使徒言行録17:1-9 Acts 17:1-9,

After preaching the salvation of Jesus in the city of Philippi, Paul and his companions went to Thessalonica, the capital of Macedonia. There was a synagogue in Thessalonica where Jews who believed in the God of the Old Testament gathered to worship. Paul and his companions began to preach Jesus in this Jewish synagogue.

As mentioned in verse 4, “Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.” “The devout Greeks” were Greeks who attended the worship services but had not converted to Judaism. “The leading women” were women who held positions of leadership in Thessalonica. In this way, when Paul preached the salvation of Jesus, most of them who believed in Jesus were not the Jews but rather non-Jewish people. Paul’s teaching about salvation through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection had greater power to save people than the Jewish teachings that focused on keeping the laws of the Old Testament.

As a result, the Jews began to attack Paul and his companions using wicked men. Verse 5 states, “But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.” “Jason” was the name of the homeowner who had provided lodging for Paul and his companions. If the Jews opposed Paul’s teachings, they should have debated him openly and honestly. Instead, they resorted to violence, using wicked men to attack Paul and his companions. How unfair! 

It seems that the believers in Jesus in Thessalonica had already evacuated Paul and his companions to a safe place. Since the Jews could not find Paul and his companions, they arrested Jason and other believers in Jesus and brought them to the city authorities. As stated in verses 6 and 7, the Jews accused Paul and his companions, saying, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Paul and his companions had no intention of causing trouble by defying the Roman emperor. Above all, Jesus himself did not come to take away the power of this world. Jesus died on the cross, rose from the dead with a body of eternal life, and ascended to the throne in heaven. However, Paul also taught that Jesus would return on the Last Day to judge all people. This may have been interpreted as saying, “There is another king, Jesus.”

Therefore, the city authorities of Thessalonica made Jason and the other believers in Jesus promise that they would not oppose the emperor or receive such people. They also took money as security of this promise. As a result, Paul and his companions could no longer preach the salvation of Jesus in Thessalonica. They then moved to the town of Berea. According to the letter Paul later wrote to the church in Thessalonica, that the believers in Jesus in Thessalonica “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” and that they believed in Jesus, becoming “an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7). Those who believe in Jesus may face sufferings. However, if they continue to believe in Jesus even in the midst of sufferings, they will receive the power of Jesus’ resurrection. And they will be able to live a wonderful life that serves as an example to others.