17:31
A part of the gospel that is so often neglected is that there is a day of judgement, and on that day the Lord Jesus Christ will be the judge. So often people think that the gospel has nothing to do with judgement, when in fact it has everything to do with judgement. There is a day when we will all be called to account, and on that day none of us can stand on our own merits, it is only in Christ that we can hope to endure the day of the Lord. How do we know that Jesus is the judge? Because God raised Him from the dead.
17:32
Mention of the resurrection produced two responses. Some mocked, others wanted to hear more. The people of that day were not gullible fools, and they knew full well that men did not rise from the dead. So either Paul’s message was complete nonsense, or there was something special about it and it was worth learning more. We need to appreciate the shock value of the resurrection.
17:33,34
Paul left at that point, and some believed. Two particular names are mentioned, one man, one woman, continuing Luke’s emphasis on the impact on women, and the role of women in the church. In Athens women were on the whole excluded from public life, but one or two philosophy schools had women disciples. Damaris may have been one of these women.
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