November 4, 2015
Scripture Reading: Acts 17:1-9
1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining 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. 4Some 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.
5But 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. 6But 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, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
Questions for Reflection:
In order to better understand the context into which Paul was writing, we need to look back at the book of Acts. Acts 17 details Paul’s first trip to Thessalonica. Why did Paul go to the synagogue first? How long did he spend teaching in the synagogue? What did he teach? When those who opposed Paul incited the riot, what accusation was made against them?
The city of Thessalonica had a broad, diverse religious population. One commentator said that there was something for everybody in Thessalonica. In addition to the typical Roman and Greek gods, there was also a significant community that worshipped the Eqyptian gods. The city was also front and center in the worship of the Roman emperor as a god. When Paul taught about King Jesus (the Messiah), the crowds in Thessalonica would have taken this as not just another religious statement, but it would have rocked their political world too. Because Thessalonica was enjoying peace and prosperity through their relationship with Rome, this idea was not going to be tolerated.
Paul was unafraid to challenge the cultural norms or idols of his day. What idols in our culture need to be challenged by the gospel message? How can you effectively raise the questions in a way that allows the gospel to advance?