In Acts 17, Paul is in Athens telling the greatest philosophers and thinkers of the time about God (Acts 17:16-34). Greek culture centered around a slew of gods that ruled over different aspects of the world. He tells people he has seen their many shrines, but he zeros in on one dedicated “To an Unknown God.”
But why would the Greeks make a shrine to a god they didn’t know?
It seems no matter how much we try to make sense of the world around us, and try to control and understand things, there is always this sense that something is still missing; something’s not right. So we grasp and search for some meaning to it all. But nothing ever truly satisfies us, so we continue searching and trying new things.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is on that search near the end of his life. He had everything – he’s the wealthiest person in the world; the wisest person in the world; has power over thousands of servants; owns more houses, herds, flocks and vineyards than anyone; and has hundreds of wives and a huge harem for his pleasure. By any definition we would use for success, Solomon’s there.
And yet he wrote, “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” (Eccl. 2:11, NLT).
Solomon had everything he desired, and had done everything he wanted, but he was still trying to find meaning in his life. He’s still longing for something that indicates this was all worth it. To summarize Ecclesiastes, life is meaningless without God. Without him, we’re just satisfying our own needs and desires, like Solomon.
Yet, Solomon goes on to say God “has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Eccl. 3:11, NLT). And Paul is telling the Greeks, that longing to find meaning in our lives is evidence of who the real God is, and cannot be satisfied by wealth, control, pleasure, influence or power. This restless search for meaning is that seed of eternity God planted in all of us.
We get glimpses of how God satisfies that search for meaning when we demonstrate sacrificial love and unconditional love; when we love our enemies, offer forgiveness, and treat people the way we want to be treated; and helps explain concepts like it’s better to give than receive. When we treat people this way, that’s how that seed of eternity grows.
That’s how the unknown God becomes known through us. How are you making him known?
Picture credit: Athens Tourist Information