Unknown Yet Near
Readings for the sixth Thursday after Pascha Acts of the Apostles 17:19-28; John 12:19-36
In Athens, Paul stands among philosophers and seekers, speaking to people who pride themselves on wisdom and culture. He does not begin with condemnation. He begins with longing. He points to the altar dedicated to the unknown god and proclaims that the One they seek without fully knowing has now revealed Himself in Christ (Acts 17:23).
In John’s Gospel, the Greeks also begin searching. They come saying that they wish to see Jesus (John 12:21). The readings mirror one another beautifully. In Acts, the Apostle carries Christ to the Greek world; in the Gospel, the Greek world begins to come searching for Christ. The distance between God and the nations starts to close.
Yet Christ immediately turns the conversation toward the Cross. He speaks not of earthly success but of a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying so that it may bear much fruit (John 12:24). Paul proclaims the God in whom all people live and move and have their being (Acts 17:28), while Christ reveals how humanity truly enters that divine life: through self-offering, sacrifice, and light shining in darkness.
Both readings challenge shallow religion. The Athenians loved novelty and endless discussion, but Paul calls them beyond speculation into repentance and encounter. In the Gospel, many admire Christ’s signs, yet hesitate when His teaching turns toward suffering and judgement. Human beings often seek wisdom, spirituality, or inspiration, but hesitate before the costly transformation that communion with God requires.
The Old Testament echoes quietly beneath both passages. Isaiah foretold that the nations would come to the light of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), while the Psalmist proclaimed that all peoples belong to the Lord because the earth and its fullness are His (Psalm 23/24:1). The Greeks approaching Christ fulfil those ancient hopes. Pascha has opened the doors of Israel’s Messiah to the whole world.
St John Chrysostom notes that Paul wisely begins from truths already familiar to the Athenians before leading them toward Christ more fully (Homilies on Acts, 38). He does not flatten their culture but redirects it toward its true fulfilment. St Cyril of Alexandria likewise teaches that Christ’s reference to the grain of wheat reveals the mystery of His death giving life to the nations (Commentary on John, Book VIII). The Cross is not defeat but the gathering point of humanity.
The Gospel ends with urgency. Christ warns that the light will not remain visible forever in the same way (John 12:35-36). Lent and Pascha teach the same lesson each year. God continually draws near, but discipleship cannot remain theoretical. Faith demands movement. The Greeks came wishing to see Jesus; the Church now asks whether we are willing not only to see Him, but to follow Him into the transforming light of the Resurrection.