Acts 17:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.

NIV: 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.

NASB: But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.

CSB: But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds.

NLT: But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.

KJV: But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

NKJV: But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

Paul and his team traveled about 66 miles, or 106 kilometers, from Philippi to Thessalonica. They then journeyed about 45 miles, or 72 kilometers, from Thessalonica to Berea. All these locations are in Macedonia, and all in the Roman Empire. Philippi is a Roman outpost where the people speak Latin and follow the Roman laws more carefully. Thessalonica is a Greek free city, the largest city in Macedonia and its capital. Philippi does not seem to have enough Jews for a synagogue; Thessalonica and Berea do.

There isn't a lot here to explain the differences each city has to Paul's message about Jesus' offer of salvation. In Philippi, a Gentile businesswoman named Lydia who gathers with other women at the river to pray to the Jewish God welcomes Jesus' salvation eagerly. She hosts Paul and his team until they're forced to leave because of persecution by other Gentiles (Acts 16:11–40). In Berea, the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue take the time and effort to study the Scriptures to see if Paul's words are true. Their diligence validates Paul's message and allows it to spread throughout the city (Acts 17:11–12).

The Thessalonians, in between Philippi and Berea, respond in a completely different way. Some of the Jews and Gentiles in the synagogue do believe Paul and follow when he apparently moves the church out of the synagogue to the house of Jason (Acts 17:4). But they don't financially support Paul and his team—the church in Philippi does (Philippians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:8). And many of the Jews in Thessalonica reject their own Messiah because they value more their position in their own society (Acts 17:5). They not only attack the church and force Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica, but they also pursue Paul to Berea so he has to flee to Athens (Acts 17:10, 14–15).

In the early church, one of the most effective methods of persecution is stirring up crowds. It happens to Paul in Philippi (Acts 16:22), Thessalonica (Acts 17:5), Ephesus (Acts 19:28–29), and Jerusalem (Acts 21:30)—and it happened to Jesus (Mark 15:11). The Bereans are our example of people who study and seek out the truth instead of following the crowd.

Acts 17:10–15 introduces a church which becomes an example for all of Christianity: the Bereans. The jealous Jews of Thessalonica have driven Paul and Silas out of town by threatening the church members. Not willing to face more persecution than necessary, the church send the two to Berea. When the evangelists explain how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, the Bereans respond with a form of cautious skepticism. They study those prophecies, checking Paul's message for accuracy, and find he's right. Unfortunately, the Jews from Thessalonica follow and cause such problems that the new Berean church sends Paul away to Athens.

Acts 17 describes how Paul's ministry travels down the coast of Greece. In Thessalonica, some Jews and God-fearing Gentiles believe while other Jews start a riot (Acts 17:1–9). The Bereans study the veracity of Paul's statements—until the Thessalonian Jews arrive and threaten to start another riot (Acts 17:10–15). Paul flees to Athens where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers accept Paul's argument when he uses Greek poets to introduce God as the creator of the world, but lose interest when he mentions the resurrection from the dead (Acts 17:16–34).

Acts 17 continues Paul and Silas' travels out of Macedonia and on to Greece. The two have been through modern-day Asia minor where they picked up Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas (Acts 16:1–10). They have established a strong church in Philippi but were forced to leave after being falsely imprisoned (Acts 16:11–40). They now skip down the coast to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. From here, they will spend a considerable amount of time in Corinth before heading back to Judea and Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:1–22).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.