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Sent into the world
Acts 17 - Series 01/Episode 09 - Mon 21st Sep 2026 - Sent into the world - Acts 17:01-09 - MINISTRY IN THESSALONICA - Matthew 10:16
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Acts 17:4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
The Jews, largely, resisted Paul's reasoning of the Gospel because of spiritual hardness, expectations of an earthly kingdom by the Messiah, and fear of losing religious status, while the Greeks responded eagerly. They were spiritually prepared, dissatisfied with paganism, attracted to Scripture, and free from political pressures.
Spiritual hardness was a perpetual issue with the Jews. This was God's message to Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah 6:9-10 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' (10) "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." Even as Paul reasoned with the Jews, this was the hardness that surfaced, which continues in the Jews even today.
The Jews were disillusioned with Jesus because they expected Him to set up His kingdom on earth, as the Messiah. John 6:14-15 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." (15) Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. The suffering and crucified Christ was not the one the Jews wanted as their Messiah. I Corinthians 1:22-23 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; (23) but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
In a Roman socio-political environment, the Jews were able to hold a delicate balance. They were allowed by the Romans to continue worshipping and conducting their religious activities in their synagogues, but they had to submit to Rome, especially to Caesar. The Jews sought to maintain this equilibrium with Rome. The Romans, too, found that it was to their advantage to have the Jews on their side and not come too heavily on them to worship Caesar as god. John 11:47-48 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. (48) If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."
Within the Jewish hierarchy, the Jews needed to maintain their pecking order. Believing in Jesus would seriously upset the apple cart of their internal social structure. John 12:42-43 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; (43) for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The Jews could not accept that crowds gathered to hear the message spoken by Paul and the team. Acts 13:44-45 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. (45) But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. / Acts 17:5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. These were some of the underlying reasons that prevented the Jews from placing their faith in Jesus. Whereas with the Greeks, it was different.
There was a multitude of God-fearing Greeks and leading Greek women who were open to the Gospel. Acts 10:1-2 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, (2) a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. / Acts 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. / Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
The Greeks admired the monotheism of the Jews, without getting into their rituals of worship. They compared the life of the Jews against their own life of empty, meaningless and ridiculous paganism and sought to be Gentile worshippers of Yahweh. They were therefore spiritually prepared and open to the Gospel. The Greeks responded to the Gospel because Paul's reasoning was close to their worldview of life. The signs and wonders that were taking place through the apostles convinced them of the truth of the Gospel. They were socially uninhibited and were willing to respond to the Gospel.
Learning: The Lord is sending us to reach out to those who are hardened as well as those who are open to the Gospel.
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