v.1-4
In Thessalonica Paul preaches in the synagogue
v.5-9
Other Jews start a riot against Paul
v.10-15
Paul & Silas go to Berea, Paul preaches and is attacked
v.16-21
In Athens Paul preaches in the synagogue and marketplace
v.22-34
Paul preaches in the Areopagus
v.1-4
In Thessalonica Paul preaches in the synagogue
v.1
When
Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia,
they came to Thessalonica , where there was a
Jewish synagogue.
v.2,3
As
was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath
days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 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.
v.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.
[Passage
Synopsis: Although
he has been rejected by the Jews before (see 13:46) Paul still
uses the strategy of going first to synagogues where there will
be people with Jewish history knowledge. Here he is accepted and
a number believe.]
v.5-9
Other Jews start a riot against Paul
v.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.
v.6,7
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, and
Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's
decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”
v.8
When
they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown
into turmoil.
v.9
Then
they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
[Passage
Synopsis: Yes
– here it goes again! – some Jews use what can only be described
as seriously unrighteous activity to persecute Paul and try to
stop him preaching.]
v.10-15
Paul & Silas go to Berea, Paul preaches and is attacked
v.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.
v.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.
v.12
As
a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent
Greek women and many Greek men.
v.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.
v.14
The
believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy
stayed at Berea.
v.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.
[Passage
Synopsis: It
is interesting that although Paul will rebuke a demon he never
rebukes his own people but just leaves in the face of persecution.
Perhaps he is following Jesus' teaching of his disciples – Mt
10:14 etc. So Paul moves on to Berea, is well received but then
finds Jews from Thessalonica pursuing him and so he is sent off
to Athens.]
v.16-21
In Athens Paul preaches in the synagogue and marketplace
v.16
While
Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed
to see that the city was full of idols.
v.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.
v.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.
v.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?
v.20
You
are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like
to know what they mean.”
v.21
(All
the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time
doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
[Passage
Synopsis: He
is in anguish in Athens when he sees so many idols in a city of
people who pride themselves for their culture and intellect. He
continues his practice of starting in the synagogue and also the
marketplace and he is invited to the Areopagus where discussion
and debate was rife.]
v.22-34
Paul preaches in the Areopagus
v.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.
v.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.
v.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.
v.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.
v.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.
v.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.
v.28
‘For
in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own
poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.'
v.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.
v.30
In
the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all
people everywhere to repent.
v.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.”
v.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.”
v.33
At
that, Paul left the Council.
v.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.
[Passage
Synopsis: Rather
than his usual approach of referring to Jewish scriptures, Paul
picks on the fact of having seen an idol “To an unknown God” (fearful
superstition wanting to cover all the bases!] and point them to
the Creator God he knows. A few people become followers.]
Continue
to chapter 18