The Passion of Paul
By Andrea Leep Hunderfund
“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.” Acts 17:16, ESV
When I first read this passage at the beginning of Lent, the word ‘provoked’ caught my eye. I paused for a moment, struck by the power of Paul’s reaction. Other translations signaled similar intensity… the NIV describes Paul as ‘greatly distressed.’ The KJV says Paul’s spirit was ‘stirred in him.’ The NLT casts Paul as ‘deeply troubled,’ while The Message describes him as ‘angry.’ Curious, I made a mental note to look up the Greek word, wondering what sort of clues it might provide to Paul’s emotions and actions in Athens.
The result was literally gripping: paroxuno, from which we get the English word ‘paroxysm.’ As a neurologist, the word ‘paroxysm’ doesn’t have a disembodied dictionary definition. Instead, it elicits vivid and visceral memories—usually from the emergency room where I most often witnessed paroxysms in action. Paroxysms of pain, causing patients to cringe and cry out. Seizures clutching the mind and convulsing the body. Dystonic contortions twisting the limbs or neck into unusual positions. Patients with ALS erupting into unwanted laughter. Paroxysms of grief as a grown son threw himself on the chest of his dying mother.
These mental images manifested the meaning:
Paroxysms are sudden.
Paroxysms are intense.
Paroxysms are powerful.
Paroxysms are often painful.
A paroxysm of spirit is what Paul experienced in Athens.
When reading this passage, the prospect of presenting a pointed and persuasive argument for the Gospel (as Paul later did before the Areopagus) held instant appeal. The prospect of experiencing a paroxysm of spirit? Not so much.
Yet I kept coming back to that word. Paul’s paroxysm seemed to motivate and energize his subsequent efforts to reason with the people of Athens. What does this emotional reaction reveal about Paul? What was he doing? What can we learn from it?
After reading the story multiple times with this question in mind, here are some initial reflections.
First, Paul was present. He wasn’t holed up in an office studying scrolls. He wasn’t just intellectualizing problems or trying to win arguments. Instead, Paul was walking around, going to the synagogue, entering the marketplace, and debating philosophers. He was up close and personal with the city of Athens trying to reach people. This sort of proximity can be difficult, time consuming, and messy…just like caring for patients differs from reading about diseases in a book. But being present with people is often what engages our emotions and animates our efforts in ways purely intellectual endeavors cannot.
Second, Paul was perceptive. He was not only in Athens, he was also inspecting Athens—‘looking carefully’ at their objects of worship. In this sense, Paul was like a physician: listening, watching, feeling…attending to cues and looking for clues. I will never forget the first time I discovered an unexpected large tumor in a patient’s abdomen…the spasm of recognition in my fingers…the weight of his eyes on mine…the care with which I spoke: “Sir, this may not be food poisoning like you thought.” Physicians strive to make accurate diagnoses because accurate diagnoses enable appropriate treatment. Being faithful in our professions requires similar presence and perception.
Third, Paul was passionate. He was passionate for the people of Athens, seeing that they were given over to idols. He was also passionate about the holiness of God, seeing that the city was given over to idols. This combination of concerns mirrors God’s reaction to idolatry in the Old Testament: ‘For I the Lord your God am a jealous God’ (Exodus 20:5)—a God who is angered by betrayal because of his unfailing love. Affronts to truth can be very provoking, tempting us to neglect love. Affronts to love can also be very provoking, tempting us to neglect truth. Paul’s reaction in Athens challenges us to cultivate a ‘divine jealousy’ (2 Corinthians 11:2) that is soundly rooted in both.
Presence.
Perception.
Passion for God and others.
A thought emerged: maybe reasoning the way Paul reasoned depends on feeling the way Paul felt…and maybe feeling the way Paul felt requires doing more of what Paul did. This insight quickly collapsed into conviction. Am I prioritizing these practices? Am I cultivating these cares? Or am I side stepping the paroxysm to get on with the presentation?
That’s when it struck me. Ultimately, reasoning the way Paul reasoned…feeling the way Paul felt…doing what Paul did…was about loving who Paul loved: a God who took on flesh, who perceives our idolatrous hearts, who is jealous for our love, who died in our place, and who rose again on Easter.
‘Jesus and the resurrection’ was good news for the people of Athens…and it’s good news for us as we apply Acts 17 to our lives today.