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Acts 17:1-15

Just before His death, Jesus spent time enlightening His disciples concerning the things that were to come.
He spoke of being glorified, which we know referred to His death and resurrection (Jn 13:31-32). Then He
would ascend back to the right hand of the Father, where He would prepare a place for His own to be with
Him, forever (Jn 14:2-3) – the Bridegroom, preparing a home for His Bride.

And while Jesus was making their home ready, the Bride was to prepare herself, for her prospective
marriage. How was the Bride to make herself ready? By growing – growing in the grace and knowledge of
Her Lord (2 Pet 3:18), so that she learned His ways, so that she would be a suitable help-meet for the
Bridegroom (Gen 2:18-24). And who is her teacher in this growing process? The Holy Spirit.

But this Bride, the Body of Christ on earth, also must grow to completion, to perfection – to maturity (Eph
4:13-16). How does she do this? Through the Holy Spirit seeking out and securing of all of the members
of the Body of Christ, through the gospel. The Body of Christ must grow in wisdom and stature, much as
her Head had to, when Jesus was on the earth (Lk 2:52).

The Body of Christ is God’s workmanship – His masterpiece (Eph 2:10). This masterpiece was initiated
through the work of Jesus on earth, as He reconciled men to God through the redemption which He
wrought for them.

But when Jesus returned to the Father, He placed that work of reconciliation into the hands of His disciples
– for through them, in their growing numbers, the work would become a greater work (Jn 14:12) - a work
that reached to the ends of the earth - as more and more people heard the gospel, and believed it. So we see
that it is the Bride herself who makes herself ready (Rev 19:7); Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, through the
willing members of His Body, reaching out to draw all men to Himself (Jn 12:32).

And all means all. Initially, the Body of Christ was made up almost entirely of Jews, to whom the disciples
of Jesus preached the gospel, beginning on Pentecost. But as the gospel was disseminated on that wave of
persecution that ensued out of Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and began to move even further out (Acts
1:8), the Lord made it abundantly clear that His salvation was not intended for the Jews alone, but for all
men – for the Gentiles, as well.

This was a revolutionary thought to the formerly Jewish brethren – and not a particularly welcome thought,
as Gentiles were regarded by Jews as unclean. So the Body of Christ experienced some growing pains –
but those pains were endured, and indeed, overcome – by strict adherence to the new commandment that
Jesus had given His disciples – they loved one another, as He had loved them (Jn 13:34).

It wasn’t long before the Body of Christ acquired many Gentile members – and then the Gentiles actually
began to predominate in the Body – but by then, the Lord had begun to work His thinking into them all –
that there was neither Jew nor Gentile, but that all of them were one – in Him (Gal 3:28).

They bore with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace (Eph
4:3). And so they were truly one Body, through whom their heavenly Head could work.

It was from the predominantly Gentile assembly in Antioch of Syria that the Holy Spirit initiated the first
missionary venture, which would launch the gospel into the uttermost parts of the earth. The Spirit chose
Barnabas and Paul, both former Hellenist Jews who were uniquely suited for this work, as prophets and
teachers. Paul’s zeal and knowledge of the Scriptures made him the natural leader of this team.
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Together, they carried the gospel to the island of Cyprus, the ancestral home of Barnabas, and then sailed
north to the Asian continent, first entering the region of Asia Minor, then penetrating north into the province
of Galatia, preaching the gospel over a period of maybe one to two years.

Some Jews and many Gentiles believed the truth, and new assemblies sprang up wherever the good seed of
the word was planted. But there was also opposition, particularly from unbelieving Jews; in Lystra, Paul
was even stoned, and left for dead. Nonetheless, He who had overcome the world (Jn 16:33) overcame the
persecution against His church, and the new assemblies flourished despite their malefactors.

After returning to Antioch in Syria, a second missionary journey was begun by Paul, perhaps a year or so
later. But this time, Paul went without Barnabas, due to a falling-out over John-Mark, the nephew of
Barnabas who had deserted them on the first mission. Instead, Paul chose Silas, one of the leading men in
the Jerusalem assembly, and, like Paul, a prophet as well as a Roman citizen – something that would prove
to be a convenient asset.

The two men proceeded overland north through Syria and then west into Cilicia, revisiting assemblies there
that had been established, and then continued northwest into Galatia, strengthening the churches there, no
doubt through more comprehensive teaching of the word.

