One of my favorite places on all of God’s glorious earth is made of rock. It’s not a breathtaking emerald landscape, with a lake nestled between the sloped mountain range. It’s not even a sparkling ocean scene, with crystal waters flowing  into the welcoming white sand. My favorite place isn’t the magnificent, marbleized  Heirapolis, or the rolling hills of Tuscany. No, it’s a rock. A huge, seemingly out of place, obtrusive rock, resting right in the heart of Athens, Greece.

I was reading about this rock earlier, though not in a tourist guidebook or travel magazine. I was reading about it from the inspired pages of the Bible, and of the man who walked there.

Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive, and found himself wandering about the city. It didn’t take long before his heart was pricked by the vast amount of idolatry plaguing the city, and no wonder! Upon arrival, you would be greeted with sights like the oversized temple of Zeus and the gargantuan Parthenon sitting high atop the Acropolis. And so, Paul did what he always did – he started in the synagogue and moved to the market place, teaching the truths of the gospel. The philosophical, eager to learn Athenians subsequently invited him to preach on that big, obtrusive rock.

So he goes. Of course he goes! He climbs the steps that have been carved right out of the rock, and makes his way to the top of the Areopagus. And instead of waiting to be called on to answer certain questions about his beliefs, Paul boldly speaks to these prestigious teachers, telling them the things they need to hear. He says,

Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;  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:  God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things… Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.

Now it’s easy for us to read those words and take them at face value. But those who were standing on the windy Areopagus were receiving a powerful lesson and an incredible object lesson. You see, regardless of Paul’s position on the rock, there was an ornate temple as his backdrop. Behind him in nearly every direction there were columns and marble and gold and statues and intricate carvings, all dedicated to various mythological, highly respected gods. The most prominent being the glorious Parthenon, which was the closest neighbor to where Paul was standing as he spoke these words.

Can you imagine, standing in front of one of the most prestigious temples of the day, boldly professing that no god lives there? That the true God doesn’t dwell in temples made by man’s hands, because we need Him, not vice versa?

What strength Paul exhibits here, on my favorite rock in the world. What lessons I need to hear on how to reach my culture: never backing down, never shying away from the truth, and always anxious to tell others about the awesome God I serve!

That is why Mars Hill is my favorite place in the world. Sure, it sounds grassy and full of blossoming daffodils, but really it’s just a rock. It’s not pretty, not breath-taking by any stretch, but quite possibly the greatest object lesson of all time was given there, and so it remains my favorite place on God’s beautiful earth.