(Part I of Paul in Varanasi)
Imagine the apostle Paul arriving not in Athens, but in Varanasi, one of the oldest and most sacred cities in India.
The morning sun rises over the Ganges. Pilgrims gather along the ghats. Priests chant mantras. The smoke of incense drifts through narrow temple streets. Everywhere Paul looks, he sees shrines, idols, and sacred symbols.
Deeply affected by what he observes, Paul walks through the city. He observes temples dedicated to many gods and goddesses. He listens to discussions among scholars about karma, liberation, and the nature of the divine.
Eventually, he was invited to speak among the thinkers and teachers who gathered to discuss spiritual matters.
Paul stands among them and begins to speak.
“People of Varanasi, I see that in every way you are deeply devoted to spiritual matters. As I walked through your city and observed the many places of worship, I saw temples and shrines dedicated to many deities. I noticed how earnestly you seek the divine and how carefully you preserve your traditions.
But as I observed your devotion, I realized that in the midst of all these expressions of worship, there remains a longing to truly know the One who is beyond all images and forms.
What you are searching for, often without fully knowing Him, is what I have come to tell you about.
The true God is the One who created the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He does not dwell in temples built by human hands, nor is He served by rituals, as though He needed anything from us. Rather, He Himself gives life, breath, and everything else to all people.
From one origin, He made all the nations of humanity that they should inhabit the whole earth. He determined the times and places where they would live so that they might seek Him, reach out for Him, and find Him.
Yet, he is not far from any one of us.
For in Him, we live and move and have our being.
Some of your own poets have even said that we are His offspring.
If we are truly the children of God, then we should not think that the divine nature is something shaped by gold, silver, or stone, but an image crafted by human imagination and skill.
In the past, God overlooked times when people did not fully understand Him. But now He calls all people everywhere to turn toward Him.
For He has appointed a day when He will judge the world with justice through a man He has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
At this point, the listeners reacted in different ways. Some were puzzled by the idea of resurrection. Some began to question him further. Others wanted to hear more about this message.
But a few listen carefully and believe.
In Him,
Santosh Kumar