The missionaries also shared a letter with the various assemblies from the brethren in Jerusalem. This letter
encouraged the Gentile brethren in the assemblies to abandon certain practices that were offensive to their
Jewish brethren, in the interest of promoting the unity of the Body of Christ. But even more importantly,
the letter from Jerusalem contained language which was designed to authenticate Paul’s gospel - salvation
based on simple faith in Jesus, alone, apart from works.

The basis of salvation would later become quite an issue for the assemblies in Galatia, which is evident to
us as we view the content of Paul’s letter that he would one day send to be circulated among these
assemblies. Paul’s letter to the Galatians contains perhaps the strongest words of correction of any of his
letters which have been preserved in Scripture.

In Lystra, Paul and Silas encountered a young man who had been converted previously, most likely through
Paul’s preaching on his first missionary journey. Timothy was widely commended to Paul by the brethren
in the region. He was knowledgeable in the Scriptures, having been trained up in them by his Jewish
mother from his youth.

Paul could see the potential in this young man, and desired to have him join the missionary team, which
apparently was also the desire of Timothy and his family. But Timothy was uncircumcised, due to the fact
that his father had been a Gentile. This would have been a stumbling block for preaching to the Jews; so
Timothy’s first act of faith as a missionary was to submit to circumcision – for Christ’s sake. He then joined
the team as they proceeded westward, out of the region of Galatia.

The Holy Spirit made it clear that they were not to head south into Asia, nor north into Bithynia, but to
continue west – until they reached the edge of the Asian continent, in Troas. There, they stayed for a time,
until the Lord made it clear through a vision to Paul that they were to proceed across the Aegean Sea, to the
continent of Europe, into Macedonia.

Out of their obedience to the Lord’s leading, the team acquired a great asset in Troas – Luke, a Gentile
believer, a physician, and the eventual writer of the third gospel and our book here (Acts).
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The first city in Macedonia into which the Holy Spirit brought the gospel was Philippi. Although there was
no synagogue in the city, some women met at a place of prayer outside the city, to worship the God of
Israel.

The missionaries shared the gospel with these women, and a prosperous businesswoman named Lydia, who
was a God-fearer, believed into Jesus, and was baptized in His name, along with all of her household.
Immediately, we see her faith worked out in opening her home to the missionaries, and this became the
place where the fledgling assembly in Philippi began to meet.

No doubt that assembly eventually included two other converts – a girl possessed by a demon, which Paul
cast out of her, and the jailer in whose prison Paul and Silas were detained, after being beaten for healing
the girl.

Paul managed to secure the release of himself and Silas from the prison when he let it be known that they
were Roman citizens – who were not supposed to be beaten and imprisoned without trial, as Paul and Silas
had been. After encouraging the brethren in Lydia’s home, Paul and Silas took their leave of the city, along
with Timothy.

Luke apparently remained behind to serve these new believers in Philippi, as we can tell by the narrative
(those going on to Thessalonica are referred to by Luke as “they”, not “we”); no doubt Luke would help to
build up and strengthen this young assembly through the teaching of the word. Some time later, Luke
would rejoin Paul on his third missionary journey.

We can surmise by Paul’s letter to the assembly at Philippi that he held these believers with special
tenderness in his heart. Paul greatly loved all those over whom he had labored to bring to Christ; but with
this specific assembly, the love was particularly reciprocated, and Paul writes to them with great affection.
Just for a sampling of that, turn to Philippians chapter 1.

[Philippians 1:1-11] You can just hear the tender affection that Paul had for these believers – why?
Because of their fellowship with Paul in the gospel (v. 5); because they were growing in the grace and
knowledge of the Lord (v. 6); because they were partakers with Paul of God’s grace (v. 7); because in the
Lord, their love abounded (v. 9). And we will find evidence of this even as soon as when Paul first visits
Thessalonica, as we will soon see.

We now resume in chapter 17, following Paul, Silas and Timothy as they depart from Philippi.

17:1 So the men left Philippi, traveling westward on the Via Egnatia about thirty miles, until they came to
the city of Amphipolis, then another thirty miles to the city of Apollonia. Both of these cities were
significant in size; Amphipolis was of strategic importance, and both cities were notable commercially.

Yet Luke records that the missionaries “passed through” these cities; they traveled through them. We have
the sense, based on the distance, that they just stopped for the night in each city, then pressed on through.

