CHAPTER 17

(A.D. 53)

THESSALONICA

¹Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica (presents Pauls destination evidently directed here by the Holy Spirit), where was a Synagogue of the Jews (presents Paul once again taking the Gospel first of all to the Jews):

²And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them (should have been translated, as his custom was), and three Sabbath Days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures (the Old Testament, and concerning Christ),

³Opening and alleging (to expound and present), that Christ must needs have suffered (had to go to the Cross in order that all sin might be atoned [Gen. 3:15; Ex. 12:13; Isa., Chpt. 53]), and risen again from the dead (Lev. 14:1-7; Ps. 16:10); and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ (is the Messiah, the One pointed to in the Scriptures).

⁴And some of them believed (some Jews), and consorted with Paul and Silas (wanted to hear more about Jesus); and of the devout Greeks a great multitude (many Gentiles were saved), and of the Chief women not a few (could have referred to the wives of some of the Civil Rulers in the city, or at least wives of influential men).

⁵But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy (presents a perfect example of religious people who refuse the Light of the Gospel, and then set about to stop the propagation of that Light), took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar (presents these Jews as being unable to Scripturally counter Pauls Message, so they now resort to other measures), and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people (evidently refers to where Paul and his associates were staying).

⁶And when they found them not (evidently Paul and Silas were not there at the time), they drew Jason and certain Brethren unto the Rulers of the city (proclaims the mob determined to take their anger out on someone, if not Paul!), crying, These who have turned the world upside down are come hither also (tells us that the Jews had prepped certain people in this mob thoroughly);

⁷Whom Jason has received (charges Jason as being a part of the alleged conspiracy): and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another King, One Jesus (presents that which is blatantly false, and the Jews knew it was false).

⁸And they troubled the people and the Rulers of the city, when they heard these things (by their lies, they created a commotion).

⁹And when they had taken security of Jason (probably means that Jason put up a security bond of some sorts), and of the other (probably refers to a guarantee on the part of Jason and others that Paul and his party would leave the city, even though they were not to blame), they let them go (implies that the authorities were now satisfied).

BEREA

¹⁰And the Brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea (this town is about fifty miles from Thessalonica; they left by night, because to remain longer could have caused more problems): who coming thither went into the Synagogue of the Jews (presents, as stated, Pauls custom, but which this time will turn out better, for a change).

¹¹These were more noble than those in Thessalonica (we now learn Gods definition of noble), in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind (this is the meaning of the word noble), and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so (tells us why they so eagerly accepted the Message of Jesus Christ).

¹²Therefore many of them believed (speaks of Jews who accepted Christ as Saviour); also of Honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few (speaks of Gentiles who had been attending the Jewish Synagogue and, as well, accepted Christ).

¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the Word of God was preached of Paul at Berea (these Jews in Thessalonica, not content with what they had done in their city, now attempt to stop that which is happening in Berea), they came thither also, and stirred up the people (shows how effective a lie can be).

¹⁴And then immediately the Brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the Sea (speaks of the Aegean, which was about seventeen miles from Berea): but Silas and Timotheus abode there still (remained in Berea).

¹⁵And they who conducted Paul brought him unto Athens (presents the chief city of Greece, famed for its learning): and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed (Paul sends the Message back with these men that Silas and Timothy are to come to Athens as soon as possible).

ATHENS

¹⁶Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry (means it was full of idols).

¹⁷Therefore disputed he in the Synagogue with the Jews (from the Scriptures, he would preach Jesus; the Scriptures then, at least as far as the Jews were concerned, were the Old Testament), and with the devout persons (singles out the Jews who really seemed to be devoted to the Scriptures), and in the market daily with them that met with him (this was a place in Athens, where speakers generally gave forth).

