“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few” (Acts 17:1-41Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. (Acts 17:1‑4)).
Scorned by the magistrates of the city of Philippi, Paul and his companions resolutely walked to another city called Thessalonica. There he entered into a synagogue of the Jews to preach to them (as was his custom) the person of Christ, His sacrificial death and His glorious resurrection, and Jesus, the Son of God, as the Messiah. For just three Saturdays, he had the opportunity to preach the good news of God to them. The result was marvelous: some of the Jews believed. In addition, a great multitude of religious Gentiles (Greeks) which had not known the true God believed, and not a few of the noble women. It was a blessed work of the sovereign grace of God.
“But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people” (Acts 17:55But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. (Acts 17:5)).
Satan (the adversary) does not lack resources: In Philippi, he had taken advantage of the frustrated greed of the slave girl’s masters to incite the Gentiles against God’s servants (see Acts 16:16-2416And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. 18And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 19And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. (Acts 16:16‑24)). But in Thessalonica, he ignited the enmity of the Jews against Christ, and used as instruments “certain lewd fellows of the baser sort,” as before with the “the devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city” of Antioch (Acts 13:5050But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. (Acts 13:50)).
Paul and Silas were not found in Jason’s house: “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go” (Acts 17:6-96And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. (Acts 17:6‑9)). God is sovereign: He permitted the unjust magistrates in Philippi to throw Paul and Silas in jail, because, so to speak, they found there that “Macedonian man” which Paul had seen in a vision, and who said to him: “Come over into Macedonia, and help us” — the jailor himself! (read the story, Acts 16:9-349And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. 11Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; 12And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. 13And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. 14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. 16And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. 18And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 19And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:9‑34)). Afterwards, in Thessalonica, the Lord made the magistrates’ minds unwilling to hear the Jew’s false accusations; thus, Jason and the rest were set free.
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few” (Acts 17:10-1210And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:10‑12)).
Paul was an “apostle” and Silas a “prophet” (Acts 15:3232And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. (Acts 15:32)), but they were not independent from “the brethren” (still children in Christ) in Thessalonica. The brethren, full of love and realizing the imminent danger to which the Lord’s servants were exposed, decided to send Paul and Silas to another place — Berea. The Lord gave them the mind to do this. Otherwise Paul, a courageous soldier, may have had boldness to continue preaching the gospel in spite of the opposition (see 1 Thess. 2:22But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. (1 Thessalonians 2:2)). Then the Lord’s servants accepted the resolution of the brethren (who were still young in the faith), and they went to Berea.
In Berea, there was great blessing, because the Jews received the word (of God) devotedly, searching the Scriptures every day, to see if the things Paul and Silas said were in agreement with them. We see a very important principle here: the inspired, written Word of God (the Holy Scriptures) is the only judge. Although Paul was an apostle and Silas a prophet, still, everything they said was tested against the Scriptures. Thus — their preaching having been proved true — the result was that many believed, including Greek women of high standing and not a few men.
The bitter enmity of the religious man against the gospel of the grace of God cannot be calmed. Why? Precisely because the divine verdict is that man, whether Jew or pagan, whether religious or atheist, is found guilty before God: “all have sinned.” Man is totally lost. He cannot in any way save his own soul. He is so bad that nothing less than the “grace of God” can come to his rescue. Man’s pride does not want to accept this. Read, please, Romans 3:9-209What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17And the way of peace have they not known: 18There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9‑20), God’s sentence; and also read 1 Thess. 2:14-1614For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: 15Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: 16Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost. (1 Thessalonians 2:14‑16) in relation to the hostile attitude of the religious man, just the same today as it was yesterday.
Paul, commissioned in a special way by the Lord Jesus as a “minister” of the gospel (see Eph. 3:6-76That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (Ephesians 3:6‑7)), was the primary object of attack by the Jews; so that in Berea just as in Thessalonica, the brothers in Christ believed it prudent to send Paul away from the danger. But Silas and Timothy, also faithful servants of Christ, stayed with the young believers to help them.
“And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)” (Acts 17:15-2115And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. 16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. 18Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. 19And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) (Acts 17:15‑21)).