Now, why didn’t they preach the gospel in these cities? Well, apparently, because the Holy Spirit did not
have them do so; they are following the Spirit’s leading. We get a clue as to why the Spirit may not have
them preach in these cities by Luke’s statement about Thessalonica, the next major city about 40 miles
further along the road.
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In verse 1, the Greek literally states that there was “the synagogue” (not “a synagogue”) of the Jews in
Thessalonica – and in the Greek, the article is emphatic – “there was THE synagogue of the Jews”. This
implies that there was no synagogue in either Amphipolis nor in Apollonia; and I’m sure there was not even
a place of prayer, as outside of Philippi.

The Lord had given Paul a pattern for preaching the gospel in a strange city: find the synagogue, or the
place where the Jews met, and preach the gospel there to the Jews and the Gentile proselytes and God-
fearers. This would create a bridge into the Gentile community within the city, eventually allowing the
sharing of the gospel with even the pagan Gentiles. So these two cities would most likely hear the gospel at
a later time, from the Gentile believers in either Philippi or Thessalonica.

The city of Thessalonica was about 100 miles west of Philippi. It was the capital city of Macedonia, and
the residence of the provincial governor. Technically, it was inland from the Aegean coast, but since three
rivers flowed into the sea from Thessalonica, it was a seaport – in fact, the largest seaport in Macedonia,
and a major center of commerce.

Like Philippi, Thessalonica was a Roman colony, self-governing and independent, with the same rights
granted to it as to Rome, including citizenship, land ownership, and the independent use of Roman law.

v. 2-3 So according to the pattern that the Lord had given him, Paul located the synagogue in
Thessalonica, and then waited for the Sabbath. It is possible that Paul, as a newcomer to the city, was
invited by the rulers of the synagogue to give a word of exhortation after the reading of Scripture, just as he
and Barnabas had been invited in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14-15).

No doubt, Paul could have expounded on whatever text was read to show forth Jesus as the Messiah. All of
Scripture testifies of Him (Jn 5:39).

For three consecutive Sabbaths, Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue; the word “reasoned” in the
Greek means that Paul was presenting intelligent arguments to prove to them that Jesus is the Christ.

This is the first use of the word “reasoned” in Acts, but Luke will continue to use this word to describe
Paul’s approach to the people in every major city from this point through his third missionary journey – in
Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and in Troas.

These were all Greek cities, and this method of communication was typically Greek; reasoning was the
method used by Socrates. You can see how the Holy Spirit reaches people right where they are at.

Paul explained the Scriptures to the Jews and Gentiles at the synagogue, opening up the meaning to them,
showing them that it was necessary for Messiah to suffer and die, then rise from the dead, in order for the
Scriptures to be fulfilled (Lk 24:44-47). You can just imagine Paul using passages like Isaiah 53, on the
Suffering Servant of Jehovah; and Psalm 22, the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep.

Then Paul demonstrated these truths; that is, Paul set the prophecies and pictures alongside of the events in
the life of Jesus that fulfilled them, showing forth Jesus to be Israel’s Messiah.

Luke next records the response of the Jews and Gentiles at the synagogue.
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v. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded by Paul that Jesus was indeed their Messiah; while a great many of
the God-fearing Gentiles believed, including many of the prominent God-fearing women of the city.
Macedonian women had a well-earned reputation for their independence and enterprising spirit, and social
conditions made it easier for well-to-do women than for men to convert. Many of these women became
patrons of the synagogue or the church, as Lydia had the church at Philippi.

The believers joined themselves to the missionaries, becoming their disciples. Just think of how this would
affect those Jews who did not believe Paul’s message; established Jews from their synagogue, and God-
fearing Gentiles that they had hoped would become their proselytes, were flocking to this visiting speaker
and his companions with their unbelievable message.

We don’t have a sense of the passage of time here, except the three Sabbaths mentioned when Paul
preached in the synagogue, but it is thought that Paul and his companions spent several months in
Thessalonica, preaching the gospel and teaching the new believers.

In fact, Paul’s letter to the assembly at Philippi indicates that the Philippians provided monetary support for
Paul and his companions time and again while they were at Thessalonica (Phil 4:15-16). Also, it probably
would have taken some time before the opposition got themselves organized in Thessalonica, and resorted
to a violent plan of action against the missionaries.

v. 5-8 We see once again the typical response on the part of the majority of the Jews – Christ crucified was
a stumbling block to them, blinding them to the truth, and the salvation of the Gentiles provoked the Jews
to jealousy (Rm 11:7-11).

