9  Men Who Turned the  World Upside Down  (Acts 17:1–15)

Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. And when they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And they stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there likewise, agitating and stirring up the crowds. And then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. Now those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. (17:1–15)

The world is not now as it was when God created it. The Fall of man, and God’s resultant curse on the earth and its environment, toppled it from its spiritual axis. Fallen man is now trapped in an evil world system that is hostile to God. Ours is truly a world turned upside down.

The universe, however, will not remain that way forever. Ultimately, the Lord of glory will return (Rev. 19:11–21), take back the earth (Rev. 5), and establish His sovereign rule over all of it (Ps. 2:6–8). The curse will be lifted, and the earth will be restored to something of its original character. Finally, after the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth, the whole universe will be uncreated (2 Pet. 3:10–13; Rev. 21:1–4).

That does not mean God is standing idly by until then. Throughout redemptive history He has sent His messengers to proclaim the light of His truth to the lost, sin-darkened world. Such people upset the system and disturb the comfort of sinners, thus incurring their wrath. They turn things right side up from God’s perspective, but upside down from the world’s.

Elijah ministered during the dark days of Ahab’s reign. Ahab was an evil man, more so than any of his predecessors on Israel’s throne (1 Kings 16:30). Even worse, he was married to Jezebel, the wicked daughter of the pagan king of Sidon. With her inciting him (1 Kings 21:25), he led the nation down the ruinous path to idolatry. Sent to confront Ahab’s wickedness, Elijah prophesied that a devastating drought would strike Israel (1 Kings 17:1). He so upset Ahab’s world that when the two finally met face-to-face the exasperated Ahab exclaimed, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17).

Another troublesome man was brought before the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. The powerful Babylonian army that had been besieging Jerusalem had temporarily withdrawn to deal with the threat of Pharaoh’s forces (Jer. 37:11). Yet despite that encouraging sign, Jeremiah kept insisting that the city would fall. Even worse for morale, he had solemnly declared:

A group of infuriated court officials dragged Jeremiah before King Zedekiah, demanding

Jeremiah was proclaiming God’s message to His doomed, rebellious people. Yet, from their upside-down perspective, he was guilty of treason.

The prophet Amos lived during the troubled times of the divided kingdom. Although a native of the southern kingdom of Judah, God sent him with a message of doom to the northern kingdom of Israel. Instead of heeding Amos’s divinely inspired warning,

Amaziah then contemptuously “said to Amos, ‘Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and there do your prophesying!’” (Amos 7:12). Amos was turning Amaziah’s world upside down, and he didn’t like it.

Like Elijah, Jeremiah, and Amos, the apostle Paul also shook up complacent sinners. In virtually every city he visited he caused a disturbance. In fact, as chapter 17 opens, he has just left Philippi, where his ministry had upset the pagan Greeks. To his enemies, Paul was “a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world” (Acts 24:5).

What characterizes a person who shakes up the world for the gospel? From the narrative of Acts 17 emerge four key words that provide the answer: courage, content, converts, and conflict. The accounts of Paul’s ministry at Thessalonica and Berea are closely parallel and need to be considered together.

COURAGE

Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, … And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. (17:1–2a, 10)

No one will ever influence the world for Christ who lacks courage; it is courageous people who make a difference. Paul reminded Timothy of that in 2 Timothy 1:7. Courage and boldness were essential to the impact of the early church, and there is no more consistent illustration of that than Paul himself. The prospect of trials and persecution did not deter him from carrying out his ministry. Addressing the elders of the church at Ephesus, he summed up his attitude:

The incidents at Thessalonica and Berea display Paul’s remarkable courage.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy had left Philippi in the wake of the riot provoked by Paul’s healing of a demon-possessed slave girl (16:16–40). Luke apparently did not accompany them, since the Acts narrative now shifts to the third person (cf. 16:19). Perhaps he remained behind in Philippi to minister to the young church there. As a Gentile, he may have been immune to the anti-Jewish sentiment that had arisen against Paul and Silas.

