IN THESSALONICA AND BEREA
Acts 17:1-15
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (11)
chapter 17
1. When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3. explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said.
4. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5. But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
6. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
7. and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."
8. When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10. As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
12. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13. But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
14. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
15. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. As Paul traveled, he came to Thessalonica. Paul’s custom was to find a synagogue in the area where he would reason with others from the Scriptures. He proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, promised by God in the Old Testament. Some of the Jews as well as some prominent Greeks joined Paul, but other Jews stirred up trouble. They accused Jason of harboring Paul, and they accused Paul of defying Caesar by promoting Jesus as king. The city was thrown into such turmoil that Paul and Silas left for Berea. The Jews in Thessalonica were not willing to listen to reason or the Scriptures. They could not serve Jesus as their king.
2. Paul and Silas went to Berea, going to the Jewish synagogue there. The Berean Jews were described as having noble character. They looked into the Scriptures intensely. They eagerly sought to verify the truth of the gospel Paul preached. The result of their seeking God in the Scriptures resulted in many of them believing. The people who had agitated in Thessalonica now did the same in Berea. Paul left for Athens, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea for a while. They took care of those who had such eagerness for the word of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to have a noble and right attitude toward your word—to seek God, worship Jesus as king and call others to faith.
One Word: Study the Scriptures every day