Are You Like a Thessalonian or a Berean?

Is what you believe supported by the Bible? Have you studied the Bible to see what it teaches? Does the Bible say what you think it says? Comparing the case of two cities evangelized by the Apostle Paul illustrates the importance of exercising diligence to prove what the Bible says.

Thessalonica and Berea are two of the cities in which Paul preached and established congregations of early Christians. They responded very differently to Paul’s words.

Capital city of the Roman province of Macedonia in northern Greece, Thessalonica was a port on the Aegean Sea. It was also on the Egnatian Way (Via Egnatia), a Roman road stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea. This made Thessalonica a wealthy trading hub. Its population was mainly Greeks, Romans, and Jews.

As recorded in Acts 17, when Paul came with Silas to Thessalonica, he preached in the synagogue of the Jews, as was his custom. He reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining how God’s word shows that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. Paul was successful in persuading some of the Jews and some of the Greek proselytes, a few of whom were leading women of the city. Paul did this from the scriptures that we call the Old Testament, as most of the writings and epistles that would later become the New Testament had not yet been written. Paul succeeded in establishing a congregation of the Church of God in Thessalonica.

But some of the Jews opposed Paul’s teaching, believing that the Christ would come as a conquering king rather than an executed, humiliated criminal. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23, the cross of Christ was “to the Jews a stumbling-block.” Thessalonian Jews had long-held opinions and weren’t persuaded by Paul’s scriptural presentation. So, these Jews took evil men—we might call them hooligans and rowdy drunkards who frequented the local tavern—and got them and the whole city stirred up into a frenzied mob.

Then they attacked the house of Jason, who they thought was harboring Paul. Using today’s terms, they doxxed Jason. (Doxxing is the malicious act of publishing private or identifying information about someone with the intent to cause them harm.)

When Paul and Silas weren’t found, they dragged Jason and other brethren to the rulers of the city, who took security (bail) from them and released them. The Thessalonian brethren protected Paul and Silas by sending them away secretly at night to the city of Berea to escape the mob.

Berea was over 45 miles west of Thessalonica. It was a populous and thriving agricultural market center, known for its orchards. Unlike Thessalonica, Berea was not a capital, was not a port, and was not on the Egnatian Way, so it was not as wealthy or important as Thessalonica.

In Berea, Paul and Silas again taught in the synagogue. The Bereans were found to be “more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:11–12). What a contrast to the approach of many in Thessalonica!

And when the unbelieving Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching in Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds as they had done in Thessalonica. So, the Bereans sent Paul away to Athens while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea to strengthen the nascent congregation.

This is an instructive contrast of approaches. Be like the Bereans: open-minded, ready to hear, and diligently searching the Bible to prove the truth.

You can start by reading the free Tomorrow’s World study guide Do You Believe the True Gospel? You may also find helpful the telecast “You Can Prove the Bible!”