*Acts 17:1-15
Paul and Silas find success in Thessalonica but are forced to flee to Berea after facing opposition from Jews.
- Paul and Silas in Thessalonica:
- After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas arrive in Thessalonica, where there is a Jewish synagogue.
- As was his custom, Paul goes into the synagogue, and for three Sabbath days he reasons with them from the Scriptures.
- He explains and proves that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”
- Some of the Jews are persuaded and join Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
- Uproar in Thessalonica:
- Jews who are not persuaded become jealous and form a mob. They start a riot in the city.
- They attack the house of Jason, looking for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
- Not finding them, they drag Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting that these men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.
- They accuse Jason of harboring them, claiming that they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
- The city officials are disturbed by these accusations, and they make Jason and the others post bond before releasing them.
- Departure to Berea:
- That very night, the believers send Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arriving, they go to the Jewish synagogue.
- The Berean Jews are more noble in character than those in Thessalonica, for they receive the message with great eagerness and examine the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul says is true.
- Many of them believe, including a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
- Trouble Follows from Thessalonica:
- When the Jews in Thessalonica learn that Paul is preaching the word of God in Berea, they come there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
- The believers immediately send Paul to the coast, while Silas and Timothy stay in Berea.
- Paul’s Travel to Athens:
- After leaving Berea, Paul is escorted to Athens by the believers. He sends a message back to Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Acts 17:1-15 teaches us to seek the truth and share it boldly. Paul and Silas preached about Jesus, and while some rejected their message, others eagerly searched the Scriptures to see if it was true. This reminds us to have open hearts and minds, always testing what we hear against God’s Word. We can apply this by being eager to learn more about God, standing firm in our faith even when others disagree, and sharing the truth with love and patience.
Acts 17:1-15 (WEB)
17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 Paul, as was his custom, went in to them; and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas: of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women. 5 But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people. 6 When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!” 8 The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things. 9 When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.11 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there. 15 But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.