Paul and Silas run into more trouble on account of using their voices. They have gone from city to city, synagogue to synagogue, to reason with Jews (and converted Gentiles) scattered across Asia and Europe about the Messiah and his offer of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Acts 17:1-9; Matthew 21:43-45; Matthew 10:32-36; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4
As a bold sun lights the courtyard, Paul and Silas together field question after question from the crowd that rapidly grows around them.
“Did you see him?” One asks.
Paul shrugs and says, “Well, I was struck blind for a time.”
“What was it like to spend time with him?” Asks another. “Were you able to touch…”
“Yeah, it wasn’t quite like that…” Paul tries to respond, but another arsenal of questions are simultaneously lobbed his way from others in the amassing group.
Saying goodbye to various congregants at the synagogue’s entry doors, Benjamin glances over to see a crowd on the other end of the courtyard. He lets out a deep breath and doesn’t notice the person standing in front of him.
“Rabbi.” The woman says, as she points over to the crowd. “Thank you for sharing these men with us. They are gifts from the Lord above.”
Feigning a smile, Benjamin blesses her before she walks away.
“Seen enough?” Another voice speaks out from behind him.
Knowing the voice, Benjamin turns his head to see Jaden wearing an “I told you so” look on his face.
“We didn’t invite them to speak today.” Jaden says while pointing, “Yet here they are taking over our entire Gentile congregation. Those men are cats playing with their mice before devouring them. What do you propose we do?” Jaden asks.
Without hearing the question, Benjamin continues to verbalize his thoughts. “They present a Messiah to us that we know nothing about, saying God has visited us, God has visited us.” He rambles.
“Did you ever hear of this Messiah before these two showed up?” Jaden asks.
“Absolutely… not.” Benjamin says as he trails off for a moment of reflection. “Oh…” He stammers for a moment. “There was a man that did get the attention of all Jerusalem during Pesach, but that had to be what… 20 years ago?”
“Who was he? What happened to him?” Jaden asks.
“I don’t fully remember.” Benjamin thinks aloud. “Passover is a flurry of gatherings and celebrations with hundreds of thousands of people. How does one man stand out? I’ll have to think about this some more.” He says.
Growing impatient, Jaden responds. “Well, we don’t have time to lose here. Something needs to be done about this, now.” He walks over to get a closer look at the crowd, shakes his head, and leaves.
…
Answering the knock at the door, Jason quickly identifies the man in front of him. “Aeneus… what a surprise.” He says in a flat tone. Jason looks past him to see how the group has grown since last time. “Aeneus, there’s no way we…”
Not letting him finish, Aeneus ducks under Jason’s arm and bee lines towards the table where the two traveling Jewish men are seated. “Gentlemen.” He says. “You may want to get up for this.
“For what?” Silas asks.
Aeneus points to the door and says, “Follow me.”
Both men get up and stand next to Jason who leans against the open door with a smirk on his face. Hearing murmurs of conversations scattered outside the door, the men quickly estimate some fifty people crowding around the front of the home.
Aeneus smiles. “What can I say? These people… they follow me to hear more… from… you.”
Glancing at their host, Paul says, “Jason, I don’t expect you to open your home to all these people.
Shrugging, Jason then lets out a slight laugh and says. “What am I supposed to say to these people? “No, you can’t learn more about this God of the Jews.””
Whispering into Paul’s ear, Silas suggests. “Hey, maybe we can divide this group just for right now. Then, we can figure out a regular time to meet sometime within the next day or so.”
“Good call.” Paul nods.
…
Feeling the needed warmth from the overhead sun, Jaden sees the unoccupied figure staring back at him from across the street. He then looks to his left to see the flurry of activity rushing in and out of the tentmaker’s kiosk some fifty feet away. He raises his eyebrows back at the man and then up and down the street to see other vendors who mindlessly tend to their goods. None of them are busy. In quiet protest, each merchant deliberately ignores the traffic coming and going from the tentmaker’s shop.
Sauntering over to meet the man, Jaden picks at his teeth and gestures over at the tentmakers. “Who knew that tents would be in such demand these days?” He asks.
Marcus spits on the ground, shrugs and comments. “What could these people possibly want a tent for? Is everyone going Nomad these days?” He asks sarcastically. “What, are they going to pitch their tents right along the entrances to our city? Is becoming a squatter in fashion these days?” He waves them off with disgust.
“And what of our friends?” Jaden asks, as he points to the two who busily work aside the shop owners.
“What about them?” Marcus asks. “They come, they work, they go.”
“Do you see them talking a lot to customers?” Jaden asks.
“Of course! All the time.” Marcus responds. “That’s why they’re there.”
“Yes, but have you noticed how long they’re talking with people?” Jaden leads.