Leaving Philippi, the missionaries traveled southwest along the important Roman highway known as the Egnatian Way, through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and finally to Thessalonica. Amphipolis was about thirty miles from Philippi, Apollonia about thirty miles from Amphipolis, and Thessalonica just under forty miles from Apollonia. The narrative implies that they made the journey from Philippi to Thessalonica in three days, stopping for the night at Amphipolis and again at Apollonia. If so, they covered about thirty miles a day, leading some commentators to speculate that they traveled on horses (perhaps supplied through the generosity of the Philippian church). It is difficult to imagine that Paul and Silas, weakened by their beating at Philippi, could have walked nearly one hundred miles in three days.

There is no indication that Paul and his companions preached the gospel in either Amphipolis or Apollonia, although Amphipolis was a larger and more important city than Philippi. The reason seems to be that neither city had a synagogue. Luke’s note that there was a synagogue of the Jews at Thessalonica implies an absence of one in the other cities—no evidence of a synagogue has been identified in either Amphipolis or Apollonia.

Thessalonica was the capital and most important city of Macedonia, having an estimated population of 200,000. It had been founded either by Philip of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great) or, more likely, by one of his generals, Cassander, and named after Alexander the Great’s stepsister. In Paul’s day, Thessalonica was a major port and an important commercial center. Known today as Thessaloniki, it is still a significant city in Greece.

Paul was driven by a burning desire to see his fellow Jews saved (Rom. 9:1–3; 10:1). Not surprisingly, then, according to his custom, he went to the Jews when he arrived in Thessalonica. Despite his frequent mistreatment at their hands, Paul never lost his passion for the souls of his people.

Paul had faced much Jewish opposition on his first missionary journey. On the island of Cyprus, he was opposed by the Jewish false prophet Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6ff.). Leaving there, he went to Pisidian Antioch, where “when the Jews saw the crowds [listening to Paul preach], they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming” (Acts 13:45). Later, “the Jews aroused the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district” (Acts 13:50). They went to Iconium, where “the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles, and embittered them against the brethren” (Acts 14:2). Forced to flee Iconium (Acts 14:5–6), Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra, where Paul very nearly lost his life (Acts 14:19). In spite of all that, and his recent persecution in Philippi at the hands of Gentiles, Paul did not hesitate to courageously enter the synagogue at Thessalonica.

Sadly, Jewish opposition was to force Paul to flee Thessalonica too. Verse 10 notes that the brethren at Thessalonica immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. Located some fifty miles from Thessalonica, Berea was a much less important town; the Roman writer Cicero described it as “off the beaten track.” Undaunted by the constant opposition from his Jewish brethren, Paul immediately entered the synagogue of the Jews when he arrived in Berea. His love for his people and his God left him no option. As he wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” Such courage is the result of several spiritual virtues.

First, courage is built on faith—trusting God. David also knew the importance of that truth. Often troubled and pursued by his enemies, he nevertheless repeatedly proclaimed his absolute trust in God. In Psalm 27 he said:

Paul echoed that thought in Ephesians 6:10 when he wrote, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:1). The key to courage is trust in the sovereign power and care of God and dependence on His strength. In any circumstance of life, Christians can be confident that “the Lord preserves the faithful” (Ps. 31:23). Lack of courage stems ultimately from an inadequate understanding of God.

Second, courage results from purity—confessing sin. In Psalm 7, David wrote:

Faced with a difficult trial, David declared there was no unconfessed sin in his life. On that basis, he asked God to deliver him. He knew that attempting to fight a spiritual battle with gaping holes in his breastplate of righteousness was foolish.

Third, courage comes from hope—thanking God in advance for the victory. In 2 Chronicles 20, Judah faced an invasion by a combined force of Moabites and Ammonites. King Jehoshaphat, knowing Judah was powerless against her enemies, prayed to the Lord for help (v. 12). He then led his people out to meet the attackers. Verse 21 records that before the battle began, Jehoshaphat “appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy attire.” They “went out before the army and said, ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.’” In response to their thankful trust, “the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed” (v. 22). Thanking God in advance gave the people courage to anticipate the victory.

CONTENT

and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” … Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. (17:2b–3, 11)

Courage must be coupled with the proper content if a believer is to shake the world. To have the right message, but not the boldness to proclaim it, renders it useless. On the other hand, to boldly proclaim error, as the cults do, causes even greater harm. Proclaiming the truth with great boldness, as Paul did, cannot help but change the world.