¹⁸Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans (those who claimed that gratification of the appetites and pleasures was the only end in life), and of the Stoics (they taught that man was not to be moved by either joy or grief), encountered him (challenged his statements about Christ). And some said, What will this babbler say? (This presents the highest insult of which they could think.) other some, He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods (in their minds, anything outside of Greek philosophy was of no consequence): because he preached unto them Jesus, and the Resurrection (they didnt want a Resurrection, simply because they did not desire the idea of living this life over again; this shows they totally misunderstood what Paul said).

¹⁹And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus (refers to Mars Hill which faces the Acropolis; this was the Supreme Court of Athens), saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof you speak, is? (This presents Paul facing this Supreme Court Justices of Athens.)

²⁰For you bring certain strange things to our ears (its strange that those who brought Paul to this place labeled what he said as mere babblings, but yet think it important enough to be taken to the highest Court in Athens): we would know therefore what these things mean (presents a noble request to Paul, and an unparalleled opportunity).

²¹(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) (With the great Philosophers now dead, Athens was attempting to live off the glory of former times.)

MARS HILL

²²Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, You men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious (in this one sentence, he debunks all of their philosophies; they are guided by superstition, which is no way to live).

²³For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions (has reference to their objects of worship), I found an Altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD (by addressing the situation in this way, he could not be accused of preaching a foreign god to them). Whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you (refers to them acknowledging that maybe they did not have the last word on gods! actually, they did not have any word at all).

²⁴God Who made the world and all things therein (presents God as the Creator), seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth (proclaims Him not only as Creator, but the constant Manager of all that He has created as well), dwells not in Temples made with hands (He is bigger than that!);

²⁵Neither is worshipped with mens hands (the Second Commandment forbids the making of any graven image of God, or the worship of any type of statue, etc.), as though He needed any thing (God needs nothing!), seeing He gives to all life, and breath, and all things (presents His Creation needing what He provides, which is provided by no other source);

²⁶And has made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth (proclaims all having their origin in Adam), and has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation (pertains to particular parts of the world, and those who occupy these areas; however, the statement, one blood all nations of men, eliminates any type of racial superiority);

²⁷That they should seek the Lord (presents the chief end of all Gods dealings with men [I Pet. 2:24; II Pet. 3:9; Jn. 3:15-20; Rev. 22:17]), if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him (Paul is appealing to the action of logic and common sense in trying to address these Pagans), though He be not far from every one of us (speaks of the Creator being very close to His Creation):

²⁸For in Him we live, and move, and have our being (proclaims God as the source of all life [Heb. 1:3]); as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring (presents a direct quote from Aratus of Tarsus, Pauls own country).

²⁹Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God (is offered by Paul in the sense of Creation; it does not mean the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of Man, as many contend), we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and mans device (Paul is saying that God is not a device of man, as all the Greek gods in fact were).

³⁰And the times of this ignorance God winked at (does not reflect that such ignorance was Salvation, for it was not! before the Cross, there was very little Light in the world, so God withheld Judgment); but now commands all men every where to repent (but since the Cross, the Way is open to all; its up to us Believers to make that Way known to all men):

³¹Because He has appointed a day (refers to the coming of the Great White Throne Judgment [Rev. 20:11-15]), in the which He will Judge the world in Righteousness by that Man Whom He has ordained (this Righteousness is exclusively in Christ Jesus and what He has done for us at the Cross, and can be gained only by Faith in Him [Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 10:9-10,13; Rev. 22:17]); whereof He has given assurance unto all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead (refers to the Resurrection ratifying that which was done at Calvary, and is applicable to all men, at least all who will believe!).

³²And when they heard of the Resurrection of the Dead, some mocked (the mocking was caused by sheer unbelief): and others said, We will hear you again of this matter (many were touched by Pauls Message, but regrettably procrastinated).

³³So Paul departed from among them (they ascertained that he had broken none of their laws, so he was free to go, which he did!).

³⁴Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed (these believed wholeheartedly, recognizing in Paul the true Words of Life): among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite (he was a member of the Great Court of Athens; tradition says that he became the Pastor of the Church in Athens), and a woman named Damaris (a person of prominence), and others with them.