“What…?” Marcus says irritably. “Why should I care how long they talk with people? What are you getting at?”
“Because those two are talking far more about their cult than they are their tents.” Jaden responds.
Marcus’ eyes light up at the thought. “What are you saying? That all this business comes from their religious conversations?”
“Marcus.” Jaden says directly. “They’ve overrun our synagogue and are now leading many of our people into their cult. I’ve witnessed this first hand. Even our rabbi is on the fence about them.”
“What does this have to do…” Marcus asks.
“They’ve taken over our synagogue, Marcus.” Jaden interrupts. “It’s just a matter of time before they take over our marketplace and the entire city.”
…
“Dad?” Jason asks. “Are you okay with us cutting out of here early?”
“What for?” Jason’s father asks.
Jason points over at their employees and says, “Well these guys have a whole mess of people gathering at home in a bit, and we need to get ready.”
“Again?” His father sighs. “Jason, how much longer do we need to put up with all these people gathering at our home?”
“Dad.” Jason sighs. “We’ve talked about this, and we’re getting things figured out.”
Resigned, his father says, “Fine. You guys go. I’ll clean up.” He then goes back to his work and mutters to himself. “I’m probably better off here anyway.”
“Thanks for understanding, dad.” Jason says as he pats Silas on the shoulder to get going.
Half heartedly, Jason’s father waves the men off. Taking his time, he steps back from his shop to look back at the day’s progress and figures that he too might as well begin to clean up. Crouching over to collect his gear, he notices the flicker of a shadow just to his right. A chill streaks down his spine, and he abruptly twists to see who’s behind him. Four soured expressions peer back at him.
Encroaching upon the workshop, one of the men says calmly. “Hello, Dmitri.” He then gives a “go ahead” nod to the others, and they quickly gag him and place a linen over his head.
Dmitri manages to yell out in a muffled voice before feeling the weight of a brick thrusted upon his face. He blacks out.
…
As the sun sets, the evening cools. Excusing himself from the people gathered in the backyard, Paul happens upon Jason sitting just outside of his front door waiting for Dmitri to get home. “You look worried.” Paul says.
“Hey,” Jason replies as he fidgets. “You’ve got to know my dad. He’s beyond predictable. He’s always been that way. He gets up at the same time, just as the sun rises, and he returns before the sun goes down. Something is up.” He says.
“You don’t know that for sure.” Paul responds. “There could be a lot of things that might interfere with a guy’s day. He could be helping someone in need.” He adds with a measure of hope.
“Maybe.” Jason responds. “But, I have this nagging feeling that something has gone terribly wrong.”
Silence ensues for a time before Paul asks, “Jason, I know you have invited us to stay with you, and I suspect you have allowed us to stay and work for you because we have brought the hope of Messiah along with us.” He pauses to see Jason’s response.
“I’m not a simpleton.” Jason says. “I know you’re two dangerous men.”
Paul looks startled by this.
“I mean.” Jason continues. “Danger follows you everywhere you go because of your persistence… because of your message.” Drawing a sip from his mug, Jason lets out a breath and continues. “I’ve seen how others have looked at you when you teach around the synagogue. I’ve noticed the expressions of angry merchants nearby who take issue with us because of you. You’re marked men. Doesn’t that explain the tattered clothing and the bruises you have kept mostly hidden?”
“This doesn’t frighten you?” Paul asks.
“Of course it frightens me.” Jason says, as he looks back at Paul with an expression of incredulity.
“Yet, you keep us around, giving us shelter, food, employment, and the opportunity to teach.” Paul responds.
Jason sighs and collects his thoughts. “The thought of rejecting Messiah and his messengers frightens me more. I just wish that…” He suddenly stops to make out a figure hobbling towards them.
“Oh no.” Jason drops his mug and yells out. “Dad!”
…
“Yes, Messiah will occupy the throne of David as God’s chosen forever king, but that cannot take place until the subjects of this king have been transformed by the Spirit of God.” Silas patiently explains to the growing group of Greek men and women. “Look behind you.” He says. “You see the synagogue where the Law and the Prophets are paraded throughout the room as the written testimony of God with us. Those are the standards we try to uphold, the rules we aim to live by, yes?”
“Yes.” Many follow along in the crowd.
“Yet, we still make offerings for sin… over and over, we make sin offerings to appease the God of our fathers. Why?” Silas asks and allows the question to linger. “Yes, because we need forgiveness from our sins. The law condemns us when we do wrong, so we need forgiveness. The subjects of the Kingdom of Heaven who are to be led by this forever king cannot enter as sinners. In fact, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the greatest religious teachers in all Israel, you cannot enter into the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven requires a permanent forgiveness… which is why Messiah had to be the sacrificial lamb that would remove sin altogether. He had to give his life as our ultimate passover lamb and die in our place. So, when God raised him from the dead…”
“Heretic!” A voice from behind the crowd yells out. “Heretics, the two of you.”
