Paul's Walk Through Athens: Hungry for God

As the Apostle Paul observed the ancient Greek city of Athens, he found people searching for God. No, not necessarily believing in the Judeo-Christian God, but with some kind of innate knowledge that there was something bigger than our own lives.

Myths about gods and goddesses were told, each flawed, almost human in their manner. People bowed in worship of objects—shrines, images, gold or silver statues. In the knowledge we have of idolatry, we might want to scoff at this practice.

However, the desire to know something bigger and better than oneself and one’s understanding of life was present in these people’s hearts and minds. Paul acknowledged that this was because they were God’s beloved: “As even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we, too, are God’s offspring.’” Paul let the Athenians know that their devotion to idols was empty, revealing that we cannot even conceive of God’s magnitude, much less assign a physical form to God.

“They would search for God, and perhaps fumble about searching, and find God—though indeed God is not far from each one of us. For ‘In God we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we, too, are God’s offspring. Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.” -Acts 17:27b-29

In ancient cultures, idolatry was understood to be the worship of a physical object as a god, but the good people at Merriam-Webster also define idolatry (second definition) as an immoderate attachment or devotion to something. I was raised with more of this understanding of idolatry.

Yes, historically, idols are objects. Think like the golden head idol from the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark. But I was taught growing up that, “Anything you put before God in importance, time, or your devotion, is an idol to you.” There are some good and bad things about this definition. Yes, I think I probably spend more time sleeping than praying every day. That’s probably okay. And I’m not gonna rip on us good Southern folk for spending more time on football than prayer, because I don’t want to pick any fights.

But some people idolize power. Some idolize money. It is okay to use power and money to bring greater comfort, hospitality, and love to other people. That can itself be an act of worship, taking care of God’s people. Or, as Jesus said it to Peter, “Feed my sheep.”

I think that devoting oneself to power or money at the expense of other people counts as idolatry. Not paying fair wages while you sit on a yacht paid for by other people’s labor, maybe that counts. Waging war over natural resources, maybe that counts.

Show love and hospitality as Jesus commanded: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Upon these two commandments hang the rest of the Law and the Prophets.”

Maybe the Ancient Athenians had tried other ways of making themselves happy. They had attempted to devote themselves to something, not knowing what to apply themselves to. People were hungry for God, for purpose, for bettering society. Maybe their idolatry was the symptom of trying to find God, and Paul was there with his own purpose of leading them.

You have purpose. You are able to bring greater love to the world. Guide others to that love.