When we closed yesterday we found the believers at Thessalonica sending the mission team on to Berea during the night because a mob there had formed and caused a riot. In order to put a stop to the trouble, the officials made the friends of Paul and Silas post bond as a promise that there would be no further uproar---meaning the missionaries couldn't teach in the city at this time.
We pick back up with the verse we closed with yesterday, "As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue." (Acts 17:10) The men travel sixty miles on a secondary road to reach this city. The road to Berea is not the road the men were formerly traveling (the Via Egnatia), but at this moment it's important not to draw too much attention to themselves as they slip away from Thessalonica. The men who stirred up trouble against them at Thessalonica could easily follow and find them on the main road and perhaps do them severe harm or even kill them.
As usual, they seek out a Jewish synagogue as soon as they enter the city. Luke has words of praise for the Jews at Berea, "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11) Luke says they are "of more noble character" because they are willing to hear the gospel and to test whether or not it lines up with the Scriptures. They don't just immediately dismiss the message and reject the idea of a crucified Messiah. They aren't hot-tempered like some of the men at Thessalonica. They aren't quick to judge. They are calm and thoughtful people who respectfully listen to Paul's preaching and then check for themselves whether the Scriptures he quotes are actually in the word of God and whether they can be applied to Jesus of Nazareth. After carefully considering all these things, a great deal of them conclude that the gospel message is true and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. "As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men." (Acts 17:12)
The Bereans set a good example for us to follow. We should always examine the Scriptures to make certain that a pastor or Christian speaker or evangelist is telling us the truth. If what they are telling us doesn't line up with the word of God, we need to stop listening to them. The Bereans were willing to give Paul a chance, but they weren't gullible. They knew that in order to determine if he was telling the truth they had to compare his words with the word of God. When they found out that all the things about Jesus of Nazareth were predicted by the prophets, and when they realized that He perfectly fulfilled the law and gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sins, they happily believed in Him. The word of God confirmed that Paul's message was true. If the word of God doesn't confirm what someone is telling us about Jesus Christ, we need to listen to a different religious instructor who does stick to the holy word of God.
The mission trip to Berea is a resounding success. As is usually the case, wherever the gospel prospers there is opposition. The troublemakers from Thessalonica hear that Paul has made many converts at Berea and they follow him there to cause another uproar. "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." (Acts 17:13) Not all the Jews at Thessalonica rejected Paul's message, as we learned earlier in the week. But some did and it wasn't enough for them to run Paul out of their own city; they want to run him out of Berea too.
"The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea." (Acts 17:14) Silas and Timothy stay behind to teach and encourage the new believers. The hatred of the Thessalonian troublemakers is not aimed at them but at the chief speaker of the mission team: the Apostle Paul. It's not safe for Paul to remain in the city at this time and he moves on to Athens.
"Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible." (Acts 17:15) Silas and Timothy will rejoin Paul in Chapter 18 in the city of Corinth. The new believers from Berea care about Paul's safety so much that they go with him to Athens to make sure he gets there in one piece. Luke doesn't tell us if the men who escort Paul are armed, but I don't doubt they are willing to put up a fight to protect him. They love the apostle who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. They want him to be able to continue sharing the gospel with the world, so they do their part to help him carry out the great commission.
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