The Noble-minded Berean

Acts 16:35-17:15 — The Noble Berean

As the Apostle Paul and his missionary team (Silas, Timothy, and then Luke) were prevented from preaching the Gospel in Minor Asia, they were directed by the Holy Spirit through a vision to Macedonia effectively beginning the evangelization of Europe. This call to Macedonia (16:6–10), however, was received with conflicts by both Jews and Gentiles at Philippi (16:11-40), Thessalonica (17:1-9), and Berea (17:10-15).

The conflict in Philippi from the Gentiles was due to the Apostle Paul exorcising the demonic spirit of the slave girl. The imprisonment of Paul and Silas, however, did not hinder the spread of the Gospel. On the contrary, it was used powerfully to bring the jailer and his household to the Lord. The Apostle Paul had said in his letter to the Galatians, that in Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female" (Gal 3:28). So it is interesting that the first converts Luke records in Acts after the writing of Galatians is that of a Greek (the Philippian jailer), a slave (the girl with the demonic spirit), and a female (Lydia).

The conflict continued in Thessalonica but this time from the unbelieving Jews who incited evil men to cause a mob who attacked Jason, most likely the one who opened his house to the missionary team. But the conflict ensued in Berea as the enemies of the Gospel message from Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea. Paul fled to Athens but not before seeing many of the Jews believe in addition to many Greeks, many of whom are prominent men and women.

While both Jews and Greek believed in Thessalonica and Berea, Luke mentions a very distinctive way in which the Berean received the Gospel message. He says, "These [the Berean] were more fair-minded (of more noble character) 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" (Acts 17:11). Those in Berea did not search the Scripture to find fault and contradict Paul as the Pharisees had done with Jesus. Instead, they eagerly searched the Scripture in search of the truth. The word "fair-minded" ("noble") has the meaning of "good breeding." Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is not using this word to indicate the noble lineage of these Berean nor their social status, although some of them were the prominent men and women of the city. Instead, Luke is using that word to refer to their spiritual condition.

The Lord Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount by giving the Beatitude. These Bereans displayed their noble spiritual condition by being poor in spirit, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, being merciful, and being pure in heart.

Are you being a Berean, searching the Scripture for God's truth with all eagerness?