Athens, the Greek capital, was in those days the philosophic capital of the world. The proud Greeks sought “wisdom,” however, they were involved in idolatry, showing themselves to be opposed to reason and captive to the devil’s will (see 1 Cor. 1:22; 222For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (1 Corinthians 1:22)
6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6) Tim. 2:26).
While Paul waited for Silas and Timothy’s arrival, he disputed “in the synagogue with the Jews,” who were always asking for “signs.” Among these Jews of Athens, Scripture does not mention any blessing — possibly because they were corrupted by the reigning idolatry.
Soon some of the epicurean and stoic philosophers attacked him. The epicurean philosophy was “enjoy life to the fullest;” they are well described by Paul in these words: “let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” “Be not deceived” adds Paul, “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:32-3332If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. 33Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:32‑33)). But the stoic philosophy took another point of view: the best way of life was to abstain from everything that is luxurious and gratifies man, thus achieving a certain merit (according to them). In Colossians 2:21-2221(Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (Colossians 2:21‑22), Paul mentions something similar: “(Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”(Col. 2:21-2221(Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (Colossians 2:21‑22)). Against all these philosophic concepts, he warns us: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:8-98Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:8‑9)). We have everything in Christ and it is not possible for there to be anything else outside of Him.
Others mocked Paul, calling him a “babbler;” and others believed that he was a proclaimer of strange gods, because he preached to them the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. They insensibly thought that Jesus was one of so many gods and that the resurrection was another god! Then they brought him to Aereopagus (the supreme court of Athens). Since they were always occupied with hearing new things, they wanted to know about this “new doctrine.”
“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring” (Acts 17:22-2822Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. (Acts 17:22‑28)).
Paul made use of the opportunity and had boldness in his God to immediately reprimand the Athenians for their idolatry. Then he called their attention to the only true thing in the whole city: that they did not know God, as the altar dedicated to Him demonstrated: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Then, he preached to them the living and true God, the great creator of the heavens and the earth. The One who had no need of anything — on the contrary — the One who sustained everything and everyone, who had also made the entire lineage of men from one blood and had prefixed the ends of their dwelling places and the order of their times. The God who in one word directed and controlled everything. And, finally, who being all-present, was not far from anyone, since actually, “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”
Then, in order to condemn them by their own mouths, he quoted one of their own poets, “for we are also His offspring.” This quote and another on the criteria of a Cretan (Titus 1:1212One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. (Titus 1:12)), are the only pagan testimonies employed by a servant of God. Both have the same purpose — to pronounce the pagans’ condemnation by their own mouths (“from your own mouth I judge you”).
Paul continued on with his thesis: “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:29-3129Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:29‑31)).
How Paul reprimanded the foolishness of the wise Athenians — making statues with their own hands out of any physical material, and then giving honor and adoration to them as if they were divine beings! “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Rom. 1:22-2322Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:22‑23)).
Then Paul warned the Athenians that God was not going to tolerate their enormous sin which dishonored Him so much any longer. He told them that God had established a day of judgment and had chosen the judge, His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He had raised from among the dead, thus letting everyone know that judgment would be carried out by that glorious Man, the Man in resurrection.
“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them” (Acts 17:32-3432And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. 33So Paul departed from among them. 34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (Acts 17:32‑34)).
The natural man, always wise in his own opinion, rejects the supernatural and does not accept the well-proved fact of the resurrection of Christ. Nor does he accept that there will be a resurrection of all human beings: the believers or, rather, men of faith, to the resurrection of life, but the unbelievers to the resurrection of condemnation (see John 5:28-2928Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28‑29)).
“Howbeit certain men ... believed.” The testimony of the living and true God and of His Son, Jesus Christ raised from among the dead, was received through faith by a judge of the city, Dionysius the Areopagite, by another woman whose name was also written in the book of God, and by others. They gathered together with Paul. There is no doubt that a Christian assembly was formed in Athens, but it is not mentioned in Scripture. The city centered in human philosophy did not merit the honor. “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh ... .He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:26, 3126For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: (1 Corinthians 1:26)
31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)).