READ | ACTS CHAPTER 17
In Thessalonica
17 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.[a] 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.
In Berea
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.
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
17 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.[a] 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.
In Berea
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.
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
DEVOTIONAL
There is a teaching which has been shared in various church circles called Wise, Foolish and Evil People. The main idea is that there are three types of people in the world categorized by how they view and respond to truth. Wise people accept truth, foolish people ignore truth and evil people oppose truth. In chapter seventeen on Acts, we see the idea behind this teaching and all three of these groups on full display. In Thessalonica, Paul goes into the local Jewish Synagogue (as was his custom) and for three Sabbaths he reasoned and presented the truth of scripture to them. Paul explained and proved from scripture that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, the one who had come and had to die for the sins of the people. Like any city on earth, Thessalonica was filled with Wise, Foolish and Evil People. Some heard the words of Paul, weighed them, and accepted them as truth. Some heard yet ignored the truth Paul was presenting for whatever reason. And some did all they could to oppose Paul and the truth he was presenting. This is what evil people do, they oppose truth and instead exchange it for a comforting lie. Since Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” it makes sense that they would also oppose Jesus at every turn as well as anyone declaring his name. This is the definition of evil; to oppose and twist that which is good. Many people who oppose God’s truth don’t think of themselves as evil and would be offended if they were labeled as such. But regardless of how they think of themselves, they are acting in an evil way. It is interesting that their main accusation against Paul and his team was that they had “turned the world upside down,” which was exactly what Paul had set out to do. Paul would later write the epistles to the Thessalonians to continue his teaching which had been cut short.
The next city Paul and his team traveled to was called Berea, and the people there were called Bereans. They were people of more noble character. They were eager to hear the truth, examine it, and accept it if it aligned with scripture. These were very wise people. To this day, there are many churches around the world called Berean Churches, because of the example of these God-fearing people who not only heard Paul’s words but diligently examined them and held them up to the word of God. This is a worthy example for each of us to emulate. This is what wise people do. Foolish people will rarely if ever, examine scripture, and evil people will go to great lengths to oppose truth, even traveling from where they are to stir up and turn people against anything having to do with Jesus. Even if they examined scripture, it would only be in an attempt to twist it to their own liking. No doubt these evil people told lies about Jesus, Paul, and anyone calling themselves Christian. This tactic has not changed even two thousand years later. Evil people still oppose truth, and they will go to great lengths to oppose it in a similar way.
In Athens, the pattern repeats itself again, as it would in every city Paul ever visited. Once again, even in this famous and historic city, the intellectual capital of the world, there were wise people, foolish people, and evil people living there. Verse 32 tells us that when the Stoic philosophers and great thinkers of Athens heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, and some of them were curious and wanted to hear more about Jesus. These Stoics were pantheists who put great emphasis on moral sincerity and a high sense of duty. They cultivated a spirit of proud dignity, believed that everything was god and that god was in everything. So they believed that all things, good or evil, were from “god,” and so nothing should be resisted, and they also believed there was no particular direction or destiny for mankind. With all that in mind, it makes sense that Paul’s sharing of the Gospel would be both interesting and conflicting to their twisted worldview. This situation is a fitting example and representation of the parable Jesus told of the seed; some of the seed will fall on fertile ground and some will fall on rocky ground. Our job is simply to be faithful in spreading the seed, understanding that not all of it will fall on fertile ground or wise ears. We should not be discouraged by foolish or evil people. Let God be the judge of them. Let them reap what they sow. It is not up to us to decide for others or judge the condition of their heart, only to be faithful in presenting the truth of the gospel to as many wise people as we can. God is in the business of changing hearts. After all, who would know this better than Paul, who himself at one point had dedicated his life to opposing the truth of God? Paul was once an evil person! Paul had to believe that the Gospel and the Holy Spirit were far more formidable than anything the enemy could throw at him. He would continue his second missionary journey with his eyes wide open, knowing that just like Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra on his first missionary journey, the second would bring its own points of opposition and mockery. But he would not give up, no matter what lay in front of him. The Kingdom of God would be won, one city at a time.
The next city Paul and his team traveled to was called Berea, and the people there were called Bereans. They were people of more noble character. They were eager to hear the truth, examine it, and accept it if it aligned with scripture. These were very wise people. To this day, there are many churches around the world called Berean Churches, because of the example of these God-fearing people who not only heard Paul’s words but diligently examined them and held them up to the word of God. This is a worthy example for each of us to emulate. This is what wise people do. Foolish people will rarely if ever, examine scripture, and evil people will go to great lengths to oppose truth, even traveling from where they are to stir up and turn people against anything having to do with Jesus. Even if they examined scripture, it would only be in an attempt to twist it to their own liking. No doubt these evil people told lies about Jesus, Paul, and anyone calling themselves Christian. This tactic has not changed even two thousand years later. Evil people still oppose truth, and they will go to great lengths to oppose it in a similar way.
In Athens, the pattern repeats itself again, as it would in every city Paul ever visited. Once again, even in this famous and historic city, the intellectual capital of the world, there were wise people, foolish people, and evil people living there. Verse 32 tells us that when the Stoic philosophers and great thinkers of Athens heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, and some of them were curious and wanted to hear more about Jesus. These Stoics were pantheists who put great emphasis on moral sincerity and a high sense of duty. They cultivated a spirit of proud dignity, believed that everything was god and that god was in everything. So they believed that all things, good or evil, were from “god,” and so nothing should be resisted, and they also believed there was no particular direction or destiny for mankind. With all that in mind, it makes sense that Paul’s sharing of the Gospel would be both interesting and conflicting to their twisted worldview. This situation is a fitting example and representation of the parable Jesus told of the seed; some of the seed will fall on fertile ground and some will fall on rocky ground. Our job is simply to be faithful in spreading the seed, understanding that not all of it will fall on fertile ground or wise ears. We should not be discouraged by foolish or evil people. Let God be the judge of them. Let them reap what they sow. It is not up to us to decide for others or judge the condition of their heart, only to be faithful in presenting the truth of the gospel to as many wise people as we can. God is in the business of changing hearts. After all, who would know this better than Paul, who himself at one point had dedicated his life to opposing the truth of God? Paul was once an evil person! Paul had to believe that the Gospel and the Holy Spirit were far more formidable than anything the enemy could throw at him. He would continue his second missionary journey with his eyes wide open, knowing that just like Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra on his first missionary journey, the second would bring its own points of opposition and mockery. But he would not give up, no matter what lay in front of him. The Kingdom of God would be won, one city at a time.
