Paul Preaching at Athens

This week, I want to share with you some tapestries depicting famous scenes from Scripture as a gateway into thinking about those passages, perhaps in new ways.

Paul Preaching at Athens

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

Last year, my husband and I went to explore Villa Hügel, a beautiful and historic country mansion about 30 minutes drive from where we live, sitting on grounds of towering trees, all in bloom, and rolling, lush, green meadows. It's crazy to think how some people actually used to live in places like this. As we wandered through the rooms of the large house filled with paintings of the family who lived there and the German Kaisers and Kaiserins who had stayed there, we stepped into what looked like a ballroom with majestic chandeliers and rich green, gold, and red details. The walls were covered in large tapestries, and at first, I didn't look too closely, assuming they were also images from Greek or Roman mythology that we had seen elsewhere in the mansion. Upon closer look, I realized that the room was covered in seven large tapestries depicting seven different stories from the Gospels and the book of Acts! As it turns out, they were based off of some very famous cartoons from the well-known Italian artist, Raphael. As people came in and out, taking their photos and listening to their audio guides, I spent over an hour in that one room, reading each story on the Bible app while looking at each corresponding tapestry. I had such a good time doing this unexpected Bible study!

Of course, artistic depictions of biblical scenes are just one artist's interpretation of the text. They aren't necessarily always accurate, and we should look at them critically, comparing them to the word of God to determine what is biblical (true based off the text), what is extra-biblical (not spoken of in the text, but doesn't contradict the text), and what is unbiblical (contrary to what the Scriptures say). We can approach artistic renditions of Scripture like we would a commentary: a perspective to consider as we discern the meaning of a text through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This week, I want to share this experience with you. I'll show you a few of these tapestries, and we can take a look at each of these stories together. He is the first one:

I encourage you to take a few looks back at each photo as you read. Zoom in if you need to. What elements of the story do you see in the photo? What is missing?

In Acts 17, Paul is in Athens and finds that the culture of the city is very centered around philosophy, thinking about new ideas, and worshiping their many idol gods. After being brought to the Areopagus, Paul interprets this to be an amazing opportunity to share Jesus with the people around him. Go now and read Acts 17:22-33.

What a story! Seeing this tapestry helps me picture Paul surrounded by the idols the people had created and pointing to them all while basically saying, "You've missed it! The True God is not something you can create. He is so beyond this." Paul points out to them that they need to repent; it is actually an offense to God that we would reduce Him to a man-made image. Furthermore, they have worshiped false gods, and Paul tells them that the true God they've been seeking is the God that he proclaims to them today.

I think of what boldness Paul had to have to stand amongst the people's gods and proclaim the Gospel. In the tapestry, you can see idols in the background that Paul maybe gestures towards. While our idols today are not metal figures propped up on pedestals that we literally bow down to, they are just as prevalent. We preach the Gospel today surrounded by things that our culture worships, things that our culture values more than God.

May we be as bold in our own contexts as Paul was in Athens. Furthermore, may we be encouraged by the fact that our God is not man-made. Indeed, He made us! Who would want to worship a god they have made? There is only one God. He is the creator of all.

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Podcast of the Week

Life Principles: #19: Holding Too Tightly

Pastor Danny continues his series exploring his favorites of Dr. Charles Stanley's Life Principles. Today he dives into Principle #19: Holding Too Tightly.

Listen on your preferred platform: