ACTS 17: Paul’s Journey

The Gospel Spread like a seed.

Let’s look at the people involved in the passage

In Thessalonica

Acts 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.

Paul: 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.

1. Something that he was used to doing.
2. Reasoning from the scriptures

Result – Thessalonians: 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.

Who was he preaching to? The Thessalonians.

Thessalonica (also Thessalonike) was an ancient city of Macedon in northern Greece which today is the city of Thessaloniki. Made capital of the Roman province of Macedon, the city flourished due to its location on the major trade route to the east and continued to thrive as one of the most important cities in the Byzantine Empire. Its prosperity and cultural reputation attracted such figures as Paul the Apostle, Roman emperor Galerius, Cicero, and Lucian over the centuries. Substantial archaeological remains have been excavated and a Roman triumphal arch still stands as one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Thessalonica is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Thessalonians were self sufficient people. They seemed to be a rich community, and had a rich background. Paul had to be thorough and full of the Holy Spirit to persuade and reason out.

We see a man named Jason who accommodated Paul while he was in Thessalonica. This was something that Paul always did. He involved a native in the process of the preaching. We see Lydia in the previous chapters. He will stay with them. It becomes a double impact as they see the life of Paul, listen to his preaching and also experience the Spirit of God working in him. This helps them and gives the confidence to trust his teaching. Paul would get involved in the lives of people.

Who is Jason?

Jason: jā´sun ( Ἰάσων , Iásōn ) is a Greek name assumed by Jews who bore the Hebrew name Joshua. This name is mentioned twice in the New Testament.

(1) Jason was the host of Paul during his stay in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5-9), and, during the uproar organized by the Jews, who were moved to jealousy by the success of Paul and Silas, he and several other “brethren” were severely handled by the mob. When the mob failed to find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and “certain brethren” before the politarchs, accusing Jason of treason in receiving into his house those who said “There is another king, one Jesus.” The magistrates, being troubled, took security from them, and let them go.

There are various explanations of the purpose of this security. “By this expression it is most probably meant that a sum of money was deposited with the magistrates, and that the Christian community of the place made themselves responsible that no attempt should be made against the supremacy of Rome, and that peace should be maintained in Thessalonica itself” (Conybeare and Howson, St. Paul ). Ramsay ( St. Paul the Traveler ) thinks that the security was given to prevent Paul from returning to Thessalonica and that Paul refers to this in 1 Thessalonians 2:18.

The immediate departure of Paul and Silas seems to show the security was given that the strangers would leave the city and remain absent (Acts 17:5-9).

(2) Jason is one of the companions of Paul who unite with him in sending greetings to the Roman Christians (Romans 16:21 ). He is probably the same person as (1). Paul calls him a kinsman, which means a Jew (compare Romans 9:3; Romans 16:11, Romans 16:21 ).

What do we understand by the attitude of these Thessalonians?

They were not very receptive. They were easily carried away by others. The reason being that they blindly believed, had no basis, or any kind of background knowledge.

• They received Paul’s teaching
• They were not willing to learn and grow in the same
• They heard, and then got diverted with other comments
• They were not able to hold on to their belief.
• They were very shallow.

Let’s learn a little bit about Berea

The city’s name today is Veria. It is located in the part of Greece known as Macedonia. Berea has existed since around 400 BC., and there are some indications that people lived in the area as early as 1000 BC. In the time of the Apostle Paul, it was part of the Roman Empire.

Berea was a center of Greek culture and learning. Today the city is a commercial center and the seat of a Church of Greece Metropolitan bishop.

Attitude of the Bereans

First and foremost, the Bereans were “more noble” because of their willing reception of the Word of God. Unlike the unbelieving Thessalonian Jews, the Bereans were eager to hear the teaching of Paul and Silas.

Second, the Bereans examined what they heard by comparing it to the Old Testament Scriptures. The fact that they honestly listened and conducted further personal research led many Bereans to faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This expansion of Christianity was not limited to those within the synagogue, but also extended to many Greek men and women in Berea.

Third, the Bereans guarded Paul’s safety. When Paul’s enemies arrived from nearby Thessalonica, the Berean believers protected Paul by getting him out of the region. They did not turn him over to his enemies or disassociate from him as the Jews from Thessalonica might have expected.

Fourth, the Bereans continued to grow in their faith. After Paul’s departure, Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. Why? The Bible does not explicitly say, but one reason was probably to give the Berean Christians a chance to obtain further instruction in the Christian faith.

Later in the book of Acts, we are given further insight into the faithfulness of at least one Berean man. When Paul decides to return for additional ministry in Macedonia despite the tremendous persecution he had recently faced, one of the men who chose to accompany him was from Berea: “There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him” (Acts 20:3-4). Sopater, likely a Gentile Christian, continued to assist Paul (and Timothy) in ministry long after Paul’s first visit to Berea.

Berean Jews vs Thessalonian Jews

Who are we ?

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.

The evidence of anyone genuinely wanting to understand and wanting to have a relationship with Jesus is that they would go back to the scriptures. They would want to know more. Here the Bereans were not only receptive but examined and therefore their faith is not easily shaken.

However the Thessalonians were persuaded but in their case they never went back to the scriptures or examined or investigated.

