The Astounding Fruit of a Good Custom

These Men Turned the World Upside Down

(Acts 17:1-9, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 21, 2012)

[17:1] Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. [2] And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, [3] explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Paul and Silas had experienced great things since they came to Macedonia, but not all of them were what they expected or asked for. Neither of them had a plan that called for both men to be in the stocks deep inside a Philippian jail praying to God and singing hymns. Yet God had this plan, and from that moment of bondage the greatest freedom burst forth for the city of Philippi.

As they left that place behind them by the wisdom of God, the work of that church would prosper in the hands of others. Paul and Silas would move on to Thessalonica, the capital of Macedonia and a city about the size of Manchester or Nashua. Most of the people in Thessalonica were Gentiles, but there enough Jews to have a synagogue. It was Paul's common practice to go to the synagogues first wherever he went, and to bring to the Jews the good news of the Messiah.

His method was to go there on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, and as long as he was able to have a hearing, to deliver to the assembled worshipers from the Old Testament Scriptures the central truths of the Christian faith. Paul did not consider His interpretation of the Law, the prophets, and the other biblical books as just one interpretation among many. He labored to show them why certain fundamental facts of recent history were Scriptural necessities.

What were those facts? First, the Scriptures looked to the coming of a Messiah. Second, that Christ had to suffer and die. Third, this same Christ needed to rise from the dead prior to the final resurrection of all mankind at the end of the age. Finally, he set before them as a matter of necessity that Jesus of Nazareth was this Suffering Servant Messiah, and that He had in fact suffered, died, and risen from the dead on third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

[4] And 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.

How believable does that message seem to you? Does it seem likely that a Jewish scholar could go into a synagogue in a major city like Thessalonica preaching that message and that the result would be a sizable group of converts? That result is beyond my expectations, so I want to be careful to see exactly how it happened.

It did happen by the way. If you need proof beyond the book of Acts I would encourage you to read two of the earliest books of the New Testament, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. These books entirely confirm the events recorded for us in these brief verses this morning and were written not too long after the events took place.

What I find when I look at Paul's method and message in Thessalonica is that he made His argument based on the guiding principle that the Hebrew Scriptures were true, and that any Messiah who would come for the world would be spoken of in those books, which were the Word of the living God. Paul did not have a long time in this city, and He taught the Bible.

The result in Thessalonica was that some Jews believed, as did some Gentiles who had been worshipers of the God of the Jews without converting to Judaism. Among them were some of the leading women of the city.

[5] 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. [6] And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, [7] and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

Not all of the Jews believed. We are told that those who rejected the message Paul preached became jealous and violent, stirring up trouble against the missionaries and anyone who would provide a safe haven for them. One such man was Jason, a host to Paul and Silas. This Jason quickly learned that he would have to suffer for the name that he had come to love.

As so often was the case from the days of Jesus forward, the enemies of the cross sought to use the civil magistrates as their executioners. Jesus may have been condemned by the leaders of the Jews, but they quickly handed Him over to the Romans so that the Gentiles would be the ones who would kill Him. Romans don't just kill people without a reason. There needed to be charges. As always, the claim in Thessalonica was that that these men, Jason and his guests, were disturbing the peace and were encouraging insurrection.

The exact words recorded for us in their charges are fascinating to consider. They were said to have “turned the world upside down.” Not a bad record for people who walked into town so recently. Their only desire was to preach that Jesus was the crucified and risen Messiah according to the Jewish Scriptures, and that all men everywhere should repent of their sins and follow Him, and there were people dragging them and any of their friends that they could lay a hand on into the town hall saying that they were part of a group that was turning the world upside down. How disappointing when the church can labor for years in a place and no one feels the least bit threatened by anything that we say or do.

I find it hard to believe any of the accusations made against the Christians in places like Philippi or Thessalonica. I doubt that there was any credible evidence that the Christians would be bad citizens, urging everyone as a matter of first importance that they should go against the decrees of Caesar. But this I do believe, that these men were teaching that there was another King, and that His Name was the Name above all names.

[8] And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. [9] And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

When the church takes the Scriptures seriously as the Word of God, and when we see the central importance of the Christ of the cross and the resurrection, when we affirm this Jesus as King, and insist that we want His wisdom more than the wisdom of men, we do what God has blessed in every generation. That will make others jealous and will tend to disturb people. Such events are not so strange that we should be surprised by them. But no such thing will happen among a church that is not asking for the wisdom of God in order to know what to do. If the church simply follows the wisdom of men, they will be a welcomed addition to any New England town.

1. What can we tell from this passage about Paul's ministry customs?

2. What was the reaction to the message?

3. How does the reaction of the enemies of the gospel track with earlier history?

4. What should happen when Jesus and His ministers come into town?

OT Passage: Exodus 7:1-13