Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I’m sure you’ve noticed how widely different our human personalities can be! Do you know anyone who has the personality which focuses on details and is not satisfied until everything is right and in order? I know several wonderful people like that and today let’s join Paul and Silas as they walk into a town where many people there are ‘attention to detail’ people. Berea is the town’s name.
Yesterday we walked with Paul and Silas as they left Thessalonica under the cover of night, not because they were criminals, nor because they were afraid, but rather it was evidently agreed to be the wisest course of action by Jason, their host, Paul and Silas, and several others of the new Christians in this remarkable city. Paul and Silas had only been there three weeks, and yet there had been a great response of people hungry to know the truth about Jesus; and also, those driven by jealousy of the popularity of these two teachers and their new Gospel.
The violent opposition of these impassioned opponents to Paul and his teachings, which they considered blasphemy against the Torah and Judaism, was putting every new Chistian in Thessalonica in great danger. It was deemed best that Paul and Silas leave town and so they headed down the long road of 60 miles toward Berea.
As we walk along with Paul and his group, I see something very interesting in Luke’s description of these events. Did you notice? Dr. Luke, the man writing the log of this second missionary journey of Paul, has transitioned from using the first person “we” and “us”, as I see so often in Acts 16 (vs.10,11,13,15,16) to speaking of Paul and the others as “they” or “them”! (16:40; 17:1,10) But then again, I see Luke return to ‘we’ and ‘us’ in Acts 20:5 and beyond. Many Bible scholars believe Dr. Luke remained either in Philippi or Thessalonica, perhaps practicing his medicine and encouraging the little group of Christians there as Paul left them, until Luke rejoined Paul later.
Of course, Luke writes his entire book of Acts under the careful guidance of the Holy Spirit, so it isn’t essential he is an eyewitness to every event that he records, is it? As Paul and his team walk down the road that night, what do you suppose was their analysis of their brief three wonderful weeks in Thessalonica?
Undoubtedly, they stopped somewhere along the way and rested, resuming their journey in the morning. It would have taken at least two days before arriving in Berea. Once again, they knew no one in this town, but as was Paul’s strategy he immediately inquired about the location of a Synagogue and headed directly there.
Luke describes the Bereans in a most unusual way: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message [the Gospel of Jesus Christ] with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” (Acts 17:11,12)
Now let’s not rush past that my friends. No where in Scripture do I find any other group of people described in this way. The closest is perhaps this analysis by King David of men who came to join him in Hebron: “…from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (1 Chronicles 12:32)
Do you notice the Bereans listened intently, carefully as Paul spoke? Perhaps they even took notes with stylus and parchments. Then they examined the Scriptures, which of course would be the Old Testament scrolls. It appears to me they did so in groups so they could cross examine each other as they did their ‘due diligence’.
What were they looking for? TRUTH! You see my friends, God had made it very clear to His people, the Jews, going all the way back to Moses, that His truth was clear and understandable and should be protected from distortion or denial at all costs.
Also, central to God’s truth is this statement the Hebrews call “the Shema”: “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one, love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children…” (Deut. 6:4-9) It was essential to all Jews that any teaching considered out of alignment with that received from God and recorded in their Scriptures would be rejected as heresy and the persons bringing the heresy renounced and by any means stopped.
So, let me ask you my friends, are you someone like the Bereans? Do you pay attention to details, especially spiritual details and most of all details of Scripture? Are you steadfast in guarding your heart and mind from being diluted by deceit or distortion of truth or denial of God’s truth?
You and I hear and read thousands, perhaps millions of words every day. What is your system of protecting your soul from being tainted by or swayed by information that is NOT in alignment with God’s Truth? How are you teaching your children and grandchildren to discern and reject anything not in agreement with God’s truth? Is anything more important in our parenting than developing wisdom and discernment in our kids & grandkids?
I love this summary statement from Dr. Luke, himself a Greek physician, who we can assume did the same careful examination when he first started hearing the Gospel… “As a result, many of them [Berean Jews] believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” When Luke uses the phrase Greek men and Greek women, he’s not only indicating these are Gentiles, but as Greeks they would be intelligent, well educated, detailed driven people, not easily fooled. This would have been significant in Berea for all people regardless of their religious orientation.
For Paul nothing could have energized or encouraged him more than discerning Jews and educated Greeks trusting his clear presentation of the Gospel to be true and in agreement with the Scripture prophecies.
It’s not difficult for me to see Paul, sitting with these Jews and Greeks, with the scrolls open, discussing and debating ancient texts, and then, of course, the final convincing evidence being the personal encounter Paul had with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus!
Let’s pause here today my friends and rejoice that God’s truth is foundational to all truth. God’s truth can withstand the scrutiny of any scholar. The Scriptures can withstand the questions of any skeptic, and most of all the Holy Spirit will lead any genuine seeker to discern God’s truth which will always draw the seeker to Jesus the Christ, resurrected and now reigning sovereign and supreme in heaven! In our world of such truth distortion and confusion and so many skeptics, let’s just praise God with this truth and this wonderful worship song today...
Today’s Scripture is Acts 17:10-12.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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