Athens

Paul was distressed to see people worshiping idols:  While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Paul through his reasoning, debates, was able to create curiosity among the people.

 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.)

Paul was able to speak their own terminologies because he was able to understand their culture, he observed, he lived among them and studied them.

“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.

Paul put it across in simple terms. He spoke what they wanted to hear. He understood their struggle and proclaimed the solution to them.

About Athens:

Athens, Modern Greek Athínai, Ancient Greek Athēnai, historic city and capital of Greece. Many of Classical civilization’s intellectual and artistic ideas originated there, and the city is generally considered to be the birthplace of Western civilization.

Athens, with its tall buildings and contemporary shops, is the first European city when approached from the Middle East. When approached from the west, from elsewhere in Europe, what strikes the visitor is the influence of the East—in the food, music, and clamorous street life—perhaps vestiges of a time when Athens was divorced from European society under the yoke of Ottoman rule. Nevertheless, it is wrong to say that Athens is a mixture of East and West: it is Greek and, more particularly, Athenian. The city, after all, nurtured Western civilization thousands of years ago. Athens remains on the world stage to this day.

If you see the approach that Paul had towards these people in Athens, that he spoke about God who does not live in Temples, getting right into their cultural background.

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.

A special mention about the people in the end of the chapter who are highly influential.

Member of the Areopagus: Areopagus, earliest aristocratic council of ancient Athens. The name was taken from the Areopagus (“Ares’ Hill”), a low hill northwest of the Acropolis, which was its meeting place. The Areopagite Council probably began as the king’s advisers.

In order to influence such influential people like Lydia, Jason, Dionysius, Paul had to be something and he needed to have that knowledge. Paul definitely was favored by God but he was very hardworking, strategic and influential himself.

Keywords that Paul used to bring about a curiosity among the Athenians.

• God’s Offspring
• Resurrection

Attitude of Athens

• Idol worshipers
• Ready for new ideas / concepts
• Intrigued by the Conversation
• Did not disregard Paul’s approach

What is the Character that I can learn from all these

1. Reasoning: why am I believing what I am believing, what is my conviction? How do I explain my belief to my friends / colleagues?  Example: if I eat at a restaurant, I am able to persuade my friends, family, etc. eventually they may try or they may at least give recommendation to someone. When I am not convinced, then I cannot convince. In the process, I will get confused and mess up my whole revelation about the gospel.
2. Examining: Checking for accuracy. When people check for accuracy we may or may not take it positively. We feel that they don’t trust us but the fact that we overlook it is that when an examination is conducted then it shows that that person is interested.
3. Thorough knowledge of the scripture: It is essential to have your personal encounter with God. It is the personal study and knowledge and the relationship that we have with God that will make us prepared and equipped to guide others to Christ. If I am only floating in the air and picking words from here and there, we will not be able to teach or preach or disciple.

Have we seen Christians who go with the flow? They are never able to take a stand. They want to please the whole world, in the process they are confused and confuse the people who have been observing them. These kinds of people remain stagnant.

1. Hosting / making Life happen together/ Becoming part of the culture: This one particular characteristic that we learn from Paul’s journey is that Paul stayed with people in their homes. He stayed with Jason, in Corinth he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla, stayed with Timothy. Each time he stayed with them, they were built, their faith was strengthened, they were encouraged to create communities eventually forming churches.

So be prepared to enter people’s homes for good. Touch their lives and become an impact.

1. Creating curiosity through discussions and meaningful conversations. Paul appreciated and acknowledged their culture and from that strikes a conversation in which eventually they show interest. Creating a safe space to speak the good news is an art that we all want to learn.
2. Speaking in their own terminologies or language. You are the offspring. Paul had a beautiful way of carrying on a conversation with these people. He would start from where they left.

Some Barriers

We disrespect their belief

We judge them on the basis of their appearance, culture or behaviour. Preconceived approach.

We don’t show our love through our actions but we bombard them on how they should behave. I believe Paul not only preached but showed through his actions when he was living with them.

Finally, an afterthought that we saw a few Jews who came to create confusion, enmity, disharmony and hatred, they couldn’t cope up with Paul’s passion for the Gospel.

Why do I say couldn’t cope up? It all depends on my enthusiasm and when I take that step, God brings in supernatural wisdom, strength and favour that the enemy can’t match up with the same.

Also, Paul never focused on these troublesome Jews, he never went and fought with them or argued but he was focused on his goal. He preached with all enthusiasm.

A question to Ask ourselves…The seed is sown or it is sowing (listening to the word of God.) but where is my belief. Shallow, Deeper Roots, or Inquisitive.

Whom can we relate to

Thessalonians

Bereans

Athens

1. Am I so self sufficient and take things lightly. Persuaded with everything? Never try to find out or nothing interests me. I go with the flow kind of attitude. Very shallow approach.
2. Am I keen to understand more, learn and dig into the truth of God? Deeper knowledge
3. Interested in listening, being ready to accept the other person’s biblical perspective? Or Do I become defensive and object the knowledge that God has enabled people to have about me?

As perfectly as Paul puts

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]

Does what Paul says stir you up or are we still indecisive about our commitment to Jesus? Take up the challenge of learning about Jesus, build your relationship with him and there will be nothing that can take away your passion.

Sandra wife of Virjil .The Renewed Hope Community is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.