10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. 13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
“… when they arrived [in Berea] they went into the Jewish synagogue.”
This is an incredible thing that Paul and his companions went into the synagogue in Berea. In Thessalonica it was the teaching in a synagogue that got things all stirred up and got them running from there for the safety of their lives. The synagogue should be the last place they would go. And sure enough, trouble gets stirred up there by those who had been in Thessalonica (v.13). So Paul runs to Athens and teaches in the marketplace and in the synagogue every day (!) Then it is off to Corinth where he goes directly to the synagogue and also when he goes to Ephesus. The point? Romans 1:16 – to the Jew first. Opposition to the Gospel never means that the Gospel should not be delivered, especially if you know your call is to a particular people and God has put a burden in the heart for those people (Romans 9:1, 10:1). If opposition is what is going to stop you, save yourself the bother of even starting. You won’t last, for the Gospel is going to bring opposition.
Recent Comments