" As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and
Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish
synagogue. 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. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of
prominent Greek women and many Greek men." Acts 17:10-12
Much has been made of these few verses in the
book of Acts in relation to the Bereans, and it's usually in the context of
checking what people preach against what is said in the Bible. Whilst this is
essentially correct and is a very good practise anyway, perhaps we miss the
context of what Luke is recording here.
The Bereans received the message with great
eagerness. Why?
What was the message that Paul and Silas were
proclaiming?
What were the scriptures that the Bereans were
examining the message against?
Jesus, throughout His ministry referred to the
Old Testament books of the Bible- the books of the law and the Prophets, the
Psalms and others. When tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4 e.g.) and
when preaching in the synagogue (Luke 4 e.g.) He quoted scripture.
The scriptures of the Old Testament are what the Bereans
would have had available to study before the visit of Paul and Silas. Now we
must really consider what the Old Testament is all about. Is it a chronicle of
the history of the Jewish people? Yes. Is it a description of the sin of fallen
humanity and mankind’s inability to live to the standards of God? Yes. Is it
prophecy about future event? Definitely.
The Bible is the word of God, written by various authors
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus Himself is known as the
Logos, the word of God. The purpose of the Bible is to reveal God, especially
through His Son Jesus Christ, that we may know Him and His great love for us,
and enter into relationship with Him through Christ. Everything in the Bible,
from Genesis to Revelation ultimately points to God’s glory through His Son,
Christ Jesus.
Many of the books of the Old Testament contain prophesies
about the coming of the Messiah. It seems plausible that the Bereans were used
to studying the scriptures. We are told that as Paul and Silas taught, the
Bereans checked the teachings every day against what was recorded. If they were
not already in the habit of studying the word, it is hardly likely that they
would do so to authenticate the message.
What was the message that Paul and Silas taught? It was the
gospel. Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection. How Christ fulfilled the
prophecies. He was the long-awaited Messiah who died on the cross, God’s
perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. How Jesus changed sinful men
into redeemed people who loved God and lived for Him.
Paul, with his scholarly knowledge of Jewish law and
scripture would have eloquently taught how Christ fulfilled every prophecy of
the Old Testament. Paul was fully devoted to Christ and gave Him all the glory
for his (Paul’s) ministry and no doubt the Holy Spirit was working through the
disciples. No wonder the Bereans eagerly received the good news that they had
been waiting for and believed.
(Similarly scholars today far more learned than I have convincingly
demonstrated to some of the Jewish faith the number of Old Testament prophecies
concerning the Messiah that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.)
The Gospel, as always, is central to this story. We, like Paul
and Silas, have the responsibility of sharing the gospel with the world. We
have the responsibility (and great joy) of studying God’s word, so that we can
eagerly await what is yet to come.
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| A long way from Macedonia, St. Barnabas Chapel, Norfolk Island. The gospel is still being proclaimed throughout the world. |
