Acts 17
Acts 17 records how Paul and Silas travel through the cities of Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, proclaiming the gospel. Even amid different reactions in various places, this chapter shows the gospel spreading and vividly reenacts scenes of the early church proclaiming the message.
1verseNow when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2versePaul, as was his custom, went in to them; and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3verseexplaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
4verseSome of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas: of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
5verseBut the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people.
6verseWhen they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
7versewhom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!”
8verseThe multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.
9verseWhen they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10verseThe brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11verseNow these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
12verseMany of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men.
13verseBut when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.
14verseThen the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
15verseBut those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.
16verseNow while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
17verseSo he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
18verseSome of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19verseThey took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about?
20verseFor you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”
21verseNow all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22versePaul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
23verseFor as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.
24verseThe God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.
25verseHe isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath and all things.
26verseHe made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27versethat they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28verse‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
29verseBeing then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
30verseThe times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
31versebecause he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
32verseNow when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”
33verseThus Paul went out from among them.
34verseBut certain men joined with him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
The Spread of the Gospel in Thessalonica (Verses 1-9)
Paul and Silas gathered in the synagogue in Thessalonica for three Sabbath days, explaining and arguing from the Scriptures about Jesus Christ. Some of the Jews and devout Greeks, as well as prominent women, believed and followed them, but the Jews became jealous and stirred up a riot. They even raided the house of a man named Jason, but in the end Paul and Silas had to leave the city.
Responses in Berea (Verses 10-15)
The people in the Berean synagogue were more noble; they received the word eagerly and studied daily to see whether Paul’s teaching matched the Scriptures. Many Jews and Greeks believed, but some Jews who came from Thessalonica found their way here and caused trouble, and eventually Paul has to leave for Greece.
Proclaiming the Gospel in Athens (Verses 16-34)
In Athens, Paul was deeply distressed by the city’s idolatry. He proclaimed the gospel in the synagogue and in the marketplace, and he mainly debated with philosophers (the Epicureans and the Stoics). Paul testified at the Areopagus about God and the resurrection of Jesus, but some mocked him, while some (Dionysius, Damaris, and others) believed what Paul said. There were various reactions, but in many places people began to believe and come to faith.
Points to Ponder
- Even though reactions differ in every region where the gospel is proclaimed, we can see that God’s word takes deep root in a variety of people.
- The detailed contrast between Thessalonica and Berea—threats of violence versus eager searching—shows the need for an open heart to the gospel and for careful study.
- Through Paul’s efforts to explain the gospel in Athens’ cultural and philosophical setting, we can also learn that we should look for ways to communicate appropriately for our time and culture.
Applying to Myself
- I can reflect on what my attitude toward the gospel is, and whether I have an open heart and passion to confirm the truth.
- In my daily life, I can think about which parts are being challenged by the gospel, or the need to approach how I share the gospel with other people wisely.
