Acts 17:1-15
When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.[a] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Please note: this article was originally written in Chinese and translated to English using AI. English is below the Chinese.
灵修分享 - 雷秀萍
经文：使徒行传17：1-15 (新标点和合本) (Please use NIV for English Scripture)
1保罗和西拉经过暗妃波里、亚波罗尼亚，来到帖撒罗尼迦，在那里有犹太人的会堂。 2 保罗照他素常的规矩进去，一连三个安息日，本着圣经与他们辩论， 3 讲解陈明基督必须受害，从死里复活，又说：“我所传于你们的这位耶稣，就是基督。”4 他们中间有些人听了劝，就附从保罗和西拉，并有许多虔敬的希腊人，尊贵的妇女也不少。
5 但那不信的犹太人心里嫉妒，招聚了些市井匪类，搭伙成群，耸动合城的人闯进耶孙的家，要将保罗、西拉带到百姓那里。 6 找不着他们，就把耶孙和几个弟兄拉到地方官那里，喊叫说：“那搅乱天下的也到这里来了， 7 耶孙收留他们！这些人都违背恺撒的命令，说另有一个王——耶稣。” 8 众人和地方官听见这话，就惊慌了， 9 于是取了耶孙和其余之人的保状，就释放了他们。
10 弟兄们随即在夜间打发保罗和西拉往庇哩亚去。二人到了，就进入犹太人的会堂。 11 这地方的人贤于帖撒罗尼迦的人，甘心领受这道，天天考查圣经，要晓得这道是与不是。 12 所以他们中间多有相信的，又有希腊尊贵的妇女，男子也不少。13 但帖撒罗尼迦的犹太人知道保罗又在庇哩亚传神的道，也就往那里去，耸动搅扰众人。14 当时弟兄们便打发保罗往海边去，西拉和提摩太仍住在庇哩亚。 15 送保罗的人带他到了雅典，既领了保罗的命，叫西拉和提摩太速速到他这里来，就回去了。
解释与分享
传福音带来的果子 (vv.1-4)
保罗和西拉等人第二次宣教旅程是从腓立比城开始。到了徒17：1-15他们经过暗妃波里、亚波罗尼亚，来到帖撒罗尼迦城。帖撒罗尼迦城是马其顿省的首府。保罗按照他惯常的佈道策略，用了三个安息日到当地的会堂，从旧约圣经解释和证明所预言的救主(基督)，必须受害和死里复活。然后，他说：“我所传于你们的这位耶稣，就是基督。”(v.3) 耶稣为了担当众人的罪死在十字架上，死后三天复活，足以证明祂就是旧经圣经所预言将来要来的救主。保罗的佈道十分成功。不但有些猶太人相信耶稣，同时，许多虔敬的希腊人和尊贵的外邦妇女也信主。那些尊贵的妇女可能是贵族或者罗马官员的眷属(v. 4) 。保罗成功的在帖撒罗尼迦城建立第一间拥有猶太和外邦信徒的教会。
传福音带来的迫害 (vv. 5-9)
许多基督徒羡慕保罗美好的佈道成果，却忽略甚至刻意回避保罗等人因传福音带来的迫害。虽然许多人愿意归向耶稣，可是带来当地猶太人的攻击，因为他们心里嫉妒 (v. 5)。究竟猶太人妒忌什么呢？ (1) 许多敬虔的外邦人离开会堂跟随了保罗。(2) 刚来到这个城市的保罗只用了短短的三个安息日，却迷惑多人。(3) 猶太人教导外邦人按照摩西律法行割礼，才能夠得到神的接纳。可是，保罗竟然放弃这个重要的教导。(4) 最令到猶太人不安的是保罗竟然宣揚邪说迷惑众人，就是宣称拿撒勒人耶稣是旧约所预言的救主。
嫉妒使一部分猶太人结合污合之众闯进耶孙的家，要将保罗和西拉捉住。可惜找不到他们，只好把耶孙拉到地方官那里，作出不合理的控诉：(1) 保罗等人搅乱社会安宁。(2) 耶孙接待保罗等人，是他们的帮兇。(3) 最嚴重的指控是保罗等人竟然说除了恺撒以外，还有另一个王就是耶稣 (v. 8)。
众人和地方长官听见猶太人的指控，十分惊慌，特别是有人说除了恺撒，还有另有一个王。为了维稳，找不到当事人保罗等人，地方长官只好要求耶孙等人交出保释金 (和合本圣经称“保状”)，然后释放他们。(v. 9)
堅持传福音 (vv. 10-15)
因着猶太人的反对和诬陷，保罗和西拉不能夠佇留在帖撒罗尼迦城。当地的基督徒“随即在夜间”送他们到西南方约四十英里的庇哩亚城 (v.10)。从“随即在夜间”的描述可见当时保罗和西拉的处境十分危险，为了他们的安全，連夜送他们出城。保罗和西拉离开的时候，十分狼狈。可是，他们到了庇哩亚城后，又进入会堂分享福音，之前在帖撒罗尼迦城所遭受的迫害和狼狈的来到这里的经历，好像没有发生过一样。
圣经描述住在庇哩亚城的人“贤”于帖撒罗尼迦的人 (v11)。用现代话解释就是他们比较有开放的心灵接受新事物，可能因为庇哩亚城是一个小城市而已。他们不但接受保罗的教导，同时查考圣经，确定保罗所说的是否准确。真诚查考神的话帶来的是有许多男女相信了耶稣。
可是，迫害再次臨到保罗等人身上。在帖撒罗尼迦的犹太人知道保罗在庇哩亚城传道，他们跑到庇哩亚城耸动搅扰众人。保罗再次被迫离开，来到雅典。他的同工西拉和提摩太仍然留在庇哩亚城栽培信徒。后来，保罗叫西拉和提摩太来到雅典与他会合，继续传福音，建立教会。
思想问题
回想最近传福音的经历。有什么感受？有什么感恩？有什么代求？
传福音的时候，您曾经遇到什么难处？您的感受如何？
保罗等人传福音的时候，常常遇到迫害，可是，他们仍然堅持传福音。他对传福音的执着，对您有何啓发？
参考资料：
Gangel, Kenneth O. Acts, Holman New Testament Commentary. Edited by Max Anders. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1988.
