Verses 1-3 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 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.
Amphipolis was a city surrounded by water and its name means “a city surrounded by the sea”. Apollonia was about a days journey away from Amphipolis and its name means “belonging to Apollo”. A pagan deity, Apollo was a sea-god who was the god of many things including but not limited to archery, music, dance, poetry, healing, light, truth and prophecy. The apostles Paul and Silas were traveling through regions that were given to pagan god worship and idolatry.
Thessalonica was a large city and capital of part of Macedonia with a resident Roman governor in place. It had a large Jewish population, and true to their usual practice, the apostles went first to the Jews before witnessing to the Gentile population, and so they spent three sabbaths witnessing out of the Scripture that Jesus was the promised Messiah who suffered, died, and rose from the dead as per Old Testament prophecy.
Verse 4 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.
Some Jews joined the apostles and became believers, but a great multitude of non-Jews or Greeks believed. The term, Greek, can be used to denote the peoples of all nations that are not Jewish who made the language, customs, and teachings of the Greeks their own, and it also refers to natives of the Greek islands and colonies. Remember that prior to being conquered and occupied by the Romans, the Greeks established a one-world government under Alexander the Great who was the king of Macedonia when they conquered the Medo-Persian empire. So the Greek language was everywhere throughout the Roman empire. Hence the New Testament books being written in Greek. And the apostles were ministering in Macedonia so there would have been many people of Greek origin living there.
Verse 5 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.
Notice that the trouble makers are once again the Jews who rejected their Messiah. Once again Luke records the Jews as being “moved with envy” which means they were full of hatred and anger towards the apostles and towards their Gospel message. The Greek word translated as “envy” is “zeloo” and it also means to burn with zeal. So these Jews were zealously attempting to stop the apostles from preaching about Jesus. They gathered wicked and vulgar men together who basically started a riot in the city and then attacked Jason who apparently was a believer who opened his house to the apostles and who showed them hospitality.
Application: Why did the apostles, particularly the Apostle Paul, experience so much resistance and persecution at the hands of the Jews? Jesus gave the answer when He said to some Pharisees and scribes, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44 So the Jews engaged in persecuting the apostles were working for their father, Satan, who was using them to try and stop the Gospel from going forth and stop the spreading of the Church of the LORD Jesus Christ. Satan and his fallen angels wanted the apostles dead and so they used the Jews who were their willing vessels to try and achieve this goal. Satan tried to destroy Jesus and could not, and so his next best effort was to try and destroy Jesus’ servants. And his goal has not changed down through the centuries. So Christian believer, expect trials and tribulations as Jesus’ enemy is yours also.
Verses 6-7 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; 7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
When the apostles could not be found, the mob focused on poor Jason and other believers and forced them to go and stand before the city rulers. Notice what the leaders of the riot testified before the rulers. They were turning the city upside down by the riot they had deliberately caused, but they projected this upon the apostles as if their preaching of Jesus had caused the riot. Yet they spoke the truth in that the world has been turned upside down by the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and by the growth of the Christian Church. The truth of the Gospel changes people from sinful to righteous, and those filled with His Spirit can work miracles. No other religious, political or social entity has the power to change people for righteousness and to work miracles. And of course, when speaking to rulers, it is always a good idea to accuse those with whom one disagrees of disobeying government and the authority of government. This was not a true statement, but truth never comes forth from Satan’s servants.
Verses 8-10 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. 10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
The Greek word translated as “troubled” is “tarasso” and it means to agitate, to trouble, to cause inward commotion, to disquiet, to stir up, to make restless, and to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread. So these Jews and their lewd fellows of a baser sort were making statements and accusations that were really upsetting to the rulers and to the people of the city. Remember that this city had a Roman governor who had to answer to Caesar, and so any uprising could cause serious trouble for that governor. Eventually Jason and whoever was with him was released and apparently did not come to any harm. So the apostles Paul and Silas had to flee the city by night and then ended up in Berea where, as was their custom, they went to share the Gospel with the Jews in the local synagogue. Berea was another city in Macedonia and its name means “well watered”. Berean is the name that some believers use today to describe their Faith and style of worship.
Verses 11-12 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. 12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
Application: The Bereans that the apostles ministered to set an example of how converted Christian believers should be today. In its pure form, Bereans are willing to listen and hear the Word of God, they are eager to understand what they are hearing, and they do not believe that what they are being told is the truth until they study and search the Scripture every day for themselves to see if what has been told to them is indeed true. There would be less deception in the churches today if all the people calling themselves Christian did as the Bereans of the early Church did.
Verses 13-15 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. 14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. 15 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.
Satan wasn’t going to give up his attacks against the apostles, especially the Apostle Paul, and so he sent his group of Jewish thugs to incite a riot in the city of Berea. Once again the Apostle Paul had to flee the city, but the Bereans protected him by accompanying him to the city of Athens. It is not known why Silas and Timothy did not flee with the Apostle Paul, but for some reason they remained behind in the city with the Christian Bereans for a time.
