Search the Scriptures Mindset

Acts 17:1-15

Preaching Christ at Thessalonica

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

Assault on Jason's House

5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus." 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Ministering at Berea

10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13 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. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Paul had come to Thessaloniki to reason with the people there from the Scriptures as he explained and demonstrated by facts and eyewitnesses how Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead.  He told them these things from God’s written accounts of old and then how Jesus whom he preached to them is the Christ foretold by Moses and the prophets as the long-awaited Messiah.  He found a few Jews were convinced and many devout non-Jews as well who listened with open minds receptive to the words of truth and life.  But the envious and evil among the Jews felt threatened (Deuteronomy 32:21, Romans 10:19) and stirred up the ignoble rabble into a mob to attack Paul and Silas for daring to disturb their religious standing of tradition and control over the masses.  It took the government’s rulers of the city to stop the violence and let them go, and they left that city to go where people might hear with an honorable response and not as beasts (1 Corinthians 15:32, 2 Corinthians 1:8).  Honorable and generous men and women will listen or read what others teach from the scriptures without acting as street ruffians to violently attack with argumentative vitriol or low-minded mocking.  They instead hear or read what is being expressed and then calmly take the time to examine as they compare scripture with scripture in immediate and larger context to determine if what they are hearing is true and noble itself (Philippians 4:8).  This is how the believers in Berea approached hearing the gospel from Paul as of a nobleman with dignity, respect, and self-control.  They generously allowed them to speak their mind about the scriptures concerning Christ and His gospel and then honorably examined the word of God to validate and verify the teaching.  They did not attack verbally or physically as these before them in places like Thessaloniki or Philippi where they were met with fingers in the ears of the listeners and angry denials with slander and disrespect.  May we likewise follow the example of the Bereans and not the others as we hear teaching and preaching which needs to be verified as we take the time to examine the whole counsel of God for the correct interpretation understanding as God wrote it for us to compare as led by His Spirit and the witness of other godly men before us who did the same and left a trail for us to follow through the Bible.  We should also receive the word with all readiness and take the time to thoroughly examine the Bible in spiritual and historical context with the mindset of seeking to find out what things are so and what ideas and teachings are not accurate according to God and not mere men speaking out of turn.  Doing this lead many to believe and receive Jesus as the Christ for salvation from the wrath of God as they discovered God’s love in giving His Son (John 3:16) to rescue those who are being called (John 6:44) to know Him and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:9-10) in the righteousness of Christ and not their own.  This is the gospel of forgiveness and grace which no works of our own can ever attain or accomplish.  Just like at Berea, unfortunately, some may come who have rejected the message to try to unsettle or attack us as the Jews from Thessalonica did in Berea in an attempt to stop the spread of the word of the truth of Jesus Christ.  May we be likewise steadfast and immovable (1 Corinthians 15:58) to the end with the proclamation of the words of this life.  This is the result of the search the scriptures mindset amidst base opposition.