Polhill, John B. Acts, The New American Commentary, vol. 26. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.
Wagner, C. Peter. The Book of Acts: A Commentary. California: Regal, Ventura, 1994.
雷秀萍的简介
雷秀萍出生于香港。初中时跟随耶稣基督。自2006 年起，她以宣教士学徒和国际同工的身份在加拿大宣道会服事。曾经在阿姆斯特丹（荷兰）、圣萨尔瓦多（萨尔瓦多）服事说华语的华人，自 2018 年起在墨西哥城服事。
Scripture: Acts 17:1-15 (NIV)
1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king—one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Interpretation and Sharing
1. The Fruit of Gospel Preaching (vv.1-4)
Paul and Silas began their second missionary journey from the city of Philippi. By Acts 17:1-15, they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and arrived at Thessalonica. Thessalonica was the capital of the province of Macedonia. According to his usual evangelistic strategy, Paul spent three Sabbaths at the local synagogue, explaining and proving from the Old Testament Scriptures that the prophesied Savior (Christ) had to suffer and rise from the dead. Then he said: "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah" (v.3). Jesus died on the cross to bear the sins of all people, and rose again three days later, which was sufficient proof that He was the Savior prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul's preaching was very successful. Not only did some Jews believe in Jesus, but many God-fearing Greeks and prominent Gentile women also came to faith. These prominent women were likely aristocrats or family members of Roman officials (v.4). Paul successfully established the first church in Thessalonica with both Jewish and Gentile believers.
2. The Persecution that Gospel Preaching Brings (vv.5-9)
Many Christians envy Paul's wonderful evangelistic results, but overlook or even deliberately avoid the persecution that Paul and others faced because of preaching the gospel. Although many people were willing to turn to Jesus, this brought attacks from the local Jews because they were jealous (v.5). What exactly were the Jews jealous of? (1) Many devout Gentiles left the synagogue to follow Paul. (2) Paul, who had just arrived in this city, had captivated many people in just three short Sabbaths. (3) The Jews taught Gentiles that they must be circumcised according to the law of Moses to be accepted by God, but Paul abandoned this important teaching. (4) What most disturbed the Jews was that Paul proclaimed what they considered heresy to deceive the people—claiming that Jesus of Nazareth was the Savior prophesied in the Old Testament.
Jealousy caused some Jews to join with troublemakers and break into Jason's house to capture Paul and Silas. Unfortunately, they couldn't find them, so they dragged Jason before the city officials and made unreasonable accusations: (1) Paul and others were disturbing social peace. (2) Jason's hosting of Paul and others made him their accomplice. (3) The most serious charge was that Paul and others claimed there was another king besides Caesar—namely Jesus (v.8).
When the crowd and city officials heard the Jews' accusations, they were greatly alarmed, especially upon hearing that there was another king besides Caesar. To maintain stability, since they couldn't find the actual perpetrators Paul and others, the city officials required Jason and others to post bond (called "security" in some translations), then released them (v.9).
3. Persisting in Gospel Preaching (vv.10-15)
Because of Jewish opposition and false accusations, Paul and Silas could not remain in Thessalonica. The local Christians "immediately sent them away during the night" to Berea, about forty miles southwest (v.10). The description "immediately during the night" shows how dangerous Paul and Silas's situation was—for their safety, they were sent out of the city under cover of darkness. When Paul and Silas left, they were in quite a predicament. However, after arriving in Berea, they again entered the synagogue to share the gospel, as if the persecution they had suffered in Thessalonica and their hasty arrival here had never happened.
Scripture describes the people living in Berea as more "noble" than those in Thessalonica (v.11). In modern terms, this means they were more open-minded to accept new things, perhaps because Berea was just a small city. They not only accepted Paul's teaching but also examined the Scriptures to verify whether what Paul said was accurate. This sincere examination of God's word resulted in many men and women believing in Jesus.
However, persecution came upon Paul and others again. When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching in Berea, they traveled there to agitate and stir up the crowds. Paul was again forced to leave and went to Athens. His coworkers Silas and Timothy remained in Berea to nurture the believers. Later, Paul called Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens to continue preaching the gospel and establishing churches.
Questions for Reflection
Reflect on your recent experiences of sharing the gospel. What are your feelings? What are you thankful for? What do you need to pray for?
What difficulties have you encountered when sharing the gospel? How did you feel?
When Paul and others preached the gospel, they often faced persecution, yet they persisted in evangelism. What inspiration does their dedication to gospel preaching give you?
Author Bio
Anne was born in Hong Kong. She follows Jesus Christ when she was in junior high. She serves with the Alliance Canada as missionary apprentice & international worker since 2006. She served Chinese diaspora in Amsterdam (Holland), San Salvador (El Salvador) and is serving in Mexico City since 2018.
https://thealliancecanada.ca/gift/anne-louie