Of course, the incensed Jews fixed their purpose upon expelling Paul and his associates from their city. But
the Jews were a small minority in Thessalonica; they would need some help in order to achieve their
objective. Apparently, these Jews were not ashamed to form an alliance with the rabble of the marketplace
to accomplish their ends. These were unemployed men who spent their time idly in the center of town – a
disgruntled group that could be easily stirred to mob action.

The incendiary group roused the whole city to action, and the mob descended upon the home in which Paul
and his friends were staying – the home of a man by the name of Jason, most likely a new Jewish believer,
as this Greek name was assumed by many Jews who were originally named Joshua.

The mob, not finding the missionaries, had to satisfy themselves with seizing their host, Jason, along with
some other believers who happened to be in his home at the time. Where were Paul, Silas and Timothy? It
is possible that they caught wind of the plot before it was executed, or that they just happened to be
elsewhere when the attack occurred.

In any event, the innocent Jason and other brethren were seized in place of the missionaries, and dragged
off by the mob to face the rulers of Thessalonica. The Greek word that Luke uses for these rulers is
politarchs, which was the precise designation given to these city officials in Macedonia during this period.
Rome gave them free hand to run the city, although they still had to answer to Rome for inappropriate
actions.

The comment which Luke records on the part of the accusing Jews is quite telling: “These who have
turned the world upside down have come here, too”. From this statement, we can see that, by this time, the
believers were having a significant impact on the Roman Empire. They had a reputation – they were
overturning the world order – and that reputation preceded them, so that even as far as Europe, that
reputation was already known – and it was a source of concern for those who were part of that world order.
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Was it true? Were the believers turning the world upside down? You bet. Jesus had said, “Now is the
judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (Jn 12:31). This world system was
judged at the cross, as was its ruler (Jn 16:11). Both are awaiting the execution of their sentence – the
world system will be destroyed (Rev 21:1), and the ruler of this world will be cast into a pit, and then the
Lake of Fire (Rev20:1-3, 10).

This world is in fact passing away (1 Jn 2:17). But God does not desire men to perish with it; He calls men
to come out of it, through the gospel of Christ, the power of God to salvation, to all who believe (Rm 1:16).

But men of this world fear their world being turned upside down. The crowd and the rulers of Thessalonica
found the words of the Jews troubling. And the Jews went further, saying that the missionaries were
disregarding the decrees of Caesar – the emperor of the Roman Empire – in favor of a king of their own –
Jesus.

Now, would that have been true? No – Jesus did not encourage His followers to practice civil disobedience
(see Mt 22:16-21), and being a follower of Jesus would not cause a conflict, in general, with following the
laws of the land. But you can see how the Jews would have twisted Paul’s discourse concerning Jesus as
Israel’s Messiah, implying that Paul was encouraging men to follow a new king!

Also, we can see by the content of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians that he taught them much about the
return of Jesus to the earth, and about His kingdom (1 Th 2:12, 2 Th 1:5). Certainly, the Jews would have
cited this as evidence that Paul and his companions were planning a rebellion against Caesar! And Jason
was harboring these seditious men!

These were serious charges. The politarchs would have known that such insurrectionists had stirred up
trouble in other areas of the Roman Empire – in fact, Rome and Alexandria had recently experienced such
trouble. Certainly, the imperial authorities in Rome would not be pleased if the politarchs treated such
grave accusations lightly.

But unlike the magistrates at Philippi, these men exercised judicial restraint. After all, the evidence for the
charge was scanty, and the men against whom the charge was intended could not be found. So what the
politarchs decided to do was to put it on Jason and his associates to see to it that there was no more trouble.

v. 9 Undoubtedly, Jason was a well-to-do man, and well-established in the city of Thessalonica. It was the
wealthy who possessed homes large enough to host a fledgling assembly in a city. The politarchs knew that
they could hold such a man as Jason responsible for the actions of his guests, to ensure that there was no
more trouble in the city.

Since the mere presence of Paul and his companions was enough to perpetuate the disturbance in the city,
the missionaries would have no choice but to leave the city quietly and not return. Taking security from
Jason guaranteed their departure. And why did they have to leave? Because they were preaching the truth.
It was as if Jason was giving his word that the missionaries would not impose the gospel upon this resistant
mob, led by the unbelieving Jews.

