, ‘TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’
That God whom you know not and whom you seek to worship is the God that I make known to you. The God who made the world and all things that are in it is Lord of heaven and earth and does not dwell in temples made by the hands of men; nor is He served by men’s hands, as though He needed anything. For God gives to all men life and breath and all things. And He has made of one blood all the peoples who live on the earth: that all men should seek God; for He is not far away from any of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being: even as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are the children of God.’ Since we are God’s children, we should not think that God is like gold or silver or stone, made by the hands of men. Now He has fixed a day when He will judge the world through that man Jesus Christ whom He has chosen and whom He has raised from the dead.”
When they heard Paul speak of the dead being raised, some laughed in scorn; but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” After a time Paul went away from Athens. Very few people joined with Paul and believed in Christ. Among those few was a man named Dionysius and a woman named Damaris. A few others joined with them; but in Athens the followers of Christ were few.
