NT 260: Part TwoSample

Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica, which has a larger Jewish population. As usual, most of the Jews rejected the message of Jesus and stirred up trouble. That caused Paul and Silas to move on to Beria. The Jews in Beria did not rely on their traditions, but instead studied the Old Testament for themselves to see if what Paul was telling them was true. Therefore, they were more open to the message of Jesus. Paul moves on to Athens, which is full of idols to false gods and secular philosophers. Luke points out that when preaching to people like this, Paul no longer relies on quoting the Old Testament, but rather quotes from poets they would hold in high regard. He also uses symbols from their culture to convince them to consider Jesus.

We see a couple of important examples in this chapter. The Bereans studied the Bible for themselves to determine the truth. Without a knowledge of what the Bible says, we can easily be misled by those who try to convince us to follows ideas the Bible does not teach. The fact that you are participating in this reading plan show you want to read it for yourself. We also see that Paul attempts to build bridges between the message of Jesus and the people to whom he is preaching. We can’t just tell people what God says without finding ways to help them understand and embrace it.