Later, Paul would write of desiring to return to visit the assembly at Thessalonica, but that Satan hindered
them from doing so (1 Th 2:17-18), perhaps referring to this ruling, which was in force as long as the
politarchs were in power.
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So Paul and his associates had no choice in the matter, but had to depart. Certainly, they would have
chosen to stay, and strengthen the young assembly with further teaching. Needless to say, the persecutors
of Paul and his companions would turn upon the new believers in their absence. We see evidence of this in
Paul’s letters to the assembly at Thessalonica (1 Th 1:6, 2:14; 2 Th 1:4-6). But this assembly maintained its
faith and witness in a manner that brought great joy to Paul and all who learned of it (2 Th 1:3-4).

Now, in this circumstance, we can find a reflection of our Lord Jesus. The name Jason means “healer”. As
mentioned, it is the Greek name that Jews who are named Joshua would often take, as their Hellenized
name. The Hebrew name Joshua has a direct form in the Greek – what is it? Jesus – the One who heals us
from our sin-sickness.

Now, Jason was the host of the missionaries in Thessalonica; he made provision for them; while there, they
were of his household. And when the enemy sought to attack the missionaries, who was it that they
actually seized? Jason – he was taken in the missionaries’ stead.

The politarchs, as representatives of the ruler of the Roman Empire, sought to protect the interests of
Caesar. But the pledge of Jason was enough to settle their interests, while at the same time providing safe
passage for the missionaries out of the city. The politarchs wanted their people to be left alone. Jason was
willing to allow that, for the Lord had already secured those in the city who were His.

You can see a lovely reflection of Jesus in this, in how He provides for and protects those of His household
– the household of Christ (Heb 3:6). We bear the reproach of Christ (Heb 11:26) – in this world, we will
have tribulation - but He is our protection, our security – for He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33).

Jesus provides for and protects His own; but He will not force Himself on anyone. Each one may freely
choose, to receive the One taken in our stead, and be healed; or to refuse him, and remain part of that
condemned world system.

In Thessalonica, the unbelieving Jews rejected Jesus, and Satan had the good seed of the word snatched
away (Mt 13:19). But one day, the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings (Mal 4:2),
and in that day, Israel will receive their true Jason, and be healed.

v. 10 To ensure the safety of Paul, Silas, and we presume, Timothy, the brethren in Thessalonica sent them
out of the city by night. They continued west along the Via Egnatia, then turned south toward Greece,
coming to the city of Berea, about 50 miles from Thessalonica.

v. 11-12 As he regularly did, Paul waited for the Sabbath, then went into the synagogue in Berea. The
Jews there were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica; that is, they were more open-minded; they
were willing to consider new thoughts; they were more teachable. As such, they gave a fair hearing to what
Paul was preaching, and then searched the Scriptures for themselves to see if it were true.

Here were people who were willing to think along with God; and in so doing, they became convinced that
what Paul was relating to them concerning Jesus was true – He was indeed Israel’s Messiah. All Scripture
witnesses to it. So in Berea, many of the Jews believed, in addition to many God-fearing Gentiles, both
men and women.

We can once again assume that some time elapsed, perhaps months, during which Paul and Silas taught the
new Jewish and Gentile believers more and more about Jesus. But eventually, word got back to
Thessalonica that Paul was “corrupting” Berea.
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v. 13-15 Just as had happened in Asia (Acts 14:19), now happened in Europe; the unbelieving Jews
persecuted the preachers of the gospel, even into the surrounding cities. We will see later in the book of
Acts that the Jews are willing to go even further than that, in their zeal.

So the brethren in Berea whisked Paul away, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea for a time. They
were not as directly targeted by the Jews as was Paul, the principle spokesman; and meanwhile, they could
continue for a brief time longer to encourage the brethren there, and perhaps also act as a diversion for the
Jews from Paul.

You can just see their submission to the Spirit, to have the boldness to stand in the face of this persecution;
while we also see Paul’s submission to the Spirit, to be willing to flee, and not stand with his brethren –
because the Spirit so indicated. Paul then sailed for Athens, and upon arriving, sent word for Silas and
Timothy to join him – for their next adventure of faith.

Next week – Read 1 and 2 Thessalonians; Genesis 11:1-9.