Application: All the disciples and apostles of the LORD Jesus Christ were persecuted in some way by the servants of Satan. But why was the Apostle Paul targeted more than any other servant of the LORD? Because he established churches in the entire known world and because he wrote most of the New Testament. He was an especially annoying minister of the Gospel to Satan and to his army of fallen angels. When the Apostle Paul encountered a devil dwelling in a man or woman, he just cast the devil out. The Apostle Paul did not tolerate the powers of darkness and he was not fearful of them either. Therefore, he was the target of intense persecution.
Verses 16-17 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17 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.
Notice that according to the verses above, the city of Athens was wholly given to idolatry, and that there were Jews in that city. Remember that God chose Abraham and his descendants for the purpose of living in a small section of land that connected the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa for the purpose of being a witness for Him so that the pagan peoples could learn about the Hebrew God and convert from idolatry to the worship of the one true God. Yet here was a city where the one true God was not represented in any way, not even by the descendants of Abraham. No wonder God sent the Apostle Paul to show the light of the Gospel to these people living in the bondage of idolatry and a pantheon of gods and goddesses.
Application: One cannot fault the Jews for failure to evangelize the people of Athens when one looks at the condition of the Church world today. Cities can have so called Christian churches throughout and yet the people living there with those churches are just as pagan as the Athenians were. The light of the Gospel seems to be a secret to be shared only with those attending the churches and to be hidden from the unsaved. Street ministry is no longer engaged in and the care of the sick, the poor, the elderly and infirm people has been given to government entities so that even this segment of society does not see the goodness of God through His people ministering to their needs. It seems that the church world has compromised and become part of the problem of sin just as the Jews attending the synagogue in Athens were part of the problem of sin.
Verse 18 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.
Remember that the Greeks were big on developing philosophies and philosophers to spread their ideas. Epicurus was a Greek philosopher and his disciples or students believed that people should be devoted to sensual enjoyment such as fine food and drink. They did not believe in denying themselves anything that might make them happy. Perhaps the saying, “Eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we die” came from this philosophy. The Stoicks were the complete opposite and taught and believed that one should deny all the things of this world that are pleasurable. Stoicism was founded at Athens by the philosopher Zeno of Citium. So this was the intellectual environment that the Apostle Paul found himself in while trying to share the Gospel with the people of Athens. The good thing was that these men were willing to listen to Paul as they were always looking for new ideas to debate and so they were willing to give Paul the opportunity to explain his beliefs.
Verses 19-21 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20 For 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.)
The name, Areopagus, means “martial peak” and this location was a rocky hill in the city of Athens which in pagan mythology belonged to the god Mars or Ares. Thus is was also called Mar’s Hill. The probable reason the men of Athens took the Apostle Paul to this site was so that he could address a large multitude of people who had gathered and who were eager to hear a new idea or philosophy.
Verses 22-23 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. 23 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.
The Greek word translated as “too superstitious” is “deisidaimonesteros” and it means reverencing the gods, being pious, or being religious. The Apostle Paul was not being insulting by his words to the Athenians, but was simply saying that they were so religious that they created an altar to an unknown god in case they missed worshiping any god. Using this approach, he was able to introduce to the Athenians the one true God, Jesus Christ.
Verses 24-25 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; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
The Greek word translated as “God” in verse 24 above is “theos”. The Apostle Paul did not use the Hebrew name of the LORD, but a generic one that the Athenians could relate to and understand. But he then presented the character and power of his God: Creator, giver of life and giver of everything in this world. The pagan gods were ones that had all the characteristics of fallen mankind, but the God the Apostle Paul was presenting was not representative of fallible mankind but was LORD (kurios) and therefore the owner of all things He had created and was therefore master and deserving of the Athenian’s respect and reverence.
Verses 26-27 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; 27 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:
The Apostle Paul then goes on to explain that all people and nations come from one blood or point of origin and that God had determined where they should live at specific times in history. Therefore, the nations and their people should seek for this God, and find him instead of worrying about an unknown god. The LORD was a God who could be found and who could be known in a personal way by those seeking Him.
Verse 28 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.
And why should the LORD be sought after? Because He is the source of life, both physically and spiritually.
Verses 29-31 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. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 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.
The Greek word translated as “offspring” is “genos” and it means race, family, nation, or descent from a particular people. Since mankind was created by God and therefore all races and nations came from the creative power of God, He should not be thought of or represented by idols of metal or stone that have been created by the hands of man. The Apostle Paul then goes on to say that the ignorance of people in creating and worshiping these idols has been tolerated and overlooked by God for a time, but now He was no longer going to overlook idolatry. Now God wanted all men to repent and get right with Him because there will be a day of judgement in which all mankind will be judged by the righteous standards of God. And that the judge will be He which was raised from the dead.
Verses 32-34 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 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)
Some people stumbled over the idea of bodily resurrection from the dead and so they decided this philosophy was not for them. But those whom the Holy Ghost/Spirit was calling followed after the Apostle Paul and eventually became converted Christian believers, and the Church at Athens was born.