While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols… Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way…” (Acts 17)
We often wonder how to witness to the God we meet in Jesus and feel confused or intimidated by the barriers we encounter. It is natural to feel this way. And the world we live in today has made a sport of using the diversity we encounter in other people as a way to incite anger and division. So sometimes it just feels easier and safer to not say anything at all (except on social media where we often get sucked in to the world’s messy way of working).
Paul’s visit to Athens gives us a path forward.
It is important to remember that Paul doesn’t actually want to be in Athens. In fact, had he not been run out of town in the previous two towns he visited, he’d likely still prefer to be where he was a few stops ago. But he keeps moving and keeps working in spite of the odds and opposition that he sometimes faces.
But in Athens, Paul uses a masterful way of talking to people.
He notes that there is a lot of religious energy in town. It is misplaced in his mind (the verse above tells us he “was distressed” by the way they understood and expressed their faith and ideas. Using tactics that we often see used in today’s world, he could have gone on the attack and called them “idiots” and “losers.” That would allow him to express his ideas and feel powerful and dominant right from the start.
But instead, Paul steps back and asks himself a question. “What does all this energy focused on these things say about these people?” He realizes that they may not have heard of the crucified and risen Jesus, but he has to give them credit and respect their interest and concern for their spiritual understandings and lives. Instead of attacking what he sees as wrong, he uses what he recognizes as an asset as a doorway to a respectful way of sharing instead.
If we are going to be the most effective witnesses to sharing Jesus, we can’t spend most of our time judging what is wrong with other people and then make a point of pounding on it. We have to recognize the differences. Ask “what hunger, fear or pain lies under that?” Then rather than attack the expressed points of disagreement vigorously we can discuss the underlying concerns and hungers graciously.
Paying more attention to others, listening and taking time to understand, and then responding graciously will open relationships and doors that simply arguing and defeating will only close or destroy. Paul’s witness to Jesus is a great model for all of us who witness to Jesus in 2026!
