Published by Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18 £ Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you
The people of Athens had rows and rows of altars honoring literally scores of gods. Paul was walking along this causeway noticing all the idols and their worshippers when he happened upon the altar of The Unknown God. He was intrigued by this. These people were even trying to worship the one true God, Jesus, without even knowing who He was.
We are so like this. How many altars do we have in our lives; lined up all in a neat row in accordance with their importance to us. NOT ME! You say. Well let me ask you do you ever, ever, ever put anything before Jesus? If you do then you are just like the Athenians.
I’ve done it and once you let one thing come before Jesus then suddenly it’s easier to let others come before Him. Before you know it you have a line of altars you worship at before you come to Jesus; who has become The Unknown God. You see when you have all this before Him you no longer know who He is and in turn He no longer knows you.
Has Jesus become The Unknown God?
Wonderful!