Verse 19: “And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?””
I once went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip as a high-school band student. I toured with the United States Collegiate Wind Bands, one of several ambassador bands comprised of musicians from across the United States. During our 3-week European tour, we got to stay in the homes of Dutch families in the village of Oud Beijerland. Now, in the Netherlands, English is taught as a mandatory second language; still my fellow Alabama roommate and I were careful not to let our “Southern accents” slip when we talked with our host family. One evening, as we were enjoying the sunset of a beautiful Dutch day, I asked our host family’s 16-year-old daughter Rachel, “what time do y’all eat supper?” She blinked several times, pondering what I said before innocently replying, “what time do…what?” Embarrassed, I restated, “um, what time does your family eat dinner?” She smiled, answered “around 5pm…in fact, I should go inside and help my mother.” With that, she excused herself. My roommate Drake picked at me, “you idiot.” I said, “I know! I know! She had no idea what “y’all” means!” 🙂
The Athenians were bewildered by Paul’s talk of resurrection…some thought he was a “babbler” while others thought that it must be some new god he was describing. Long before social media, most Athenians’ favorite activity was chatting about the latest intellectual pursuit or new philosophy. So, quite fittingly, they brought Paul to the Areopagus, the local center of all discussions, to ask, “what’s it all about”?
Unlike my question to Rachel and her response, Paul figuratively rolled his sleeves up as if to say, “I’m glad you asked!”
More to come!
Combing The Word 