Paul was in Thessalonica for just three weeks when he had to quickly leave the city under the cover of darkness because of the uproar that was caused by his preaching (Acts 17:1-10). When he left, he went to Berea. Undeterred by his experience in Thessalonica, he preached in this new city as well. Luke noted the significant reaction of the Bereans:
“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” (Acts 17:11).
Luke compared the Thessalonians and the Bereans in their reaction to the gospel. The Bereans were “more noble-minded” in that they “received the word with great eagerness.” This does not mean that everyone in Thessalonica rejected the gospel – some were persuaded (Acts 17:4). This also does not mean that everyone in Berea accepted the gospel – the Jews of Thessalonica were able to come to Berea and turn “the crowds” against Paul (Acts 17:13). But there is an important difference between the first recipients of the gospel in each city – those in the synagogues (Acts 17:2, 10). Notice what Luke recorded about Paul’s custom in preaching.
“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’” (Acts 17:2-3).
Though it is not explicitly stated, we can safely assume that what Paul did according to his custom in Thessalonica he also did in Berea – that is, preaching the gospel and using the Scriptures to substantiate his claims. This was why the Bereans were “examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
All who would preach the gospel are under obligation to “do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11). But how can we, as mere men, possibly speak “the utterances of God”? We can only do so by making our appeal to Scripture – the inspired word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). This is why Paul, in order to prove that he was “speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11), “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence” from those passages he cited to show that his message was true (Acts 17:2-3). We must engage in this same type of preaching today.
So why were the Bereans “more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica” (Acts 17:11)? These are general statements and do not apply to everyone in each city, but notice the difference between the Bereans and the Thessalonians:
- The Bereans “received the word with great eagerness” (Acts 17:11). Though some of the Thessalonians believed (Acts 17:4), many of them reacted not with eagerness, but with jealousy (Acts 17:5). They saw Paul’s message as a threat, rather than a potential opportunity to come to a better understanding of the truth.
- The Bereans, though they eagerly received the word, did not blindly or irrationally follow Paul’s message. Instead, they examined “the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Though Paul “reasoned…from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence” about Christ while in Thessalonica, the Thessalonians did not examine the Scriptures to test Paul’s claim. They understood his message – they accused him of “saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7). But they refused to study the Scriptures to see if there was any truth in Paul’s claim.
When we hear (or read) teaching from the word of God, we need to be “noble-minded” like the Bereans. We must be eager to hear because of the potential opportunity to learn God’s will. We must then study the Scriptures to see if what is being taught is the truth. Blindly accepting what a man says – even if he happens to be teaching the truth – is not being “noble-minded.” Truth is truth because it is from the word of God (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160), not because some man said it. We must examine the Scriptures daily so that we might understand the truth.
Conversely, when we hear teaching from the word of God, we must not be like those Thessalonians who refused to listen to Paul. We must not act out of emotion – especially anger – when we are taught something with which we do not agree. We must not reject a message without first testing it according to the Scriptures.
Let us be “noble-minded” like the Bereans so that we might learn the will of God and continue to grow in our understanding of it.
[…] Sochor asks, “Why were the Bereans ‘more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica’ (Acts […]