Some Christians believe it is all-important not to offend nonbelievers. Accordingly, they focus their gospel presentations only on what Christ has to offer the sinner to improve his life in time and eternity. To declare to the non-Christian that his sinful life is an offense to a holy God and call him to mourn and repent is considered poor marketing technique.

Such an imbalanced approach to evangelism finds no support in Scripture. The true gospel must offend the nonbeliever by confronting him with his sin and judgment. Romans 9:33 says, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Peter quoted that same Old Testament passage (Isa. 28:16), as well as Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 8:14:

Sinners are a constant offense to God (cf. Ps. 7:11); they need to know that.

Paul boldly confronted the Jews of Thessalonica, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”

The common Jewish view of the Messiah pictured Him as a conquering political ruler who would restore their fortunes, defeat their enemies, and usher in the kingdom. That the Messiah would come to die at the hands of His own people was beyond their comprehension. Even the apostles had taken a long time to understand that truth (cf. Matt. 16:21–22; Luke 24:25–26). Paul wrote of the difficulty Jewish people had in accepting the death of Messiah in 1 Corinthians 1:23, when he said that “Christ crucified” was “to Jews a stumbling block,” and even to the Gentiles it was “foolishness.”

Reasoned is from dialegomai, from which the English word dialogue derives. It describes not a formal sermon but a discussion, during which Paul repeatedly fielded questions from his hearers. That was the way he commonly ministered in the synagogues (cf. Acts 18:4, 19; 19:8–9). Effective Christian witness includes being able to answer questions about the faith. Peter commanded believers to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Scripture provides the truth for such a defense. The foundation of Paul’s apologetic method was not the emptiness of human wisdom, or the extrabiblical traditions so revered by the Jews. Instead, Paul reasoned with them from the Old Testament Scriptures. He proved his case from the very source the Jews revered, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. Luke does not record the details of Paul’s arguments (for a summary of one of his messages, see Acts 13:16ff.). He may have referred to the types in the sacrificial system of Moses’ law, and undoubtedly he appealed to such passages as Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to prove the Messiah had to die, and to Psalm 16 to show that the Messiah would rise from the dead. Having thus shown that the Old Testament prophesied the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Paul’s powerful conclusion was that this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ. He alone fulfilled those prophecies, having “died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” been “buried, and … raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3–4). Those who would turn the world upside down must use the Word of God as the lever.

Paul used the same approach in evangelizing the Berean Jews. Now these Luke notes, were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Evidently, they did not have the prejudices to overcome that the Thessalonian Jews did. Significantly, when persecution arose in Berea it was led by Jews from Thessalonica (v. 13). Unlike the Thessalonians, whom Paul had to reason with and persuade (v. 4), the Bereans received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether the things preached by Paul were so. They were open to the truth and searched their scrolls for themselves. No wonder Luke describes them as more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica.

Examining is from anakrinō, a word sometimes used of a judicial investigation. The noble Bereans carefully sifted the evidence and concluded that the gospel Paul proclaimed was the truth that fulfilled Old Testament promise. Those who honestly examine the Scriptures will always come to that conclusion. In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” In verse 46 He added, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.” In John 7:17 Jesus called for a willing heart when He said, “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” In Luke 24:25–27 Jesus Himself used the Old Testament Scripture to convince the disciples:

Of course now we have both testaments to prove that Jesus is the Christ.

Most people who reject the gospel have little knowledge of the Scriptures. Some of the Bible’s harshest critics over the centuries have displayed a shocking ignorance of its teachings. The primary duty in evangelism, then, must be to demonstrate the truth of Christianity from the Scriptures.

How can a Christian know God’s Word well enough to use it effectively?

First, the prerequisite for Bible study is confession of sin. First Peter 2:1–2 states that truth succinctly: “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” It is impossible to study the Scriptures profitably with an impure mind.

Second, Bible study must be diligent. Paul commanded his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Lazy, haphazard, careless Bible study will not produce a Christian who is “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).

Third, believers must be committed to practicing the truths they learn. James charged Christians to “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22). The ultimate goal of all Bible study is not increased knowledge but increased holiness and Christlikeness.

Finally, an excellent way to learn the truth is to teach it to others (2 Tim. 2:2). We retain far more of what we study to teach others than of what we learn for our own benefit.

