From Apollo's Arrows to Calvary's Cross
The Wrath of the Gods and the Mercy of Christ

In the opening lines of Homer’s Iliad, we find a gripping scene that reveals something deep and ancient about the human condition—something the Bible later addresses with divine finality.
The Greek army, entrenched before the walls of Troy, has taken captives during the spoils of war. One of these captives is Chryseis, the daughter of a priest of Apollo. Her father, Chryses, comes humbly to Agamemnon, offering a ransom for her release. But Agamemnon, proud and stubborn, refuses him and sends him away in shame.
Chryses returns to his temple and prays to Apollo, the god of light and plague. His prayer is simple: vindicate me. And Apollo responds—with fury.
For nine days, death sweeps through the Greek camp. Homer describes Apollo descending like night, his arrows of plague striking men and beasts alike. Panic spreads. Soldiers are dying. The gods are angry.
Eventually, the Greek prophet Calchas speaks up. He reveals that the only way to stop the plague is to return the girl and offer a sacrifice to appease Apollo’s wrath.
So, they do. Chryseis is returned to her father, and the Greeks offer a ceremonial sacrifice. Animals are slain, prayers are raised, and the smoke of the offering ascends. And the plague stops. Apollo’s wrath is turned away.
The Greeks had a word for this: hilasmos. It means “a propitiation,” or “an appeasing sacrifice.” It was the act that turned divine wrath away. The Greeks knew their gods were not to be trifled with. When wrath came, it needed to be satisfied.

But here’s where the gospel turns the ancient world on its head.
In the Greek story, the people had to discover the offense. They had to send a prophet to find out what they did wrong. They had to choose the sacrifice. They had to try to satisfy the anger of a fickle god.
In the gospel, God reveals the offense—our sin. But then, God provides the sacrifice—His own Son. And this sacrifice isn’t offered by a desperate people hoping to buy off an angry deity. No, this sacrifice is made by a loving God who initiates the whole process.
The Apostle John writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (hilasmos) for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
God is not manipulated or bought off; He is the one who provides the offering Himself.
God’s wrath is not petty or erratic like some make it out to be, similar to the angry character in the cartoon, “Inside Out.” . It is the settled, righteous response of a holy God against sin. God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin.
But instead of asking us to climb toward Him with our offerings, He stepped down to us with His.
Romans 3:25- “Whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.”
And that is the wonder of the gospel: not that we found a way to appease Him, but that He made the way Himself..
Stott- “Divine Satisfaction through Divine Substitution.”
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live.

Treg Spicer
Treg Spicer is the Senior Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Morgantown, West Virginia. He also hosts the Art of the Assistant Podcast. You can find more of Treg's content at his website, tregspicer.com.