Acts 17:10-15 (NIV)
As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Paul was not discouraged by having to move on from Thessalonica (although he was concerned about the new believers since he hadn’t really had time to disciple them thoroughly – 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20). He simply obeyed Jesus’ clear command (Matthew 10:23a) and moved west along the highway to the next city with a synagogue: Berea.
Paul followed his normal procedure, going into the synagogue week after week, demonstrating from the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah, and urging the brothers (and sisters) to believe in Him. He had quite a bit of success, both among the Jews and among the Greek God-fearers.
Luke points out that the Bereans did not tend to be tossed about by new theologies. But when Paul quoted a Scripture, they immediately went to the scrolls, found the Scripture he was referencing, and read it carefully in context to make sure that it actually said what he claimed it did. It was not an emotional appeal but the proof of the Scriptures that had persuaded them, a much more solid thing to build their foundation on, and a clear sign of the “noble character” that Luke credited them with.
It didn’t take long, though, for travelers along the highway to bring word to Thessalonica about what was happening in Berea. The Jewish leaders in Thessalonica put two and two together and were sure that it had to be Paul and his group. They got a mob together and headed to Berea, where they caused such a scene that the disciples were worried about Paul’s safety. After they sent him to the coast, just a few miles to the east of the city, things calmed down, and Timothy and Silas were able to teach for a while longer and get the new disciples more firmly grounded before they joined him in Athens.
Father, the enemy was really working hard to stamp out Paul and his work! But with You protecting him, the Thessalonians weren’t able to catch and persecute or kill him. Instead, he was able (and more than willing) to continue his work for Your kingdom. Help me, Lord, to have the same passion and resilience as Paul, which will result in my being a powerful and effective witness at all times and in all places. Amen.
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