The crowd suddenly parts and creates a pathway between Silas and his accusers.
Silas looks up to see a set of figures slowly walking towards him. He then looks over at a nearby Paul who has been reasoning with another group and raises his eyebrows.
“You are not welcome here in the house of the Lord.” The voice calls out. “We know you have been chased out of other cities in Asia for your false teachings, and you were run out of Philippi as well.”
Hearing the accusations, the crowd turns back to Silas.
“Yes,” Paul shouts out. “We were run out of the towns just as you said. And, in those cities with Jewish synagogues, we have proclaimed how Messiah has come to offer the Kingdom of Heaven to Israel. But, Israel has rejected our message. Israel has rejected her savior, the Messiah himself. Oh Israel! Why is it that you try so hard to get right with God by keeping the Law, yet you never succeed? You can’t get right with God by keeping the Law. You never could! So, instead of trusting in God’s gift of Messiah, you continue to stumble around in the dark.”
The crowd closes in around Paul.
“Want to hear something ironic?” Paul asks those nearby in a conversational tone. “While Law abiding Jews continue to fail before God, so many of the Gentiles right here in Thessalonica–who haven’t even been trying to follow God’s standards–have been blindsided by the wonderful news that God has included them in his offer of salvation. So, they have trusted without fully understanding, and God has declared them as right standing before Him. Isaiah said, “I am placing a stone in Zion that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But, anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.””
“We’ve heard enough.” The voice cries out. He looks at some men nearby and says, “Gentlemen, would you help these two find their way out from this courtyard? I believe they have worn out their welcome.
…
We’re going to stop here for today:
Woah, things have just become tense here in the synagogue at Thessalonica. That didn’t take long, I know! You might be seeing a trend here, but as Paul and Silas continue with their mission assignment, they are received with mixed reviews. Some love them; others loathe them. The message of Messiah’s coming, his offer of the Kingdom of Heaven to Israel, Israel’s rejection of it, Messiah’s subsequent torture, death, and being raised from the dead… This is a divisive message indeed–especially in light of Israel’s rejection of God’s Kingdom offer.
This message didn’t start with Paul or Silas though. It was predicted by the prophets and Jesus himself. Shortly before he was crucified, Jesus spent his final days in the Jerusalem temple, sharing parable after parable about the Kingdom of Heaven and what would happen should the existing religious leadership not receive their forever king.
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because the crowd considered Him to be a prophet.
— Matthew 21:43-45
Needless to say, the religious leaders weren’t impressed. They were threatened by this one man’s voice and needed him to go away.
Taking their cues from Jesus’ playbook, Paul and Silas were commissioned to follow in his footsteps. They would throw down the gauntlet with a similar message and leave the results up to God, unconcerned with what might happen to them along the way. It’s no surprise then that they would be run out of the synagogues and cities for their message.
With the message of the Kingdom of Heaven comes division. Some will love it; others will loathe it. But Jesus knew that. He understood that a line in the sand would be drawn when he explained the offer of the Kingdom of Heaven. Some would love him; others would loathe him.
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.
— Matthew 10:32-36
Paul and Silas were honest and upfront with Jason and the others in Thessalonica, explaining how persecution was to be expected not only for them but for anyone who was receptive to the Gospel–especially those Greeks who had converted to Judaism and believed the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. Later in his writings to those in Thessalonica, Paul shares this:
…so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.
— 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4
Neither Paul nor Silas painted a rosy picture for those learning about the Kingdom of Heaven.
The mere fact that Jason continued to have them reside with him means that he knew of the dangers. He knew the potential backlash for receiving these two into his home, yet he did it anyway. Even if Jason said very little, he willingly placed himself in harm’s way for the sake of the Gospel by welcoming Paul, Silas and Timothy (once he arrived) into his home. Jason made his voice known by his actions.
Where’s your voice? While lifestyle and technology have drastically changed how we do things today, God has still given you a voice, whereby you express the message of the Kingdom of Heaven to others. Can I encourage you to find your voice? To find the platform you will use to make your voice heard? It might be on a blog or podcast like this, but you may have your own way of expressing your voice. The trick is to be sharing the Kingdom of Heaven in the way that fits your style best.
Let’s wrap this up. Suffering for the sake of the message of Messiah, Jesus, is part of the deal, though it will vary for many of us, depending on where we live and the voice we have. But take courage:
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
— Romans 8:16-18
May you be a voice for God; May you find your platform to voice the salvation that Jesus has brought us. May you share openly in your conversations with others and leave the results to God. With that, let’s move forward… together.