The Old Testament believer Ezra is an example for Christians to follow. According to Ezra 7:10, he “set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

CONVERTS

And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women…. Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. (17:4, 12)

Those who would influence the world for Christ must recognize that they cannot do it alone. Discipling others, who in turn disciple still others (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2), causes exponential growth and magnifies Christianity’s impact on the world. Such spiritual reproductivity was a key element in Paul’s ministry.

Paul’s presentation of the gospel was so compelling that some of the Thessalonian Jews, though resistant, were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. The Thessalonians were not as open to the truth as the Bereans, yet Paul’s convincing exposition of the Old Testament, coupled with the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5), led to their response. Not only some of the Jews, but also a great multitude of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women came to a saving knowledge of the gospel.

The Thessalonian church was a spiritually reproducing church. Two of its members, Aristarchus and Secundus, joined Paul in his evangelistic work (Acts 20:4). Paul commended all the church members in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, because “the word of the Lord [had] sounded forth from [them], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place [their] faith toward God [had] gone forth.” The Thessalonians used their strategic location on the Egnatian Way to spread the gospel far beyond their own city.

A similar rich harvest was reaped in Berea, where many of the Jews, eager to understand, believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. The Thessalonians had to be persuaded; the Bereans were ready and believed. Their hearts were more open to the truth, as evidenced by their eager searching of the Scriptures. The Thessalonians and Bereans typify two kinds of people encountered in evangelism. The Word of God can persuade the closed and the open; the obstinate and the pliant; because of those who seek the truth, and those who do not.

CONFLICT

But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. And when they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And they stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them…. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there likewise, agitating and stirring up the crowds. And then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. Now those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. (17:5–9, 13–15)

This last point is the result of the first three. Those who courageously proclaim the right message and win converts will face conflict. Success will be accompanied by opposition. Paul and his companions were no exception. The unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica were enraged by the success of the gospel. They “loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar—ironically, the very thing they accused the missionaries of doing (v. 6). Coming upon the house of Jason, where the crowd assumed the missionaries were staying, they were seeking to bring them out to the people.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy were not there, and the mob had to content itself with dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities. Luke’s description is accurate; he uses the term politarchs for the officials—the exact term that occurs for the local magistrates in inscriptions uncovered in Macedonia. Nothing is known of Jason, except that he was probably Jewish, since Jason was a name often taken by Diaspora Jews.

The Jewish leaders brought two charges against the believers. The first was that these men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them. This vague charge that the missionaries were troublemakers was not substantiated. In fact, it was the mob that had created the disturbance (v. 5). By declaring that Jason has welcomed them, they accused him of harboring criminals. The second charge against the missionaries was far more serious: they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. To acknowledge any other king but Caesar was one of the most serious crimes in the Roman Empire. It was for allegedly claiming to be a rival earthly ruler to Caesar that the Romans crucified Jesus (cf. John 19:12). Failure to worship Caesar surely led to Paul’s execution.

These charges stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. The latter, like their counterparts at Philippi, decided the simplest solution was to expel the “troublemakers.” Accordingly, having demanded and received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. Since that bond would be forfeited if there was any more trouble, Paul and his companions had no choice but to leave. The anguish that expulsion caused Paul is reflected in his comments in 1 Thessalonians 2:17–18:

When the missionaries were expelled from Thessalonica and moved on to Berea (v. 10), unfortunately the satanically inspired opposition to the gospel followed them (cf. 1 Thess. 2:14–16). When the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there likewise, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Luke does not give the details of what happened, but Paul, at least, was forced to leave. Accordingly, the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea, from where he could take ship to Athens. (Exactly how Paul got from Berea to Athens is unclear. Due to variant readings in the Greek manuscripts, commentators disagree about whether he traveled by ship or by land.) Unlike the situation in Thessalonica, Silas and Timothy were able to remain behind to carry on the work in Berea. Meanwhile those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. Apparently the Berean Christians decided that there was no safe place anywhere in Macedonia for Paul, hence the decision to send him to Athens.

Christians who would shake the world as did Paul and his companions must be courageous. They must proclaim the right message and recognize the importance of enlisting the aid of others. They must also be prepared to weather the storm of persecution that will surely follow. In the words of G. Campbell Morgan,